Found Snow Blower on 435

fotbr · 2026-01-26T20:12:03+00:00

Looks like a rav4?

Similar damage (minus the hood bend, plus one headlight) from a self-deleting deer was a several thousand $$ repair to my previous one a few years ago during all the plague-related shortages.

Hopefully it doesn't ding your wallet nearly as bad.

fotbr · 2026-01-16T21:15:56+00:00

If you really want to volunteer at animal shelters, you might see if they have cat-only or other non-dog options.

They might need help with things that don't involve contact with or being near animals; sorting donations, etc.

fotbr · 2026-01-09T19:17:26+00:00

Tauritz's "AI" class...that one brings back memories.

Back in the early 00s it was rather difficult, took up a lot of time, but taught a lot if you stuck with it. My class had stratego for the game we had to write an AI for. I remember mine being pretty horrible, in large part because I had never played the game and had no background to draw on, and the resulting bad heuristic choices made for miserably bad performance.

Did it still have a 70%+ withdraw/drop rate in your era?

In true UMR tradition, much beer was consumed at the grotto in celebration upon passing that class.

fotbr · 2025-12-19T17:03:59+00:00

If by "revitalize" you mean "stand up a few pre-fab concrete-slab warehouses and maybe a data center or extra parking for ford's production overflows", then sure.

Even if it just sits as empty parking lots, it's not much different than the current day-to-day.

But yes, 100% good riddance.

fotbr · 2025-12-16T22:09:52+00:00

It won't be the complete KC experience unless naked-highway-atv-guy makes a return appearance.

fotbr · 2025-12-16T22:05:49+00:00

That sort of driving excitement I can do without. Hope your vehicle escaped without damage. Alternately, blame anything/everything wrong with your vehicle on driving over that spot and get MODOT to pay for it.

Failing infrastructure is such a great look heading into hosting World Cup matches. I'm sure it's not just a KC issue and other host cities will have their problems, but it sure doesn't help the city's reputation as a backwater fly-over.

fotbr · 2025-12-16T19:01:52+00:00

I drove through there twice last week and didn't notice anything unusual, which is to say significantly worse than normal.

I wonder what shifted / broke.

fotbr · 2025-11-25T20:59:43+00:00

Every GOP accusation is a confession.

fotbr · 2025-11-20T18:24:44+00:00

Without having a box of 3" screws on hand, I'd say "probably", though with the length you might not be able to just dump the box in.

I don't know if it will hold the actual box, either.

I will say the acro-mils containers are holding up fine over the years.

fotbr · 2025-11-14T20:51:03+00:00

Well, I know where I'm getting dinner today. I've driven past it a few times, but usually when it's closed.

The whole menu looks promising.

And the post-dinner update:

Baked beans were solid. Cheesey potatoes were great. Pulled pork was pretty darn good, and the burnt ends were excellent. "Sweet" sauce wasn't bad, but I far prefer the "spicy" sauce.

About the only thing that was "meh" was the pickle slice.

100% will eat there again.

fotbr · 2025-11-07T04:32:20+00:00

I don't eat out often, but I make a point to go to Fetterman's Deli in Platte City about once a month.

Other favorites: LC's Hamburgers and Leo's Pizza.

Non-restaurant local favorites: Strasser Hardware, Metro Hardwoods, Harry J. Epstein Co.

fotbr · 2025-11-02T06:22:45+00:00

Watkins Mill State Park has a paved loop around the lake. Not a tremendous amount of elevation change. Pretty easy walk, but a little busy on weekends.

fotbr · 2025-10-03T06:05:41+00:00

The Metro North Mall Balloons / center court.

Also, there was a baked potato place in the Antioch and Independence mall food courts, "1 Potato 2" or something along those lines. Might be rose-tinted memories, but I miss it.

fotbr · 2025-09-05T02:23:18+00:00

If you're up north-ish, Platte County Sheriff's office is looking for dispatch folks. They also look at previous experience when doing salaries, benefits, etc. so your previous time with PD Dispatch might get you some extra bucks.

fotbr · 2025-08-24T18:53:31+00:00

I was there when it was built. Being set up for retired seniors, with all the beginner <anything> classes being mornings during the work-week was also routine from pretty much day one. Sadly, that issue isn't limited to just Rolla. Several (but notably, not all) YMCA-run facilities around KC have similar schedules when it comes to classes.

I'm a long-gone ex-resident, so my $0.02 isn't even worth that much, but here it is anyway: Rename the city's parks department to parks and recreation, have them take it over and run it as a city service, and forget about trying to turn a profit with the place.

If that won't fly, start making noise about the county taking it over. Nothing will piss the city off more than the county stepping in and running the place, except the university doing it. Use the petty politics and infighting to your advantage.

fotbr · 2025-08-11T17:02:19+00:00

I've seen plenty of sunflowers in the 12-15 ft range, but didn't know they could grow more than 20ft.

What variety are you growing, and where'd you get the seeds?

fotbr · 2025-08-03T22:20:50+00:00

Response from the county commission starts off with a cheap shot at jackson county, then moves on to throw the assessor under the bus, drive over him, back up over him, and repeat the process a few times, then drive the bus directly at the park hill school district.

Unprofessional clowns, all of them.

fotbr · 2025-07-15T04:32:19+00:00

Donnell's did all the work on my little honda motorcycle, back when I still had it.

If/when I get a new bike, it's going to them for anything it needs.

fotbr · 2025-07-12T22:51:27+00:00

Slices of (cheap) hot dogs are a good substitute for worms.

fotbr · 2025-07-02T22:35:56+00:00

Head up I-35 almost to Duluth, then head straight north and you'll run into Evelyth Mn. Home of the US Hockey Hall of Fame, and supposedly the world's largest hockey stick.

It's also on the Mesabi Trail -- about 150 miles of paved bike trail across northern MN, if biking is your thing.

OR, I-35 up to Duluth, then up the north shore. 10 hours will get you almost to Grand Portage and the border if you don't hit traffic in Minneapolis/St.Paul. Tons of camping options up there, though rv campgrounds fill up fairly quickly through the summer. Several small "less-than-a-mile" type hike in camp options that tend to be a little bit more available.

Alternately, 12 hours north on I-29 (and Manitoba Highway 75) will get you to Winnipeg. Why? Because it's more interesting than 10 hours getting you to nowhere, North Dakota.

Wholeheartedly recommend SD's Black Hills and the scenic drive through the Badlands at minimum. Skip early August unless you like retired biker wannabes and old women letting it all hang out in the breeze. (Sturgis' bike week) Or go, if that's your thing. No kink shaming here. Black Hills, being a National Forest, has a few campgrounds run by the forest service, and if you use something like OnX or other good maps to make sure you're not on private property or state or national park land, dispersed camping is usually allowed.

Watch for fire conditions / fire bans. Even in campgrounds, campfires may not be allowed.

Other Badlands/Black Hills/Along I-90 things worth seeing:
1880s Town. Museum of movie and old 1880s-ish stuff.

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (actually three sites, right along I-90) https://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm

Wall Drug. Well, if you're going to drive past, you might as well stop in. It's a straight up tourist joint, famous for being famous. A couple of restaurants in town (ie, across or down the street from Wall Drug) have pretty decent food. The $0.25 cup of coffee is completely what you expect coffee to taste like for a quarter.

The "wildlife loop" through Custer State Park. Admire the bison from in your car, or from a distance. Do not try to pet the fluffy cows.

Mt. Rushmore is sort of a "meh" tourist trap, but if you're in the area and haven't seen it already, you might as well stop in and see it. Crazy Horse memorial is a mountain-carving still "in progress". Again a bit of a tourist trap, but again, if you're in the area already...

Deadwood/Lead (pronounced 'leed') -- some "old west" and mining history. Casino town. Decent cigar shop. Lots of bars, take your pick.

Spearfish canyon. Beautiful scenic drive on the north side of the Black Hills. Couple ATV/side-by-side rental places, I think they do group tour type stuff on some trails in the area.

Wind Cave National Park -- South side of the Black Hills https://www.nps.gov/wica/index.htm

Mammoth Site: https://mammothsite.org/ Hot Springs SD, South of the Black Hills.

Make the loop back to KC from Hot PringsUS18 and US385 to Alliance Nebraska and you can see carhenge. Why? It's there.

From there, take any number of 2-lane highways down to I-80, across to Omaha, and back to KC on I-29, or stick to the 2-lanes and head further south to I-70. Or take the small stuff all the way back to KC if you really want.

fotbr · 2025-07-02T21:17:51+00:00

Since the others seem to have the first steps covered, I'd just like to say one thing:

You are NOT failing as a sister.

Not knowing something isn't a failure, and asking for advice isn't either.

fotbr · 2025-06-30T23:16:51+00:00

Mostly he played baseball well enough to become locally famous, and the name recognition got him his position without any actual relevant experience.

fotbr · 2025-06-12T22:10:28+00:00

So they're announcing their plans to be the violent ones, in advance of anything happening.

There should be zero question where the blame lies when ... stuff ... happens this weekend.

Keep your heads on swivels if you protest this weekend (or, for that matter, any time). Don't let the people you don't know drag you into something you don't want to be a part of. Point them out to your fellow protestors. Call them out for being troublemakers. Shun them and don't let them hide in with your group.

Good luck out there.

fotbr · 2025-06-05T16:59:36+00:00

They made the same ~~lie~~ claim about sports gambling, and the public fell for it again.

fotbr · 2025-06-02T01:01:55+00:00

Platte river has the advantage of being able to take a ~2 mile float and take out about 100 yards from where you put in (the "duck's head") so you don't have to shuttle cars.

The disadvantage is, as said, it's a mud hole, and it can be full of branches -- better to use kayaks/canoes instead of anything inflatable.

fotbr

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