Blue Ridge hotel defies Park Service shutdown

[LordBrownTrout]

When I first heard this one, I figured it had to be a joke. Come on, nobody could get that petty.

Turns out it's true. Along various public roadways with a view of Mt. Rushmore, there are wide spots beside the road where people could pull in, stop safely, and shoot pictures.

Not any more. The Fed govt has coned off many of those viewing areas, starting on Oct. 1 (the first day of the govt shutdown). Now you can only stay in the through lanes, and drive on past. No stopping.

Some wag cobbled up a "picture" of giant helicopters shrouding the carvings of the four Presidents on the mountain, with a giant sheet - an obvious photoshop job. Snopes.com says that one's a lie, in case anyone hadn't already figured it out: No giant helicopters have tried to shroud the mountain with a sheet.

They only coned off the safe-stopping areas.

-----------------------------------------

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20131005/NEWS/310050021/Mount-Rushmore-blockage-stirs-anger-S-D-

Mount Rushmore blockage stirs anger in South Dakota

Barring visitors from view an unexpected effect of shutdown

Oct. 5, 2013 |

Cones are shown along the road to Mount Rushmore. The National Parks Service placed the cones there to prevent viewers from stopping on the side of the road to view the monument. / Submitted photo

Blocking access to trails and programs at South Dakota’s most popular attraction was one thing, but state officials didn’t expect Congress’ budget stalemate to shut down a view of Mount Rushmore.

The National Park Service placed cones along highway viewing areas outside Mount Rushmore this week, barring visitors from pulling over and taking pictures of the famed monument.

The cones first went up Oct. 1, said Dusty Johnson, Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s chief of staff. The state asked that they be taken down, and federal officials did so with some of them. The state was told the cones were a safety precaution to help channel cars into viewing areas rather than to bar their entrance.

“I think reasonable people can disagree about that,” Johnson said.

The cones were down again Friday as a blizzard hit the Black Hills and plows needed access to the roads, Johnson said. He said the state would be monitoring to see whether the cones are put back along viewing areas.

“Once the snow’s off the ground, we’re going to be keeping an eye on how the cones go up,” Johnson said.

The Buffalo News reported that a tour group of dozens of people from western New York was unable to take pictures of the monument because highway viewing areas were coned off.

“It’s all closed up,” the newspaper quoted North Collins, N.Y., resident Hilde Werneth as saying. “They won’t even let you stop and take a picture. You can only drive by.”

Excuse me but you seriously think this isn't baked into the shutdown cake? I mean, please....You think Obama is actually targeting South Dakota highways? Paranoia runs rampant amongst righties.

Yes, this is on him. He has the ultimate authority on what gets shut down.

 

[deltex1]

When I first heard this one, I figured it had to be a joke. Come on, nobody could get that petty.

Turns out it's true. Along various public roadways with a view of Mt. Rushmore, there are wide spots beside the road where people could pull in, stop safely, and shoot pictures.

Not any more. The Fed govt has coned off many of those viewing areas, starting on Oct. 1 (the first day of the govt shutdown). Now you can only stay in the through lanes, and drive on past. No stopping.

Some wag cobbled up a "picture" of giant helicopters shrouding the carvings of the four Presidents on the mountain, with a giant sheet - an obvious photoshop job. Snopes.com says that one's a lie, in case anyone hadn't already figured it out: No giant helicopters have tried to shroud the mountain with a sheet.

They only coned off the safe-stopping areas.

-----------------------------------------

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20131005/NEWS/310050021/Mount-Rushmore-blockage-stirs-anger-S-D-

Mount Rushmore blockage stirs anger in South Dakota

Barring visitors from view an unexpected effect of shutdown

Oct. 5, 2013 |

Cones are shown along the road to Mount Rushmore. The National Parks Service placed the cones there to prevent viewers from stopping on the side of the road to view the monument. / Submitted photo

Blocking access to trails and programs at South Dakota’s most popular attraction was one thing, but state officials didn’t expect Congress’ budget stalemate to shut down a view of Mount Rushmore.

The National Park Service placed cones along highway viewing areas outside Mount Rushmore this week, barring visitors from pulling over and taking pictures of the famed monument.

The cones first went up Oct. 1, said Dusty Johnson, Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s chief of staff. The state asked that they be taken down, and federal officials did so with some of them. The state was told the cones were a safety precaution to help channel cars into viewing areas rather than to bar their entrance.

“I think reasonable people can disagree about that,” Johnson said.

The cones were down again Friday as a blizzard hit the Black Hills and plows needed access to the roads, Johnson said. He said the state would be monitoring to see whether the cones are put back along viewing areas.

“Once the snow’s off the ground, we’re going to be keeping an eye on how the cones go up,” Johnson said.

The Buffalo News reported that a tour group of dozens of people from western New York was unable to take pictures of the monument because highway viewing areas were coned off.

“It’s all closed up,” the newspaper quoted North Collins, N.Y., resident Hilde Werneth as saying. “They won’t even let you stop and take a picture. You can only drive by.”

Thats what a girlie man community organizer does when his panties are in a twist.

 

[Jarlaxle]

25 miles and hour for 200 miles. Eh who wants to die from boredom anyway?

Stay off it Politico. You might be startled and offended by wildlife running free and more scenery than a building on the next corner.

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

 

[Pogo]

25 miles and hour for 200 miles. Eh who wants to die from boredom anyway?

Stay off it Politico. You might be startled and offended by wildlife running free and more scenery than a building on the next corner.

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

Ah yes, the Tail of the Dragon.
Good run for the proper vehicle. Not possible to die from boredom there.

 

[Pogo]

Well I've checked out a couple of turnout areas on the BRP nearby. No cones, no signs, no indication of anything different at all. No NPS personnel encountered, although that's not unusual -- I often drive a hundred miles or more on any of these national parkways without seeing any uniforms.

Did get some nice pictures of clouds rolling in over the mountain though.

So no coneage here, so if it's happening elsewhere it's not done uniformly.

That's all I have to report, now I'd like to turn the podium over to QuantumWindtunnel who's going to explain to us how this post you're reading is government shill propaganda, and I believe he's also going to work out on the blackboard how this post will have come after his next one which retroactively predicts it, so if you're into time travel you won't wanna miss this.

Let's give him a big hand...

 

[Stephanie]

I'm not sure he and his comrades arms administration can CRAWL any lower

Wouldn't it be great to see the people of this country CLOSE the white house and demand his job as President be CLOSED down, permanently

 

[HenryBHough]

His desire to eliminate the coal industry is directly in opposition to the effort to erect His likeness on Rushmore.

 

[thereisnospoon]

25 miles and hour for 200 miles. Eh who wants to die from boredom anyway?

Stay off it Politico. You might be startled and offended by wildlife running free and more scenery than a building on the next corner.

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

Ever take US 221 south from Blowing Rock, NC down to Linville...Nice twisty ride there.

 

[P@triot]

Obama is going out of his way to shut down things that can't even be shut down (like monuments sitting out in the open ) while keeping the most frivolous of items up and running (like his private golf course).

He was caught last time sending out a memo that instructed his Administration to "make it hurt" - believing, of course, that if people felt pain and IF he could convince them to blame the GOP for that pain, he would benefit.

Apparently though, Obama hasn't quite caught on that this is not the U.S.S.R. circa 1930's under Joseph Stalin and that he doesn't control the flow of all information. Hence, is plan is a complete and total disaster as there are report after report piling up of Obama trying to cause unnecessary pain. Case in point:

Note from Alex Jones: "This is part of a criminal pattern of obstruction to tax-payer funded services. As with highway pull-offs being closed to bar views of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, and boat ramps on the Mississippi being blocked, the system wants to make the shutdown as painful for the American people as possible, as National Park Service rangers have admitted. This is outright criminal because the Amber Alert site is still up, they’re simply blocking it".

Justice Dept. Caught in Amber Alert Takedown Hoax

You wanted the government shut down.
You shut the government down.
Now you are whinning because the government is shut down.
Could there possibly be a bigger group of fools and crybabies? I doubt it.

To be very clear here [MENTION=35790]ron4342[/MENTION] - I am not crying at all. I could not be more thrilled to see the government shut down. If I had any complaint, it's that we haven't shut down enough of the government.

I'm simply pointing out how Obama has gone out of his way to ensure all of his creature comforts exist while making a very serious effort to create unnecessary problems (like shutting down public memorials and monuments which don't cost the federal government one single penny) because he's desperate to convince people that Republicans are "evil" and life ceases to exist without overly expensive, bloated, unconstitutional government.

And you know I'm right too. Hence your small hissy here...

 

[Pogo]

Stay off it Politico. You might be startled and offended by wildlife running free and more scenery than a building on the next corner.

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

Ever take US 221 south from Blowing Rock, NC down to Linville...Nice twisty ride there.

If you come down by Linville, take time to go see Brown Mountain as the sun sets. Especially this time of year with Hallowe'en looming.

Oh yes -- they're there. First time I went I was just looking across the gorge at a mountain. An hour later it looked like a whole city.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Stay off it Politico. You might be startled and offended by wildlife running free and more scenery than a building on the next corner.

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

Ah yes, the Tail of the Dragon.
Good run for the proper vehicle. Not possible to die from boredom there.

I'd take my Caddy, or with my wife in her Grand National...not sure I'm up for taking my scooter. Not YET, anyway.

 

[Pogo]

only tourist go to the parkway to see the brown mountain lights....locals go to wiseman's view....

Wiseman's was exactly what I'm talking about.

But you (can) take the Parkway to get to the area. That's how I go.

 

[P@triot]

More glaring evidence that Dumbcorats don't give a fuck about people (including children sick with cancer) but instead care only about money, power, and communism...

• “Treatments for children suffering from cancer. The Republicans have agreed to a compromise by funding the part of the government, including the National Institute of Health, which offers children with cancer last‑chance experimental treatment… The NIH was told by the President, ‘You can’t start any new testing of anything.’ As soon as the Republicans found out about it, they said, ‘Not a problem. Let’s make sure that we fund the NIH. We’ll pass a special bill to fund the NIH so we can save children,’” Glenn explained. “If that’s what you really picked out of the 100% of the pie, you only need to shut down 15%, if that’s what you pick, we’ll fund that. So [Republicans] said, ‘We’ll pass it.” The President said he will veto it if it gets to his desk. That’s the compromise.”
  
  
• “World War II Memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It doesn’t have a staff to it. It is maintained with private financing, built by private financing, maintained with private financing. The White House knew in advance that these flights come in all the time… And so what do they do? They put a chain‑link fence around the World War II Memorial… You have your National Park Service coming out and saying, ‘We were told to inflict as much pain as possible,’” Glenn explained. “Then when the GOP finds out about it, the congressmen remove the barricades. When one of the park rangers says, ‘Hey, you can’t do that’ and starts yelling at the people in the wheelchairs, what happens? The president raises the stakes and then says, ‘I’m going to put guards around that memorial.’ So he’s spending money. Does that seem reasonable to you? By the way, the GOP has offered to cover any costs to keep the memorial open for the greatest generation.”
  
  
• “Then there’s the furloughed military chaplains. The military chaplains are not allowed to work for free. They have all said, ‘We will celebrate mass. We will do our services. We will do baptisms for free.’ They have been told they will be punished if they do it,” Glenn explained. “So you have a baby to be baptized; the military priest cannot baptize your child or he’ll go to jail. He can’t celebrate mass anywhere for free or he will go to jail. Does this sound reasonable to you at all?”
  
  
• “In the Florida Keys small businesses, hunters, and commercial fishermen can no longer practice their trade,” he said. “They have tried to close down the ocean. The Feds are saying, ‘You can’t do any fishing on the ocean.’ Does this seem reasonable to you?”
  
  
• “The American Forces Network, AFN, these are the people that carry shows like mine, they carry shows like… 50% of the shows have to be liberal. But they also not just broadcast the news and talk,” Glenn said. “They also bring our Armed Forces all of the sporting events, all the football games and everything else. The golf course at Camp David is deemed essential, but AFN carrying the football games for our troops is not. Not doing them. Carrying them… By the way, Camp David, the golf course and Camp David is open.”
  
  
• “The D‑day Memorial. The GOP has offered to compromise and fund all of the National Parks,” Glenn explained. “The President has said he will veto any compromise on legislation. So the D‑day Memorial in Normandy has now been barricaded.”
  
  
• “Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home, is privately funded. The Feds blocked the visitors from entering the parking area because the National Park Service maintains the lot… No federal money is used to operate any of these parks. In fact, the federal government makes money through the operation of these parks,” Glenn said. “He had them all closed down and so the 400 to 500 private employees have been furloughed. And by the way, they don’t get any of their money back. They’re just destroyed. Because, I forgot to tell you: The GOP and the Democrats did get together in some emergency legislation. They don’t give a crap about the 400 to 500 employees that are privately. But those government workers, they raced to make sure they knew, ‘Oh, don’t worry. You’ll get your money.’”
  
  
• “A self‑sustaining colonial farm that hasn’t received a dime of government money since 1980 has been closed for the first time in 40 years. The National Park Service has succeeded in closing the farm to the public. In the previous budget dramas, the farm has always been exempted because the government pays nothing, provides no staff, nor do they provide any resources to operate the farm,” he explained. “The President has closed the Vietnam Memorial. The GOP passed the compromised legislation that would fund the memorial, keep it open to the public, but the president said he would veto it.”
  
  
• “The operator of a 51‑room inn located on U.S. Government‑owned land in North Carolina abandoned his defiant stance on Thursday to keep his property open despite being ordered to shut down as part of the federal government shutdown. October is this inn’s prime season,” Glenn said. “The GOP has offered a compromise to open this particular park, but the President said no to that compromise. So here is a private individual that will lose out on the money that he makes in his prime season. State troopers, by the way, have blocked the customers have entering the parking lot. How much are they spending on the state troopers? Again, Park Service ranger said, ‘We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can.’”
  
  
• “The President has forced residents out of their private homes – the government shutdown being felt close to home for some locals. They say they’re being forced out of their private homes on Lake Mead because they sit on federal land,” Glenn said. “Acadia Park, Maine, ‘We’ve been training at two years at Crossfit for this hike, no kidding.’ She said the shutdown now is going to keep everybody off of Acadia Park.”
  
  
• “A historic restaurant opened during the last shutdown, forced to close. An iconic Philadelphia restaurant been forced to close its doors and turned away book parties because of the government shutdown,” he said. “That is a private restaurant. They won’t get any money back.”
  
  
• “There’s a road that goes through a Colorado park,” Glenn said. “The forest service announced the Pitkin County commissioners to order that Maroon Creek Road be shut down at the height of the tourist season, ahead of what is supposed to be one of the busiest weekends of the fall. The road is to be closed at T Lazy 7 Ranch pending the resolution of the shutdown.”
  
  
• “And here’s my favorite. We joked about this. They actually did it. They are now blocking access to trails, roads, and programs at South Dakota’s most popular attraction,” Glenn explained. “The National Park Service has now placed cones along the highway outside of Mount Rushmore this weekend, barring visitors from stopping and looking at the mountain. You cannot stop on the road. And they have officers there to ticket you if you do.” Obama: you are forbidden from LOOKING AT A MOUNTAIN
  
  
• “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has gone turned off its entire website in response to the government shutdown, leaving farmers, reporters, and others with no way to access any of the agency’s information online,” Glenn said. “The USDA’s total website goes far beyond response of other federal agencies. Seems to be part of an effort to make people feel the effects of the shutdown. Thursday morning calls to the USDA’s press office seeking an explanation were not answered.”
  
  
• “The President has closed the Military Commissary. Military members and veterans and families who shop at the local tax‑free store were shocked to discover that the store’s doors had been locked. They have closed the PX. This is where you go and you shop if you’re a military family. This is at Andrews Air Force base. They have shut the commissary and they have shut the PX,” Glenn said. “So you can’t go buy any groceries, you can’t go buy any clothes, any medicine. You can’t go buy meat, nothing.”

Obama: Inflict as much pain as possible

 

[Pogo]

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

Ah yes, the Tail of the Dragon.
Good run for the proper vehicle. Not possible to die from boredom there.

I'd take my Caddy, or with my wife in her Grand National...not sure I'm up for taking my scooter. Not YET, anyway.

You take your Caddy on that road, you'd better be prepared to spend all your time pulling off to let me and my MINI get by...

Highway 80's another good place to ban SUVs... take your index finger and push it down with your thumb as far as it can go... curves like that

 

[thereisnospoon]

I'd rather run US129 than the Blue Ridge! 11 miles, 318 curves.

Ever take US 221 south from Blowing Rock, NC down to Linville...Nice twisty ride there.

If you come down by Linville, take time to go see Brown Mountain as the sun sets. Especially this time of year with Hallowe'en looming.

Oh yes -- they're there. First time I went I was just looking across the gorge at a mountain. An hour later it looked like a whole city.

In my younger days we used to go to Brown Mountain beach...Not by the resort. Up river about a mile or so. We called it "the Gorge"..It's a broad expanse of granite that slopes down into the creek. Which in the middle of summer was cold.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Ah yes, the Tail of the Dragon.
Good run for the proper vehicle. Not possible to die from boredom there.

I'd take my Caddy, or with my wife in her Grand National...not sure I'm up for taking my scooter. Not YET, anyway.

You take your Caddy on that road, you'd better be prepared to spend all your time pulling off to let me and my MINI get by...

Highway 80's another good place to ban SUVs... take your index finger and push it down with your thumb as far as it can go... curves like that

I can take an off-camber highway on-ramp at 50+ in the Caddy without a problem...though I have no idea what I will do when I wear out my last set of CHP-spec Goodyears. Nobody makes performance tires in that size anymore! With the Eagle GT's...I took a hairpin posted for 20 at 35 and could have gone faster. It won't pace my friend's Miata...but that's mostly because said Miata is packing 400HP.

As for SUV's...I would love to try the Dragon in a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, a Porsche Cayenne, or a GMC Typhoon.

 

[Pogo]

I'd take my Caddy, or with my wife in her Grand National...not sure I'm up for taking my scooter. Not YET, anyway.

You take your Caddy on that road, you'd better be prepared to spend all your time pulling off to let me and my MINI get by...

Highway 80's another good place to ban SUVs... take your index finger and push it down with your thumb as far as it can go... curves like that

I can take an off-camber highway on-ramp at 50+ in the Caddy without a problem...though I have no idea what I will do when I wear out my last set of CHP-spec Goodyears. Nobody makes performance tires in that size anymore! With the Eagle GT's...I took a hairpin posted for 20 at 35 and could have gone faster. It won't pace my friend's Miata...but that's mostly because said Miata is packing 400HP.

As for SUV's...I would love to try the Dragon in a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, a Porsche Cayenne, or a GMC Typhoon.

Thanks for that reminder that Porsche whored themselves down to selling an SUV

Proper tires are essential, no doubt. But it's the inertia and that center of gravity that put a dent in my day as I sit and wait for first responders to clean up the road.

 

[Jarlaxle]

The Cayenne is FASTER around the 'Ring than a 911 Turbo.

My Caddy has stiff springs, 9C1 swaybars, and an Impala SS fast-ratio steering box.

 

[Pogo]

The Cayenne is FASTER around the 'Ring than a 911 Turbo.

My Caddy has stiff springs, 9C1 swaybars, and an Impala SS fast-ratio steering box.

"Faster" isn't the point. Centre of gravity is. Speed has no practical function.

Wanna know why?

Bring your Caddy to one end of the Dragon's Tail. I'll meet you there in my Mini Cooper. Then I'll wait for you at the other end. After lunch probably.

 

[P@triot]

Ah yes, the Tail of the Dragon.
Good run for the proper vehicle. Not possible to die from boredom there.

I'd take my Caddy, or with my wife in her Grand National...not sure I'm up for taking my scooter. Not YET, anyway.

You take your Caddy on that road, you'd better be prepared to spend all your time pulling off to let me and my MINI get by...

Highway 80's another good place to ban SUVs... take your index finger and push it down with your thumb as far as it can go... curves like that

What we need to ban are mini's. I'm tired of picking those 2-cylinder toys out of the grill of my Hummer every time I get home....