Officially, The Weirdest Story Of The Year

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has generated the weirdest story of the year, and one of the most bizarre stories of all time.

We didn't know where he went. His wife didn't know where he went. His staff didn't even know where he went.

And now, after hearing he went hiking, and being on the Appalachian Trail, and all of this in between, it now appears that there is another crazy twist in a story you just can't make up, via Red Sox at the Daily Kos (it pains me as a Yankee fan),

Gov. Mark Sanford arrived in the Hartsville-Jackson International Airport Wednesday morning, having wrapped up a seven-day visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina, he said. Sanford said he had not been hiking along the Appalachian Trail, as his staff said in a Tuesday statement to the media. Sanford's whereabouts had been unknown since Thursday, and the mystery surrounding his absence fueled speculation about where he had been and who's in charge in his absence. His emergence Wednesday ended the mystery. Sanford, in an exclusive interview with The State Media Company, said he decided at the last minute to go to the South American country to recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over how to spend federal stimulus money. Sanford said he had considered hiking on the Appalachian Trail, an activity he said he has enjoyed since he was a high school student. "But I said 'no' I wanted to do something exotic," Sanford said "... It's a great city."