All roads lead to home

DAY 15

Got up, ate breakfast and got on the road. As we were getting in the van an extremely loud, obviously jet engine noise disrupted the air waves. Up above a military jet was probably practicing or training and I saw one very extreme dive. (Again with the crazy people!)

So now we are heading home. We’ve timed our trip so that hopefully we will hit Chicago very late or very early, as before. Our ETA is around 7am. We’ll see.

I’ve seen deer, turkey and a flock of what might be swans flying overhead.

Minnesota seems to be at the forefront of windmill farming.

As I drove Animal read aloud “THE POWER OF HABIT”, by Charles Duhigg. (I highly recommend it for those who want to make change.) At intervals we would then discuss how to apply the information to our own lives. Very helpful.

Forward!

Oh, and btw, remember Dan, the lost hiker? We found out that he was found dead, not far from his car. Don't know details but he was, apparently, an experienced hiker. And why they didn't find him sooner with the crew they had out looking for him is also a mystery. Will keep checking, 'cuz I'm curious.

DAY 16

We drove through the night, stopping only for food (Subway), gas, and to change drivers. Made it through Chi-town around midnight. Yay.

Got back to Animals house around 9am. While she secured the peeps, I went up to the spare bedroom and crashed for a few hours. Around 2pm we collected the girls from Sherry’s house and then Animal took me home.

So now I’m back where I started physically, although the girls are giving me the cold shoulder, more, I think, for the car ride than the absence. They’ll get over it (I hope.)

…

AND IN CONCLUSION…

After a trip of that scope I find that there is a definite, positive shift in my mental health. Yes, there was death on the trip (RIP peeps). I also heard about the Aurora massacre but refused to listen to details, (and still don’t want to know ‘cuz it’s so horrific), and the fires on the plains, though destructive, are a natural part of the renewal in that part of the country.

On the other hand, I witnessed some of the true wonders of nature, including both living (bison, prairie dogs, etc.) and scenic (the ND Badlands, Big Horn Mountains, Devils Tower, etc.)

I had fun working with Animal and felt the love and wonder of children and adults, both.

How can one see and experience any of those things and not be changed?

I’ve taken somewhere in the neighborhood of 800+ pics. I’m going to be awhile working on them, but I’ll share, and maybe you can get some idea of what I saw.

And so ends this Great Adventure. May there be many more.

In (and around) the shining water

DAY 14

Awakened by the noise of tourists; radios, gunning motors, loud talking. Philistines!

Our next destination is the South Dakota Badlands, but we’re not set in stone as to where exactly we’re going there.

I will now sing the praises of GPS; there are incredibly long stretches of no interests (unless you’re into black angus ranches) along this route. The GPS actually gave me hope that there was something on the end of this by letting me know that in () miles there would actually be something.

Animal spotted a pronghorn. Kewl!

Sadly we’ve lot yet another quail. He died in my hands. RIP dude.

The scenery has changed again, and we can see, far off in the distance what is unmistakably smoke from a massive fire.

 ...

We have now reached the park area and have been told that the smoke we saw is near Pringle, and it is not contained, at all.

I was about to drive past Sylvan Lake which is man made, but Animal wanted to go swimming. So we parked, changed into our suits and walked over to where there were loads of families with screaming children, barbeque grills, and beer. Despite signs clearly stating that jumping from the rocks was strictly prohibited kids and adults were doing it anyway. (Tourists! Feh!!)

Dropping towels and shoes on the shore we went in.

OMG! That water was COLD!!! It actually took my breath away. But I got used to it (kinda) and started to swim. Then I decided I needed to see so went back to get my glasses, went back in the water and just did breast or side strokes to the little rock island several yards off shore.

Animal is part mermaid and did a lot more swimming than I did. I swam back to a different part of shore and started investigating the rocks. When she got out we spontaneously started following the path that led around the lake (it’s a small lake). 

Every few feet I would find a rock I just Had to pick up. I’m a sucker for quartz, and it was everywhere. There were also flakes of mica on the ground and in the water and the sun hitting it would just gleam. Fortunately I had brought my binocular case (sans binocular). I needed it.

Along our hike we ran into a group of (cute) boy hikers that alerted us to the fact that there was tourmaline in certain areas. We found several good specimens although finding an intact spear was rare. Mostly got chunks embedded in the quartz.

My bag was almost completely full by the time we got back to the van.

As usual we went (still on the trail but away from the majority of other hikers) looking for places where others were not and found some incredibly beautiful little out of the way places.

I will reiterate that I’ve got massive amounts of pictures.

We got a look at the actual dam that created the lake. It’s a small thing, mostly just a concrete wall between two very tall boulders, but it’s enough to create the lake, and unlike some this one was an improvement for the area.

So despite my lack of expectation, Sylvan Lake was another incredible adventure.

Into the car again we headed up the road to the Needles. They are an incredible rock formation (please – what isn’t around here) but more exciting was the one-lane tunnel you had to drive through to get to them. Hard to describe so I’ll insert what’s in the brochure. “As part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, the Needles Highway stretches 14 miles through granite structures and pine covered mountains. Needle’s Eye is one of the most memorable granite needles along the drive, with its signature ‘eye’ formed by countless years of rain, ice and wind.”

On the way down spotted the fire smoke again. We could actually smell and see the smoke, even though it was miles away. (It had a nice mesquite scent. Would’ve been enjoyable but for the reality of people endangering their lives putting the fire out. Btw, I actually thanked a few of the firefighters who were on break for their work.)

When we stopped at the information center we were told this was the Myrtle fire and it was, maybe 5 percent contained. Also, there was an extreme thunderstorm warning out for the area we were in.

The day was getting prematurely gray and the storm was chasing us as we came back out on the prairie. The road we got on ran perpendicular and I can honestly say I’ve never seen clouds like that before. The rain angled downward and it looked like a giant mushroom. The lightning was incredible. Since we were on flat plain you could see everything for miles and the bolts were striking downward, sideways, and even coming from a cloud and jumping to another in a jagged ‘w’.

To my right as I watched I actually saw smoke starting to rise in two places. The longer I watched the bigger the smoke plume. At one point I actually saw the orange flames. They were HUGE! But happily I think the storm put the fire out before it got completely out of control. I saw the smoke die down and dissipate. Whew.

I forgot to mention that at the info center Animal and I decided that we were both “full” and that it was now time to start home, even though there was still plenty that we could’ve done. But both of us had had some extremely profound experiences that needed processing and we were ready.

We drove as far as we could (to Sioux Falls) then got a hotel and crashed.

All the peeps left are still with us. YAY!

The Mountain, the Birds, and the Stars

DAY 13

Got out of the hotel around 9:30am heading for Devils Tower. Along the way we lost another quail. <sigh>

This part of the country is rolling hills, sure, but ultimately boring.

Coal mining here.

Just got into Moorcroft, which is the biggest town near DT. I feel like I’m making a pilgrimage. This one feels powerful even from a distance.

Just saw a pronghorn grazing by the side of the road. Kewl!

A lot of dead trees; evidence of old forest fires. The fire hazard scale is at its highest right now – in the red. Signs abound cautioning against throwing cigarettes or matches out of your car.

We see the tower off in the distance, a lone and very eccentric structure out here. There are other outcroppings but nothing quite like it.

…

Devil’s Tower is magnificent. It would be even more magnificent if there weren’t so many loudmouth tourists hanging around. Interestingly, there have, apparently, always been tourists here.  The natives visited and used it as a landmark, but didn’t hang around much. The white settlers even treated it (mostly) with respect. It has been, and will always be, a place to revere.

You can’t help but amazed at the sheer majesty of this piece of rock thrusting out of the ground. (It kind of looks like an incredibly large petrified tree stump.) While Yellowstone was our first national park, Devils Tower was our first natural national monument (thank you Teddy Roosevelt, again.)

 For those who don’t know, the geologic story is that there was an intrusion of magma from deep in the earth that never erupted (thus magma rather than lava). Over time the magma cooled and started fracturing.  The Belle Fourche River (pronounced ‘fish’ and meaning ‘beautiful fork’ in French) carved away at the landscape, slowly revealing what was to become the tower. There are very few of these types of geologic intrusions in the world.

Another amazing factoid is that the top of the tower used to be under miles of earth. Now it’s the tallest thing in sight.

No wonder the aliens in the movie used it as a landmark. Everyone else did. (And no, there have been no recorded sightings of UFO’s around the tower. What a shame L

Right now I’m sitting at the ladies latrine writing this while the battery is charging on the computer. About 5 feet away is a small bird sitting on the ground staring at me. At the campsite there was a robin sitting on the grill that didn’t move for at least 10 minutes, and I got within feet of it. In the tree above Animals’ bedding, a dove hung out for an extended time.

Only the prairie dogs seem to be skittish around people.

Btw, the little bird is apparently a new fledgling. He’s flown off now.

In the distance vultures are circling the tower. On the electric line above me the birds are blue (not sad - the color.) There are also some blackish birds with white spots. I’ll check out what they all are later.

Sad news; due to an unfortunate circumstance another quail has died, and we nearly lost another due to the heat. So now we are at five.

We are camping at the monument tonight; Animal outside and me in the van. (Yes, I’m still a wuss).

Even though there’s a good breeze we’re going to wait until after 8pm to do the hike. Hopefully most of the tourists will be gone.

Much as I’m glad we’ve come here, I’m sorry that it is one of the more popular destinations. The other places we’ve visited had very few people, and we were able to listen to nature rather than voices and machinery.

…

We did the right thing to wait. When we got to the parking lot only a few cars were there and very few people were setting off. We got to a split in the trail, and while everyone else went to the right we took the left-hand fork. On occasion we would run into people coming from the opposite direction and would nod in acknowledgement, but mostly it was quiet, which is what I was hoping for.

One other thing I had hoped for but had not known if it would be possible was a chance to actually touch the rock face. I got my opportunity, and I must say it was akin to a religious experience (another one! LOL)

(I cannot stress enough that if you are, at all, interested in nature, you MUST see this!)

Since we started so late we ended the hike at the very edge of full darkness, but the trail was clearly marked so no possibility of getting lost.

We drove back to the campsite and parked the van so I could see the mountain from inside. It was a moonless night but the sky was clear. The Milky Way was more evident than I’ve ever witnessed it before. We saw a few meteors zip by as well as a satellite or two. The mountain itself was a black silhouette, clearly outlined. And up on the face you could see the lights of crazy people who were ascending or descending in the dark. (Insanity – thy name is rock climber.)

Our campsite was only yards away from the Belle Fourche river. A. found her way to it and took a swim. I sat by it for a brief time but the mountain chill (I got cold!) finally drove me into the van. I went to sleep with the van door open watching the progression of the Big Dipper as it wheeled around the mountaintop.

Magic.

In the wind, typing as I go

DAY 12 - It just gets more amazing as we go

(Animal has a portable power cell, so I'm recording things as they occur.)

Our ultimate goal today is Medicine Wheel, WY, however since we are in Montana we stopped at Pictograph Cave Parkand spent several hours doing the trail there. 

I spotted a bunny hanging out under a bush. Hope the pictures come out. Magnificent sights, but a very sad story about vandalism and erroneous conservation practices. As a result, much of the cave art is obscured or has disappeared. Still, an awesome sight.

I managed to touch the rock face in an area that was without archaeological significance. Touching rock faces is important to me, so I try not to hurt anything.

Stopped at a Perkins for lunch in Billings and right now we are heading for Medicine Wheel. In the parking lot I saw a sticker that I must share with you – it said SSS – Shoot, Shovel, Shut Up. (!!!)

We’re now off the Interstate and passing through ranch country – horses, hay bales, railroad tracks, corn fields, cattle. And off in the distance are mountains with glimpses of possible glaciers.

Passing through Bridger. Wondering if it’s in relation to Jim Bridger? Will check later.

Just a small observation – Montana definitely looks different from North Dakota. Can’t tell you why, probably has something to do with vegetation, but very quickly after we crossed the state line it was very evident that there was a geologic difference. 

Huh.

I try to imagine passing through this area in a covered wagon. Slow going. I think I’d go nuts.

Just passed into Wyoming. Have passed several lime processing plants. Lots of that around here. Interestingly they don’t make a big impact on the land from what I can see from the road.

Another note – have seen very few dead animals by the road, or in it. Just sayin’.

Big Horn Mountains in sight. Wow!

Stopped at the Big Horn Visitors Center just for a moment. Renewed water bottles and got clarification of our route. Onward.

Btw, we are actually not that far from Yellowstone and we’ve been shadowing the river since yesterday,

however, that park is on my bucket list and deserves more than a flyby.

Passing over the Big Horn River. Very low. Drought. Last time we saw the temp gauge was 99 degrees, but it’s a dry heat. Have to put a towel over my arm to prevent sunburn.)

Going up into the Big Horn Mountains. Awesome!!

And yes, it,s that Jim Bridger.

(We now resume our regular narration.)

For some reason I thought Medicine Wheel was... y'know, I don't know what I thought. The actuality is that it's at 10,000 feet up in the mountains. We drove in on a cattle road (yes, there were actual cattle on the road). We then parked and hiked about a mile and a half to the site. The wheel is a formation laid out in stone that's been dated to several thousand years, and was/is used by several different tribes. There is little consensus on it's actual historical function, or at least all of its functions.

It is on a high plateau, and as we walked we spied Pica and Marmots (rodentia). At one point we heard what we believe was an elk bellowing. There was still snow ice in a couple of places and I dug down a few inches to get a clean clump to taste. (Tasted like snow.)

Then we got to the wheel.

There are posts around it with ropes to keep people from crossing in without permission. On the ropes strips of cloth are tied, as are medicine bags, among other things. Bones, rocks, shells, crystals, feathers and other offerings are placed along the edges of the circle and on the posts.

It is a place that inspires prayer and contemplation.

There are other structures there including a grove of trees where people have left more strips of cloth, bones and artifacts of importance.

Animal found her way to a structure I call the Battlements because it looks like a set of castle turrets. She also discovered a cave that was more like a slit in the earth.

Again, there is little I can say that would give you any idea of how amazing this place is. I took a lot of pictures as usual, so hopefully, when I can upload them you will get some small idea of the magic of this place.

We were almost the last people to leave, and the sun was setting as we hiked out. In one spot we were spoken severely to by a critter we never got to see (probably one of the rodentia), but it was chirping from its hole and the echos made it sound closer. Fun stuff.

We drove down the mountain stopping at intervals to take pictures of the incredible sunset until we finally ran out of light. Then it was down the rest of the mountain in the dark. Happily there were very few people on the road since it was decidedly serpentine in the descent and I was more often in the middle of the road than in my own lane.

We debated driving through the night to get to Devils Tower, but instead got a room at a Wyndham hotel (Animal got a really good rate and they have internet service so I can catch up on my postings.)

It is now almost 1am and I need to stop writing because we're getting up early. It's a 3-4 hour drive and we want time to do stuff along the way if available. The intention is also to camp out at the Tower. I am SO looking forward to this.

It will probably be a day or so before I can post again. 

You say buffalo, I say bison...

DAY 11 of the Great Adventure

Animal had a truly amazing adventure last night. She had her bedding out under the stars (I was in the van reading to put myself to sleep). The next thing I know she’s hissing my name. Then she’s at the door telling me that a bison had just passed by on the road, which was no more than 10 feet from her bed. When I got up to look there was only dark and the lights from the check-in station. I went back to bed. Shortly after she was back telling me that either the bison was back or another one had just passed by. Again I saw nothing, but this time I could hear the low huffing of a large animal breathing. Kewl.

I stayed awake for awhile, keeping my glasses on, just in case, but there was no repeat. Oh well.

In the morning light I got up before her and just took in the amazing sight that was this little section of N. Dak. We were actually in the Cottonwood camping ground with only a few other tenters, campers and trucks, most of whom had left by the time we were up, so it was quiet. More quiet than I can remember ever being for a campsite. After Animal got up we were repacking the van when along come two feral horses, one paint, the other a brown, both obviously male. They were very comfortably wandering the campgrounds, staying out of reach of the people who kept trying to touch them (not me – when I see a sign that says don’t bother the wild animals I take it to heart, and these were definitely not tame.) 

Once we were packed up we drove the scenic route around the park rather than just leaving. We took a very short hike to the Wind Canyon overlook (amazing). Off in the distance was a herd of bison, just chillin’. Further along we came upon another herd closer to the road, and even further was a herd of horses up on a bluff. Several times we stopped and just took pictures, and there were a couple more short hikes, including Coal Vein Trail, which led us to a place where lightning had started a coal seam on fire in the 50’s. It burned for until the 70’s before finally going out on its own.

I really can’t describe the scenery. My pictures may capture some of the grandeur, but words do nothing, so I won’t even try. I’ll just say that it’s something one should see if you are in the area.

Finally, we stopped in at the Visitor Center and watched the 17 minute film about Teddy Roosevelt, who started the whole National Parks deal. (Teddy, thank you. You have done the country, nay, the world a humongous favor.) 

There was an almost oops there – I nearly left my camera in the theater. That would’ve been BAAAD!

We then went into Medora, just outside the park, and had dinner at the Boots Bar and Grill. Animal persuaded me to try a bit of Prairie Oyster (chewy). Then we got on the road again heading for Medicine Wheel, Wyoming.

Along the way we passed through the edge of a very dramatic thunderstorm. At the rest stop we were right under the dark, bumpy looking clouds (scary).

We got to the outskirts of Billings around 10:30ish Mountain Time and found a Motel 6. After showering I fell into bed and conked.

By the way, somehow in the Cottonwood campground we lost a quail. I don’t mean it died, I mean it disappeared out of its box. So we were down to nine. Then on the drive we lost two more. So now there are seven. Yay, even in the midst of such beauty there is death. The bodies were interred along the way. Rest in peace, kids.

So much for Day 11.

Beyond Fargo

Day 10 of the Great Adventure

It took us awhile to get out of the hotel. We actually did get up at a reasonable hour, but organizing the van and took much longer than we assumed.

Oh, I forgot a very important thing from yesterday – Animal acquired a herd/pod/flock (?) of baby quail. Seven Buttons and four others that are larger but she can’t remember what type. They were given to her at the end of the Fair, since, apparently, there were masses of them available for sale during the Fair. They were actually hatching the damn things the whole time. These were leftovers, and as I said, they were given to her. It probably helped that she was dressed in her fairy costume when she expressed interest. (No one wants to disappoint a fairy.)

The Buttons are miniscule and oh, so fragile looking. Sadly we lost one before we even got going, so now there are 10.

We were further delayed because we had to stop and get a larger container (they spent the night in a USPS priority mail box), and some food for them. That done we finally got on the road heading for the <bison/buffalo museum/ home of a white bison named Miracle.

That was a quick trip – we came, we saw, we jumped in the van and headed for the next stop. (We did get a bunch of pics. Will post them sooner or later.)

Next stop was the Badlands and Teddy Roosevelt National Park. The place we went is off the beaten track. So far off that we were the only tourists there. We did meet two park ranger who requested that if we ran into someone named Dan to call them asap. Apparently Dan has been missing for at least a day.

We did a 3 mile hike into the area heading for the remains of a forest that was petrified in the long, long ago. There were some incredibly amazing terrain that we trekked through to get there. Part of the track is on private land, and there was evidence that fracking was taking place. (Sad.)

Lots of pictures were taken of the petrified stuff, rock formations and other geologic oddities. As we started back there was a plane quartering the area, obviously looking for Dan. Hope they find him. We did do our part by calling out at intervals for him to make some noise. The only thing we rousted was some kind of ruminant, perhaps a pronghorn, but probably just a deer with weird horns.

On the way out I did spot a buck with a reasonable rack and a doe.

Lots of pictures of sunsets taken.

Next goal was figuring out where we were going to stay. We checked a couple of motels and felt their prices were too exorbitant, so we found our way into the park and are camping out. I’m in the van, Animal is sleeping out under the trees and the stars. It is simply stunning out here. The sky is clear overhead, though cloudy on the edges (A. is bummed. She was still hoping to catch an Aurora of some kind, but it’s doubtful.) The campground has no showers so we had to wipe down as best we can in the ladies latrine (thank you SuZ for the soap thingies :-).

And that’s all the news that’s fit to print tonight. I’ll post when we get an internet connection.

Sunday the 15th was our Friday the 13th!

Day 9 of the Great Adventure, Performance Day 6 (final - thank goodness)

It started out so well too. We got to the Fair earlier: the plan being to do about an hour or two and then take a long break, then finish the gig more or less at the 4H tent where they were feeding people. But as soon as I started moving the cart I felt something was not quite right. We got over to the building where Kay's mom was working and I was struggling. So Shelly was parked and examined and it was discovered that she had a flat tire. Bummer!

We had to get her back to her building so we could fix her boo-boo, but how?

Well, leave it to AnimalX, the fairy queen. She rounded up two very fine specimens of Army pulchritude (they were both so tall!) and they basically carried Shelly to where she needed to go.

So, after getting A. out of her costume, we hopped in the van and went to Lowes where she found a usable replacement. (We also stopped at Dollar Tree where I was able to find my new addiction - Chili-lime coated peanuts. I'm hooked.)

We got back to the Fair, changed the tire, had lunch and got A. back into her costume. By then it was around 3pm - the hottest part of the day here as far as I'm concerned. We went out for awhile and enchanted the crowd as usual. We ran into Kay and her family again (they're EVERYWHERE!!!).

One thing that was a big problem again, only moreso than before - the wind. Several times I was in danger of going over, and I was certainly being pushed around. The most difficult part was when I was heading straight into it; I was pushing - it was pushing. It won, and then it would suddenly stop and I'd almost fall over. Then there was the tailwind which would push me faster than I wanted to go. I almost got run over from the inside.

Meanwhile, A. had a lovely encounter with a couple of boys who were children in adults bodies (Austen and Jay who were friends, and there with their mothers.) They were both very shy when she approached them but Austen quickly got over it and started talking to her, then came over and talked with Hoolia. Jay hung back a bit but then started interacting. When they took a picture with A., one on each side, both put their heads on her shoulders. Very cute. Then A. offered to give Jay a 'butterfly kiss' with her eyelashes (humongous things, as mentioned before). Jay drew back but then his mother reminded him that he liked butterfly kisses, so he let A. do it to him. After, he kissed the back of her hand. like a gallant knight. Very touching.

In our final run we had a little fun with the fairy riding a mower racing the turtle. Video was taken, and hopefully it will be posted somewhere soon.

Right at the end the wind got even more... windy, so we headed in. It took us several hours to break things down and pack the van. When we got back to the hotel I tried to finish my packing but my brain went on strike, so the intention is to get up relatively early, finish packing and get on the road as soon as possible.

At this point the intention is to drive about an hour and go to a bison refuge. Then our next goal is the N. Dak. Badlands, about 5 hours away.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to post a daily (nightly) blog. If I do I'll alert on Facebook to let you know, but I will be writing everyday regardless.

Oh, I almost forgot - the turquoise and pink conspiracy theory continues. As far as I could tell, 9 out of every 10 girls under the age of 10 were wearing those colors. Oh, and the majority of the children at the fair are blonde... Don't know if that has anything to do with anything, but no matter what the skin color was, the clothing color was generally either pink or turquoise.

It will be interesting to see if this trend is apparent in other parts of the state. If it is I will have to come to some conclusion. If not I will probably forget it fairly quickly.

Here's hoping for option #2.

Talk atcha later.