(By the way, $8 is a rip-off for a good view of Rushmore, so Georgey is all ya get!)
Good-bye South Dakota ... Hello Wyoming!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Good-bye South Dakota
For your viewing pleasure ... a couple pictures of South Dakota's rocky outcrops, presidential pride and Ponderosa Pines. Turns out, South Dakota is much more beautiful, friendly & fun that we ever would have imagined!
(By the way, $8 is a rip-off for a good view of Rushmore, so Georgey is all ya get!)
Good-bye South Dakota ... Hello Wyoming!
(By the way, $8 is a rip-off for a good view of Rushmore, so Georgey is all ya get!)
Good-bye South Dakota ... Hello Wyoming!
A Mother's Worst Nightmare
Beth and I headed into the Black Hills yesterday to enjoy its amazing beauty and to hike Mt. Harney - the tallest peak east of the Rockies and west of the Pyrrines. It is a big deal in a state that is known for its flatness! It was a beautiful hike and a beautiful day...unitl we were about 100 feet below the top. That's when we heard the first clap of thunder. Now, I know that our mothers taught us how to be safe in the world. They taught us to always be careful and to make good decisions. The thunder was the first test to see if we would listen to all the wisdom our mothers imparted on us. Of course ... you guessed it ... we didn't listen. We are young, twenty somethings who are (1) invincible, (2) have spent alot of time in the outdoors and (3) thought we would be fine. Saying, "we'll be fine" is probably the first sign of danger.
The part for our mothers (& those of you who are now worried to pieces about this crazy road trip we've embarked on):
The whole thing was a truly surreal and slightly scary experience. We spent quite a bit of time talking about it and realized that we would have been caught in the storm even if we had turned around at the first sound of thunder - and that our experience & preparedness got us a long way in the world of safety. Part of experiencing the natural world is experiencing all of it and realizing that when you are in it, you are not in control. That's the beauty of God's great creation - it's beautiful, unpredictable & challenging, & it reminds us of our role in the big scheme of things - sometimes a little more in-your-face than others!
We hiked to the top and the views were amazing; we could see 4 states from where we stood. We could also see large rain clouds slowly moving our way but they were off in the distance and so we stood in the sunshine enjoying the view.
After 20 minutes we thought it prudent to begin home again (note: home is the car). Fairly quickly, it began to rain, although not hard rain - just a nice sprinkle. Soon though, the lightening began. At first, we thought we were fine. Yes, we were on the tallest mountain west of the Rockies but we were in amongst tall trees so we decided to take another route back so that we could see more of the sights of the mountain. Well, this side of the mountain was much more open. The tall trees we hoped would protest us disappeared in little patches of bare rock. We ran across these bare spots, hoping that the lightening wouldn't notice we were all of a sudden pretty tall. We stopped a couple of times and got in the lightening position. (The lightening position, for those of you who don't know, is a position to minimize how far the lightening will travel through your body, hoping that it only electricutes your legs and arms and not your core body.) During one of these squats, it began to hail. Up until this point the whole experience was kind of scary but also thrilling. The hail brought it all into perspective. It was big and it hit hard. We ran for cover in the slight opening of a rock. It did little to protect us but offered more shelter then the open woods (i.e., we were still getting pelted with hail!).
(a view from a break in the trees)
We sat there for a while, marveling at the experience. A tad bit of terror might have been creeping in. We decided to keep moving once the hail stopped. Getting further down the mountain was better then sitting higher up on it. It might get warmer too!
After 20 minutes we thought it prudent to begin home again (note: home is the car). Fairly quickly, it began to rain, although not hard rain - just a nice sprinkle. Soon though, the lightening began. At first, we thought we were fine. Yes, we were on the tallest mountain west of the Rockies but we were in amongst tall trees so we decided to take another route back so that we could see more of the sights of the mountain. Well, this side of the mountain was much more open. The tall trees we hoped would protest us disappeared in little patches of bare rock. We ran across these bare spots, hoping that the lightening wouldn't notice we were all of a sudden pretty tall. We stopped a couple of times and got in the lightening position. (The lightening position, for those of you who don't know, is a position to minimize how far the lightening will travel through your body, hoping that it only electricutes your legs and arms and not your core body.) During one of these squats, it began to hail. Up until this point the whole experience was kind of scary but also thrilling. The hail brought it all into perspective. It was big and it hit hard. We ran for cover in the slight opening of a rock. It did little to protect us but offered more shelter then the open woods (i.e., we were still getting pelted with hail!).
(a view from a break in the trees)We sat there for a while, marveling at the experience. A tad bit of terror might have been creeping in. We decided to keep moving once the hail stopped. Getting further down the mountain was better then sitting higher up on it. It might get warmer too!
Well, we walked and ran as fast as we could down the mountain. We made to a large spruce tree, our true sanctuary from the weather. We stayed there til the weather cleared up even more. The worst of the storm lasted about an hour and a half, much longer then we expected. When we got back to the car, the lightening was still streaking across the sky but we were much safer, being at a lower elevation, in dry clothes & in the car on our way to see the great (really? we didn't think so) Mount Rushmore.
The part for our mothers (& those of you who are now worried to pieces about this crazy road trip we've embarked on):
The whole thing was a truly surreal and slightly scary experience. We spent quite a bit of time talking about it and realized that we would have been caught in the storm even if we had turned around at the first sound of thunder - and that our experience & preparedness got us a long way in the world of safety. Part of experiencing the natural world is experiencing all of it and realizing that when you are in it, you are not in control. That's the beauty of God's great creation - it's beautiful, unpredictable & challenging, & it reminds us of our role in the big scheme of things - sometimes a little more in-your-face than others!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
"mako sica"
The Badlands ("mako sica" to the Dakota Indians or "land bad") is the best National Park we've seen yet ... oh wait, it's the first. But still - the history & views & camping are all spectacular! Here's a rundown:
The visitor pull-offs are nice & all, but getting off trail is where it's really at. We did the drive -through tour with foot detours that allowed for some spectacular sights & critter seeing. The pictures really speak for themselves, but a word about how the Badlands became, well ... bad.
Apparently, middle America was once under the sea & the Badlands are leftover deposits that fell from the surface. (Which means these pictures are better seen imagining fish swimming in the sky!) The layers represent different sediments: volcanic ash being one. To walk on the surface is like walking on really hard packed, crackly dirt - which makes one wonder why it hasn't all eroded away by now! The land that is flat is actually quite fertile - hence the grasslands around the Badlands themselves.
But enough environmental education ... on to the pictures! (sorry for the quantity - it's really hard to pick!)
This is one of our early views - and every Badlands photo shoot needs one reasonably good vista pic.
The clouds were feeling especially photogenic!
Note the 2 little pointy things in the upper right corner ... very cool.
Flowers in the Badlands - there were cactuses too, but that'd be a lot of pictures to include (like that'd actually stop us).
A perspective seen only a little off the beaten path.
Ahhh, Ernie - enjoying his time in the Badlands!
In the evening we left our campsite for a little hike to a hill we could see off in the distance so we could watch the sunset. This is a cool plant we saw quite a few of along the way. We also had to walk through a prairie dog city - also very cool!
Sunset pics from a field & then a random lookout not quite a mile from our camp.
The next morning, low rain clouds were coming in, but not before I snapped this pic of the tent. We slept with the fly off which meant amazing views of the stars in the great North Dakota sky!
These last 2 pics are from an area of the Badlands we visited the next morning we deemed to be a replica of Mars ... or maybe actually Mars! It was pretty unreal how different everything looked. Some might say this is where we belonged ...
The visitor pull-offs are nice & all, but getting off trail is where it's really at. We did the drive -through tour with foot detours that allowed for some spectacular sights & critter seeing. The pictures really speak for themselves, but a word about how the Badlands became, well ... bad.
Apparently, middle America was once under the sea & the Badlands are leftover deposits that fell from the surface. (Which means these pictures are better seen imagining fish swimming in the sky!) The layers represent different sediments: volcanic ash being one. To walk on the surface is like walking on really hard packed, crackly dirt - which makes one wonder why it hasn't all eroded away by now! The land that is flat is actually quite fertile - hence the grasslands around the Badlands themselves.
But enough environmental education ... on to the pictures! (sorry for the quantity - it's really hard to pick!)
This is one of our early views - and every Badlands photo shoot needs one reasonably good vista pic.
The clouds were feeling especially photogenic!
Note the 2 little pointy things in the upper right corner ... very cool.
Flowers in the Badlands - there were cactuses too, but that'd be a lot of pictures to include (like that'd actually stop us).
A perspective seen only a little off the beaten path.
Ahhh, Ernie - enjoying his time in the Badlands!
In the evening we left our campsite for a little hike to a hill we could see off in the distance so we could watch the sunset. This is a cool plant we saw quite a few of along the way. We also had to walk through a prairie dog city - also very cool!
Sunset pics from a field & then a random lookout not quite a mile from our camp.
The next morning, low rain clouds were coming in, but not before I snapped this pic of the tent. We slept with the fly off which meant amazing views of the stars in the great North Dakota sky!
These last 2 pics are from an area of the Badlands we visited the next morning we deemed to be a replica of Mars ... or maybe actually Mars! It was pretty unreal how different everything looked. Some might say this is where we belonged ...
Wall Drug
What can one really say about Wall Drug? If you have ever traveled I-90 across South Dakota then you know the feeling of anticipation that Wall Drug creates deep in your gut. For 300 hundred miles you drive, not having much besides powerlines and rolling hills to look at. Yet, South Dakota takes on new interest if you pay attention to the countless Wall Drug signs along the highway. These signs take a mere trinket shop and create a mythic shop of epic grandeur and excitement. These signs make you think you can find the whole western experience in one drug store.
The signs, the signs make the time go by. They are so prevelant that you cannot, not stop. After 300 miles you have to know what this drug store really is all about. Beth and I did not ignore the call of Wall; we traveled in avid anticipation of what we might find there. We were not disappointed. We rode a giant jackalope. We took our pictures with ceramic figures of show girls. We ate lunch and strawberry rhubarb under tiffany lamps and along side every cattle brand sign known to man. We saw the cheesiest of touristy gifts and enjoyed watching the myriad of people from all over the world take in what Wall had to offer. We bought post cards and a bobble head jackalope who we have named Ernie. Ernie will travel with us as our mascot so keep an eye out for Ernie in all our travels!!
There are no words to really discribe Wall Drug. It is an experience that captures the west, the tourist, traditional lifestles of South Dakota, and the new global community. It is worth seeing, if not for its excentricity then at least for the free bumper stickers and ice cold water.
The signs, the signs make the time go by. They are so prevelant that you cannot, not stop. After 300 miles you have to know what this drug store really is all about. Beth and I did not ignore the call of Wall; we traveled in avid anticipation of what we might find there. We were not disappointed. We rode a giant jackalope. We took our pictures with ceramic figures of show girls. We ate lunch and strawberry rhubarb under tiffany lamps and along side every cattle brand sign known to man. We saw the cheesiest of touristy gifts and enjoyed watching the myriad of people from all over the world take in what Wall had to offer. We bought post cards and a bobble head jackalope who we have named Ernie. Ernie will travel with us as our mascot so keep an eye out for Ernie in all our travels!!
There are no words to really discribe Wall Drug. It is an experience that captures the west, the tourist, traditional lifestles of South Dakota, and the new global community. It is worth seeing, if not for its excentricity then at least for the free bumper stickers and ice cold water.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
south dakota
Day 1: lost baggage, late flights, running through airports ... MN finally! After visiting the local REI 3 times (yes, 3), Best Buy twice & Potbelly for lunch, we were on our way. Turns out southern Minnesota & thus far South Dakota look a lot like NY with way cooler wind turbines & a shit-ton of powerlines.
Day 2: stayed last night at a campsite south of Brandon SD where Richard was our amazing & knowledgeable host. There are a few things we've learned about South Dakota so far:
1 - they're very proud of Wall Drug store (we're stopping there for lunch & promise to have pictures)
2 - they're very proud of their (cheesy, unimpressive) corn palace
3 - there lots of power lines
4 - there's no shortage of Cabella's
a quaint little wind farm in MN
Brian - this tent is way sweeter than we even imaged it'd be ... thanks!!
Betsy with Richard ... our S Dakota tour guide
Mitchell is quite a corny place ... ha ha!(brought to you from the Mitchell SD Quality Inn parking lot)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
suspended between wildernesses
i'm (beth) caught now in this strange place between wilderness & wilderness ... but at least i'm getting to see my mitchell! i just left the adirondacks saturday morning & already am sad beyond what i though possible to be away from the beauty of the woods (i was actually already sad when i saw the "now leaving the adirondacks" sign - it doesn't take much - but it was the layover at jfk that really pounded it home.). the only remnant left is the dirt still stuck in the prints of my feet! in fact, i just got back from a walk & desperately missed rooty, rocky uphill trail - pavement just doesn't offer the same sense of accomplishment.
tomorrow i'll be off to spend 4 crazy weeks full of traveling, girlish fun :) & of course, more dirt ... & woods - where my soul, i SWEAR to you, is simply happier.
a toast: to the woods; to giddiness; to unbelievable beauty; and to the man who understands my need for all these things
some pictures:
rappelling off noonmark mountain in the high peaks
a kick-ass yellow birch tree that sprouted on a rock along the trail on goodnow mountain.
the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL, beautiful marion river from a canoe.
giddiness galore - blue crocs & all. my friend jess & i on the last day of raquette lake.
tomorrow i'll be off to spend 4 crazy weeks full of traveling, girlish fun :) & of course, more dirt ... & woods - where my soul, i SWEAR to you, is simply happier.
a toast: to the woods; to giddiness; to unbelievable beauty; and to the man who understands my need for all these things
some pictures:
rappelling off noonmark mountain in the high peaks
a kick-ass yellow birch tree that sprouted on a rock along the trail on goodnow mountain.
the beautiful, BEAUTIFUL, beautiful marion river from a canoe.
giddiness galore - blue crocs & all. my friend jess & i on the last day of raquette lake.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
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