That's all.
31 July 2013
30 July 2013
Day 16: State 16
We made it to Iowa, but I missed the "Welcome to..." sign with my phone. I promise we are there though.
Day 16: Heart of the Prairie
Just passed through Taiopi, MN, self titled "Heart of the Prairie" in an area that looks nothing like the prairie. This is pretty much a forest.
29 July 2013
Night 15: Big Island State Park, MN
That's about all I have to say about it. As we head East things seem to be getting muggier. Here's hoping tonight isn't like St. Louis.
Day 15: A New First
Door the first time since we left MD, it is a sky full of clouds in Central SD. It's been a long time since I haven't seen blue sky.
28 July 2013
Day 13 Catch-Up: Northeast Point
With our visit to Ft. Union National Historic Site, we reached the most northern point of our trip.
26 July 2013
Night 12: Beer
After searching for a blanket so I don't freeze for the 3rd night in a row (low 46 tonight), we found cold beer. It is a local brew that we contemplated driving to the brewery for, but were lucky enough to find it in Medora. Medora might be a fictional town, but it is right next to the entrance for Teddy Roosevelt National Park.
Day 12: Farthest Point
With our trip to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (around noon today) we reached the point in the country where we will be furthest west. It is primarily east and south from here on out.
Night 12: Teddy Roosevelt National Park
And the sons of botched wouldn't let us hang our hammocks. Teddy is rolling in his grave.
Day 12's New Thing
Taco John's: it might be a little nicer than Taco Bell, but my burrito has hash rounds. It is the Fat Sandwich of Mexican food.
25 July 2013
Day 11: So Fresh and So Clean
The most important part of almost any road trip is the mid trip journey to do laundry
South Dakota has otherwise defeated us. We are off to Montana by way of Devil's Tower in WY. Look forward to a new "Welcome to ..." sign soon.
P.S.
And then it rained all night.
I was fine in the hammock, but Adam's tent started taking on water. On to laundry, then Montana.
Problems 2 &3, Solution 1
After finding the Badlands full, we sped to Custer State Park, only to find a SD police officer waiting for me. Speeding Ticket. He was very nice though, and had me sit in his car with him while he filled the ticket out.
We arrive at Custer... To find all campsites full. We drive in the dark and, very luckily find that the Black Hills Forest has a few campsites and we are set up, 14 hours after leaving Denver, and about 4 hours later at camp then planned. This is a camping road trip now.
Will update later with experience at Ft. Robinson, Pine Ridge Reservation, Badlands and Custer. Sweet dreams all.
24 July 2013
Day 10: Leaving in a Ford Flex
3053: miles logged so far.
We just dropped off Abbie and Katie and are on our way to Ft. Robinson.
Night 9: The Last Hotel Room
After two nights and three days of roughing it, then six days of hotel stays in Ft. Collins, Custer State Park, Rapid City, and, finally, two nights in two different Denver hotels, it looks like Adam and I will be roughing it again (that's if you don't count two or three nights where Katie woke up and kept (mostly) Abbie, Adam, and I up).
Abbie and Katie leave tomorrow morning, rather early. Adam and I are then heading out on the last part of the trip. This appears to be half-way. The rough plan I put together this evening was to go through Nebraska, with a possible stop at Ft. Robinson (where Crazy Horse was killed), through Wounded Knee to see the memorial of the Massacre at Wounded Knee which ended the Indian Wars of the late 1800's, then on to the Badlands for some badland camping.
We will end up going through Custer State Park, seeing Devil's Monument, Bighorn Canyon, the Little Bighorn Battle Monument, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and a few more sights.
At the halfway point though, it's difficult to write about how I'm feeling. It is clearly a big country, and I'm so happy to have seen so much of it, especially with friends (this, I realized too late, was the problem with my California trip last year. A good road trip needs good friends). It is difficult to talk about any of this without sounding heavy-handed. We are just grossly social beings. The stories I loved so much about my Death Valley/Yosemite trip (besides nearly being eaten by a mountain lion and then coyotes) were the stories of when I met people in Yosemite, if only for an hour at a time, and then hung out with Mandy and Jake. I've loved the minuscule little interactions I've had with people on this trip. If there is a downside to traveling with friends, it is the lack of a need to interact with new people on the trip. I've mostly felt unwanted by the locals until we got to South Dakota, but seeing the rare east coast resident, and having ever so brief a chat, or telling the barkeep at Coors Field that I'm from Maryland has been so much fun. It was what I enjoyed so much in Boulder, UT and missed out on in Granada, Spain. Meeting up and enjoying the company of welcoming people.
It is also the benefit of bringing your own welcoming company with you. I tried on the California trip to share what I was doing with friends, but I was, ultimately, by myself. This trip, whether the blog posts or facebook updates went through or not, I've had someone around, and that makes trips fun.
Next time, though, I'm going on this trip with Kate.
I wish I'd had the courage to go on this trip in 2009 like originally planned. I think it would have been successful as it is easy enough to find a place to sleep and to find the next adventure. The mini trip that Tito and I went on was a blast, but we could have been grander. Even that trip, though, was only successful because of good friends.
I had intended to write this post as a description of the odd spirituality that this land brings. There is something magical about South Dakota, whether in the Black Hills or in the Badlands. There was something sort of magical about sleeping on the edge of that lake in Kansas (whose name escapes me). I guess, for now, the thought of friendship and companionship is with me most as Abbie and Katie leave us to go rejoin their lives.
No matter what I attempt here, I'll never feel satisfied with what I've written, as I've left out too many people, and too many thoughts, and too many feelings. I'm going to sign off now, and go read "The Journey of Crazy Horse" as that is probably the book I'm most trying to mimic at the moment.
Signing off, ever so incompletely,
Matt (in a hotel in Denver).
Abbie and Katie leave tomorrow morning, rather early. Adam and I are then heading out on the last part of the trip. This appears to be half-way. The rough plan I put together this evening was to go through Nebraska, with a possible stop at Ft. Robinson (where Crazy Horse was killed), through Wounded Knee to see the memorial of the Massacre at Wounded Knee which ended the Indian Wars of the late 1800's, then on to the Badlands for some badland camping.
We will end up going through Custer State Park, seeing Devil's Monument, Bighorn Canyon, the Little Bighorn Battle Monument, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and a few more sights.
At the halfway point though, it's difficult to write about how I'm feeling. It is clearly a big country, and I'm so happy to have seen so much of it, especially with friends (this, I realized too late, was the problem with my California trip last year. A good road trip needs good friends). It is difficult to talk about any of this without sounding heavy-handed. We are just grossly social beings. The stories I loved so much about my Death Valley/Yosemite trip (besides nearly being eaten by a mountain lion and then coyotes) were the stories of when I met people in Yosemite, if only for an hour at a time, and then hung out with Mandy and Jake. I've loved the minuscule little interactions I've had with people on this trip. If there is a downside to traveling with friends, it is the lack of a need to interact with new people on the trip. I've mostly felt unwanted by the locals until we got to South Dakota, but seeing the rare east coast resident, and having ever so brief a chat, or telling the barkeep at Coors Field that I'm from Maryland has been so much fun. It was what I enjoyed so much in Boulder, UT and missed out on in Granada, Spain. Meeting up and enjoying the company of welcoming people.
It is also the benefit of bringing your own welcoming company with you. I tried on the California trip to share what I was doing with friends, but I was, ultimately, by myself. This trip, whether the blog posts or facebook updates went through or not, I've had someone around, and that makes trips fun.
Next time, though, I'm going on this trip with Kate.
I wish I'd had the courage to go on this trip in 2009 like originally planned. I think it would have been successful as it is easy enough to find a place to sleep and to find the next adventure. The mini trip that Tito and I went on was a blast, but we could have been grander. Even that trip, though, was only successful because of good friends.
I had intended to write this post as a description of the odd spirituality that this land brings. There is something magical about South Dakota, whether in the Black Hills or in the Badlands. There was something sort of magical about sleeping on the edge of that lake in Kansas (whose name escapes me). I guess, for now, the thought of friendship and companionship is with me most as Abbie and Katie leave us to go rejoin their lives.
No matter what I attempt here, I'll never feel satisfied with what I've written, as I've left out too many people, and too many thoughts, and too many feelings. I'm going to sign off now, and go read "The Journey of Crazy Horse" as that is probably the book I'm most trying to mimic at the moment.
Signing off, ever so incompletely,
Matt (in a hotel in Denver).
23 July 2013
22 July 2013
Day 8: Dem Bones
This is from The Mammoth Site, where the bones of 61 mammoths have been found. It was fascinating and so fortunate for those scientists to have found so many excellent examples in such a localized site.
I find it humorous in an area of the world where I see billboards that say that evolution is a lie to find so much evidence around.
Day 8: Nebraska
Long driving day, and I drove a lot but there are a few updates coming. We got into Nebraska just before lunch. Then. Long dirt road drive to Toadstool Geologic Park.
21 July 2013
20 July 2013
Day 5: Custer State Park To Rapid City
This is an attempt, that I believe has failed to update the blog more easily. This is suppose to be a slideshow, or something of the like, but it seems it's just a bit more of a list of 100 pictures or so. Sorry.
Day 5: when presidents die, Rapid City bronzes them.
Well, at least when they leave office. This is Abbie with her favorite. He is right outside our hotel.
Day 5 catch-up: Whose your favorite?
A shot up the noses of the Mt. Rushmore presidents. Teddy's my favorite as, without him, we might not have places like Mt. Rushmore.
Day 5 catch-up for Kate
There's more on the camera, but the hall of flags or flag walk at Mt. Rushmore had all the flags, and I thought is take this one for Kate. I don't think I'd ever seen the flag they were flying for PA ever before.
Day 5 catch up: Hos Horse is Crazy
This is one of the saddles used at the Battle of Little Bighorn, more popularly known as Custer's Last Stand.
Day 4 catch-up: future plans
Same park as before, and this would be an excellent future hammocking site.
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