Blogs from South Dakota, United States, North America - page 68

I left my camera in the car, so this will just be a quick update with no pictures. Monday(10/24), we crossed into South Dakota at the Rosebud Indian Reservation. We stopped at the Fire & Rescue Department so Ken could trade some patches from Dutch Harbor & we ended up talking to the acting Fire Chief, Gene, who gave us some good information about the area & some good tips about scenic drives through the reservation. On Tuesday (10/25), we headed to the Wounded Knee Massacre memorial. Ken & I spent some time at the memorial marking the mass grave - looking at the rolling hills studded with ponderosa pine & trying to image what it must have been like at that time. Afterwards, we headed to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where we met Ric ... read more

We packed up camp this morning and headed off for a mud bath in a river on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The drivers told us the mud in the river was the same as the mud you get at a top spa. We were still two days away from our next shower, so I decided not to get in. But that didn't stop me from laughing at the others when they were covered in mud from head to toe. In the afternoon we went to the South Dakota Badlands. The landscape was straight out of a John Wayne movie. It was really hard to believe. We first stopped off at an old Western town that used to be thriving when the railroad used to go through. Then in the afternoon we drove through a bunch ... read more

"NOT EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE COUNTED IS WORTH COUNTING. NOT EVERYTHING THAT COUNTS CAN BE COUNTED." A. EINSTEIN June 4, 2005, Saturday. The morning was gray and rainy as we drove west toward the Badlands NP . Both the Indians and the French/Canadian called this “bad land to travel across”, and indeed it is. As we approached, the ocean of prairie is transformed into a jumble of wilderness of badlands. About 75 million years ago the earth’s climate was warmer and a shallow sea covered the region we call the Great Plains. In today’s Badlands the bottom of the sea appears as sedimentary rock. This layer is a rich source of fossils. The Badlands contains nearly 60 species of grasses. It is ironic. This land of sharp ridges, steep-walled canyons, gullies, pyramids and knobs has ... read more

I was the lucky winner of being pulled aside to be checked by customs. He took one look at my stuffed pack and just asked me what was in it. I said that it was my dirty laundry, and he said, “I’ll take your word for it.” It is a good think that I’m not a cocaine smuggler! It was a long two days of traveling - I was pretty much sick of transportation by this point. It feels good to be home, but I already miss my toilet paper carrying days where “Donde esta el bano?” is a very scary question and the land of cold showers. I must admit that I think I’ve fallen in love with South America and I can’t wait to return! Even though it was only 15 days, it was ... read more

Geo: 44.0805, -103.231We passed through Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana... driving... overnight... on our way to Idaho. We arrived in Idaho in the early morning hours barely able to keep our eyes open but for the beautiful crystalized trees ~ frozen in the morning sun.... read more