We’re on the road. Come join us!

We have a beautiful country!

We’ve nearly completed two weeks of driving;  enjoyed meeting friends and family I’ve not seen for many years, and seeing glorious scenery. We have a beautiful country!

North Dakota Welcome

Our voices seemed muted by the largeness

While I wrote about the beauty of Glacier National Park last week, this week, we spent time in the Dakotas. Honestly, I used to think they were just a lot of prairie, blown about by the wind with not much to see. But I was mistaken. It is starkly beautiful. We started our drive from North Dakota south toward the state’s only national park: Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The beauty is more in the ruggedness of gouged out badlands, with juniper trees softening the sharpness of the deep valleys. At the end of the road on the North Unit of the park, we walked the path to the edge and gazed at the deep ravine, studded with rocks, and scrubby trees. Our voices seemed muted by the largeness. As we walked back to our vehicle, someone pointed out a snake. It wasn’t a rattler, but larger than I’ve ever seen except in a zoo. Neither of us like snakes, so we quickly returned to the SQ and drove back down, toward the south unit. As we drove, two large bisons sauntered alongside our vehicle, totally ignoring us.

Bison in the Badlands, North Dakota.

The south unit of the park was softened by silvery green sage perfuming the air with a subtle savory smell. The cottonwood trees stood tall with rugged bark.

Tall Cottonwoods.

We enjoyed a short hike during the hottest part of the day, and at the viewpoint, gazed at a herd of bison far below. As we drove back to Cottonwood Campground our spot for the night, we passed a field filled with mounds with hundreds of prairie dogs scouting out their area, then scampered looking for grass to nibble. There were feral horses grazing not far from the road.

Wildflowers

At the South Unit entrance to the National Park, was Medora, a charming, well-preserved frontier town, complete with saloons, dance halls, a church and school.

Beautiful Badlands

During the summer, the town produces the Medora Musical at a hillside amphitheater, complete with professional sets that rolled on tracks, revealing the beautiful Badlands. There were talented singers and dancers from North Dakota and beyond. We enjoyed excellent music, comediennes, with a patriotic spirit.  We sat in comfortable seats looking off toward the canyon behind the stage.  A blood red half moon glowed in the darkening skies.

Replete with good food and entertainment, we returned to our campsite in the darkness. I was awakened after several hours by coyotes howling and yipping—they must have had a kill.

Spend more than a day in the area

One could spend several days enjoying the frontier town, many trails to hike, and the quiet solitude of the campground, but we only had the day. We began our drive south after a quick breakfast. To Nebraska, where we’ll see more family.

On our drive, we enjoyed the greener parts of South Dakota with farms dotting the landscape, enjoyed a quick visit to a free art gallery displaying artist Terry Redlin, a talented local artist who painted wildlife and nostalgic rural America.

Welcome to South Dakota

We enjoyed a quiet day, visiting with my last surviving aunt. Visiting my Aunt Ruth is like being with my mother, who was Aunt Ruth’s older sister. I don’t understand how those similarities are passed on to each other, but it was uncanny how Aunt Ruth used the same gestures, sounded the same—and possessed the same quick wit.

Today, we go east. We’ll drive through the farmlands of Iowa to see more family. We’ll visit kids and grandkids in eastern Iowa. We’re excited to see how much the three grandies have grown.

Welcome to Iowa

Reminders from the Psalms

Each day, Jim and I read Scripture together and driving through the wonderland of our beautiful country, I’m reminded of our God, the Creator, who made all of this. The psalmist reminds me,

He who dwells in the shadow of the Most High will abide 

in the shadow of the Almighty.

That’s where I want to be, in the shadow of the Almighty.

After the weekend, we’ll begin to explore places we’ve not yet been: Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and beyond! It should be fun. Hope you’ll join us!