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| Devil's Tower, WY |
After a depressing & unsuccessful search (so far) for employment, I decided to brighten my spirits with a road trip. A "bucket list" review put Mt. Rushmore first in contention, until I heard on NPR that this year is the fortieth anniversary of the movie,
Close Encounters of a Third Kind. Yes, I am a total geek about that movie; who can forget the model of Devil's Tower Richard Dreyfus sculpted out of mashed potatoes, then constructed in his livingroom?
I have happily planned and executed a 3100 mile trek to Wyoming and back, with Devil's Tower my first major tourist destination. I also saw Pipestone National Monument, Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument and lots of US country-side. Of course, I incorporated a mini yarn crawl into the mix as well, visiting shops in WI and SD. (Separate yarn shop post upcoming).
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| Mt. Rushmore, SD |
I also camped, which hasn't been on my vacation itinerary in over 20 years! I have to say that of all the experiences I had, tent camping really was wonderful. I had somehow forgotten the depth of my enjoyment at living closer to nature, seeing the stars and successfully starting a campfire. I really got my confidence back from managing to "rough it" outdoors. I intend to continue to camp and enjoy hearing the wind, and breathing the air that rustles the leaves.
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| Crazy Horse, SD |
I continue to travel alone and find that there are some fine, sociable folks in this country willing to chat or share a meal. I had my map atlas and itinerary notebook on the passenger seat and did fine navigating the whole trip. It is enlightening to realize how little stuff it takes to be comfortable & happy exploring around this world. It's the experiences that are such a great value on their own. I'm glad I chose to see some of the sights that make our country unique. The cultural diversity that founded our nation is truly apparent and it's presence colors every monument and locale.
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| Lovely high plains of SD |
Landscapes of the high plains are so vast, and a pleasure to view. Very different from the Midwest rolling hills and greenery. I even saw four buffalo outside of Custer, SD. I am so impressed at how environmentally and geologically diverse our country's landscapes appear as well. Driving this distance gave me lots of time to appreciate the land, and see all the wind farms that have been erected to create energy. It is encouraging to realize that many states are enterprising enough to explore alternative sources of energy, instead of fossil fuel. I did not see a single oil well on this trip. The windmills were huge in WI, MN and parts of SD. Their presence reassures me that in this year of powerful storms and heat, some local governments are embracing the importance of alternative energy in the face of climate change. I'm hoping it offset all the gasoline I consumed on this trip...
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| Windmill farm Lakefield, MN |
