But I do have (some) phone reception So I am going to attempt to blog from my iPhone. I apologize in advance for the brevity and any typos. And I can't figure out how to upload high resolution photos. So I apologize if the pics look crappy.
Anyway. I left Brandon, SD, yesterday around noon (I slept in) and headed to the Badlands. But first, I felt compelled to visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.
The Corn Palace, for those of you who don't know, is a paen to all things corn, constructed of corn. Some geniuses in late 19th century Mitchell concocted the idea of the palace, after a neighboring town built a "Wheat Palace" that garned a modicum of attention. The Wheat Palace, though, eventually succumbed to oblivion. The Corn Palace survives, and is redecorated anew each year.
An adorable, corn fed, high school boy gave me a tour of the Palace, explaining the history and the pride that the Palace has brought to South East South Dakota. And I got my picture taken with CORNelius, another corn fed youth in a furry corn cob suit.
After the Corn Palace, I continued west on I-90 towards the Badlands. On the way, Grigsby hit a milestone:
If you can't tell from the photo, Grigsby hit 4,000 on the odometer. He was at 700 when we left DC two weeks ago.
Next, the Badlands. Very, VERY cool. I got there late in the afternoon, and the late afternoon sun cast some amazing shadows.
I hikes around a bit, working up a sweat in the heat, and the jumped into Grigsby and snaked along the ridge road running the length of the park, trying to make it to the Sage Creek Campground before sunset.
I made it with some time to spare, courtesy of Grigsby's ability to fly down curvy dirt roads. Made it in time to get the tent set up before nightfall.
Then popped open a beer, watched the sun set and the full moon rise. Amazing.
Got up this morning to the serenading of dozens of different kinds of birds (or so it seemed) and hit the road around 10:00 heading towards Mount Rushmore. Made it there about noon and got the obligatory photo:
And while it was very impressive and very cool to see it in person, there wasn't any reason to hang around much longer than the time it took to go through the small museum on site.
Grigsby and I left Rushmore and drove out of the Black Hills into eastern Wyoming. Moorcroft to be exact. Went into the local truck stop and rented a shower for six bucks. The days have been in the mid to upper 90s and with the hiking and sweating, I was already feeling pretty ripe after just 36 hours since my last shower.
Next, the plan was to go to Big Horn National Forest for the night to camp. But it was already almost 4:00, and I knew I'd never make it in time. So instead, I decided to sort of backtrack and go to Devil's Tower for the night. It was only 35 miles away, would be a great place to wander around and spend the night, and then I could hit the road early in the morning and make it to Big Horn with time to spare. Plus, I could relive the Close Encounters fantasies I had as a child.
So Grigsby and I headed back up towards the Black Hills. The campsite in the park is right on the Belle Fourche river, in a grove of cottonwood trees that are currently producing cotton so that it seems as if it is snowing.
I took an easy hike around the base as the sun began to set.
Back at the campsite, I popped open a couple of beers, listened to a local musician play guitar and sing some slightly tawdry songs, and then listened to a Chayenne Indian tell stories about creation and the nature of things.
And getting ready to sleep under a sky filled with billions and billions of stars, as Carl would say. Life is good.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
each time I read your blog I become even more envious. Badlands are awesome. For symmetry, you should visit the Cow Palace south of SF. I am also impressed with your ability to camp by yourself. Scary
ReplyDeleteScary? Not at all. It's really magical, actually. And yes, Cow Palace someday.....
ReplyDeleteHey Richard, I stayed at Sage Creek (if I have the name right...the wilderness campground in Badlands NP) for three nights in October during college once. Got there and it was snowing, but the next morning it was sunny and there was a herd of bison grazing right over the hill nearby. I swore that was where "Dances with Wolves" was filmed, but I was wrong...looks like it though.
ReplyDelete-Danny