Tuesday, September 04, 2007

I don’t know if my idea to drive as quickly as possible to Glacier NP is such a good idea. It is taking a toll on me. I’ll be glad to get to Glacier and settle down a bit.

Since last time, I went to the South Side Church of Christ in Lexington, on the campus of the University of Kentucky. It was a very nice visit. Good singing, good lesson and very friendly. I’d recommend it if you are in the area.

Then, it was back on the road. I traveled across parts of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and into the south part of Wisconsin, where I spent the night in my car in a rest area. It was actually quite nice. I folded down the back seat and repacked things to create a 6’ by 2’ sleeping area running from the back of the front seat to the back of the trunk. With my mattress, pillow and sleeping bag and a 24 bathroom I was very comfortable. I considered doing the same thing last night, but South Dakota has a limit of 3 hours in the rest areas.

Yesterday, I drove across Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota before stopping near Badlands NP and Mount Rushmore.

Today, I spent a few hours in each park and then drove to Buffalo, Wyoming, where I am staying at a KOA(most of them have Wi Fi). The weather has been great. I've had warm weather and clear skies ever since I left North Carolina, but a front is supposed to come through later this week, cooling things down 20 degrees or so. I think it may have come in during the night. It was calm when I went to bed, but within a few hours the winds were whipping up about 30-40 mph and it is cooler this morning, but still nice.

Here are a few pictures of Badlands NP, including a bighorn sheep I spotted on a knoll, and a view from the trail at the top of the "Wall". And, a prairie dog. Apparently, the lowly prairie dog is the basis for most wildlife up here. They are a main food source for the black foot ferret, the prairie fox and grizzly bear and the mountain lion. The black foot ferret almost went extinct, and the prairie grizzly bear is extinct.

Then to Mount Rushmore National Monument. It was a good visit. Both the view and the story were very inspiring. It was built over a 14 year period from 1927 to 1941, driven by a sculptor who previously worked on Stone Mountain, Georgia. He dedicated the last 14 years of his life to the effort, and died just before it was completed. It is quite a tribute to the great leaders of America and its ideals, and was an amazing feat by the sculptor and his workers. The pictures may be dramatic, but they can’t do justice to the site.

Tomorrow, I should be in, or near, Glacier. Once I get settled in and have a look about I’ll let you know if it lives up to the hype.

1 comment:

The Visioneer said...

Wow man! You are really covering some ground quickly! I’m glad you’re taking plenty of rest breaks along the way. I look forward to seeing many of the sites you have photos of for myself one day. That’s a breathtaking part of this country! Keep us posted of your many adventures!

In other news Nicole, Chaucer, Winston, the whole Foxwerth Crew, and I miss you very much! Have fun and enjoy those cool breezes for us and remember that you’re always in our prayers daily and even corporately on Wednesday nights during house church time.