~Hello all! It has been awhile since my last blog, living in a car can sure make it tough to get connection. Since Niagara Falls we traveled about 4,000 more miles across our beautiful land managing to make our way through the Windy City, the Badlands of South Dakota along with Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. We have seen everything from a quiet, aqua colored harbor with a backdrop of a busy city to lands of rolling hills and snow capped mountains.…
Wednesday, October 5th -Chicago
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| Oh Helloo There!!! |
~First off I must thank our wonderful hosts of our two night stay, Aaron and Sarah you two made our stay in Chicago cozy and so much more memorable. Our day through the windy city, which turned out to be none the less than perfectly sunny began with our NASCAR race of a taxi ride to the Shedd Aquarium nestled on the picturesque harbor. Although we were unable to view the entire exhibit due to their one day of closing early, what we did have the pleasure of viewing was amazing; everything from tiny sapphire colored frogs to anacondas larger than myself (which I could have skipped). Thankfully though our day was extended by the early dismissal for which we would have lost ourselves under the sea. Instead we wandered out the doors and found ourselves watching the waters from above, as our eyes locked on the turquoise colored harbor of Lake Michigan. The haven adds such beauty and character to the city that lies within the skyline behind it. A city that contains a symphony for the eyes; bestowing magic within the alleys of water and the glowing light that bends around the artwork of architecture.
~Our city adventure was concluded by a train ride, where I gazed around and noticed how everyone on the train was either tuned out by headphones or some computer like gadget, which made me think…what happened to human communication? We were all in the same train car yet no one was talking, let alone making eye contact. We tend to busy ourselves with these devices when we are around unknown people as a way to refuse any real face to face interaction. Some would rather plug away on some plastic case embodying wires rather have the slightest intake of who they are sitting next too. Which finally leads me to this…yes technology is great, but is it just as bad? Either way Chicago was amazing and of course my highlight…looking up Marilyn Monroe’s white dress! Ha
--When Things Don’t go as Planned its Because Something Better Awaits--
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| Lake Michigan Harbor |
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| Glowing City |
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| The Bean |
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| Cheese |
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| Whhhhoopss! |
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| The sunset of Chicago |
Friday October 7th -Badlands
~As I awake to the mornings beaming rays I adjust my bed back into the upright driver’s seat position. Greeted by prairie dogs who duck in and out of their mounds and prehistoric, gentle looking bison who graze before slowly moving on to the next desired patch of brittle grass. It appears to be another flawless day, until I open the car door only for it to get whipped back at me by the force of 60 mph winds! The visions of your day scatter throughout your mind, leaving thoughts of what the weather has in store for you instead. As we make our 36 mile way back to the visitor center the daylight reveals the land that the traveling night before had restricted to our eyes…It was like Christmas morning. Awaiting the excitement of what the wrapping hides, hoping it is what you expect, and boy was it so much more. The high peaks create shapes in the horizon as the low valleys configure an exquisite maze within the earth’s surface. The golden straw like grass covers the plains of land that lie against the clear blue sky, creating a contrast similar to the sand against an ocean. The feathery tips of the ground sway in a wave of motion reminding you of the continuous gusts of wind that sweep just outside the window. But as the sun reaches its midday peak the body shoving; blasts of powerful air begin to feel as though they are breezes, which are greatly appreciated as you drag your body up one of the shapes in the skyline. Digging your feet into the dry, rocky, crackled surface of the eroded butte, disappearing in and out from behind formations that splurge from the facade all to reach the tip where you are welcomed by a new level of ground, a field that begins and seems to never end.
~As the sun sets the colors that are held within the formations come alive, displaying burnt reds and blazing oranges with hints of golden yellows, a beauty that the existence of words cannot describe. As night falls and the moon light brightens the sky, fellow campers dim their lanterns as the remaining chatter fades off exposing the orchestra of the night. Howling dogs, hooting owls along with the rustle of your tent create an eulogy to the land that was named “mako sica” or “land bad” known today as the Badlands.
--Find Joy and Excitement Within the Things that Alter your Day--
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| At First Sight |
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| First night of sleep in the car |
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| CAUTION! Buffalo Crossing |
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| Andrew you better HOLD ON! |
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| Let the Unwrapping begin... |
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| Beautiful Badlands |
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| Eroded Butte |
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| Perfection |
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| The Thinker |
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| Sunset begins |
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| As the Colors Awaken |
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| Home Sweet Home |
