The drive back (weeks 14 & 15)
It's always hard to find the right words to describe a big adventure. This was only the first leg of our trip; we loved all the beauty, the variety in the landscapes, and spending so much time outside. But we were ready to move on, so we picked up the pace, trying to stay ahead of the rain and avoiding the swarming black flies and mosquitoes of the eastern forests as much as we could.
We slowed down enough to enjoy the wildlife and unique geology of Yellowstone, to stop at the Bear's Home (aka Devils Tower), and to watch the sunset with a herd of bison over the spires of the Badlands.
We slowed down enough to enjoy the wildlife and unique geology of Yellowstone, to stop at the Bear's Home (aka Devils Tower), and to watch the sunset with a herd of bison over the spires of the Badlands.
The first question which inevitably gets asked after a trip is "what was your favorite place/part?"
My favorite part was being outside, sleeping on the earth, hearing the coyotes howling and the bison snoring, watching black widows spin their messy webs, finding secret secluded camping spots with magnificent views, going to bed when the stars come out and getting up with the sun.
It's practically impossible to pick a favorite place; I'm partial to the deserts, but we saw far too many awesome sights to pick just one. Still, if I really had to, I'd choose the Devils Tower. A side trip, we thought we'd spend an hour or two to see it since we were passing so close by. As soon as we arrived, we were both struck by its strange, discreet yet distinctly powerful draw. It wasn't a feeling that could be put into words; or rather, it is too often put into words which can't capture it. A sort of remembering; a partial dissolution of the self; just being while not minding not knowing about the rest. Strange to feel that feeling in a place crawling with tourists who mostly aren’t really there.
And so we're back, we've had a truly amazing time, and are now buried in the planning and paperwork for the next part of our travels: Africa.
My favorite part was being outside, sleeping on the earth, hearing the coyotes howling and the bison snoring, watching black widows spin their messy webs, finding secret secluded camping spots with magnificent views, going to bed when the stars come out and getting up with the sun.
It's practically impossible to pick a favorite place; I'm partial to the deserts, but we saw far too many awesome sights to pick just one. Still, if I really had to, I'd choose the Devils Tower. A side trip, we thought we'd spend an hour or two to see it since we were passing so close by. As soon as we arrived, we were both struck by its strange, discreet yet distinctly powerful draw. It wasn't a feeling that could be put into words; or rather, it is too often put into words which can't capture it. A sort of remembering; a partial dissolution of the self; just being while not minding not knowing about the rest. Strange to feel that feeling in a place crawling with tourists who mostly aren’t really there.
And so we're back, we've had a truly amazing time, and are now buried in the planning and paperwork for the next part of our travels: Africa.