The last few days have been... hm... well... I typed about 5 words there and deleted them all because none do them justice. The weather seriously makes me want to cry. It's been about 70-75 with abundant sunshine everywhere we've been for the past 4 days. Lez and I have driven through quite a few states lately and here are their descriptions in 5 words or less:
Illinois - Besides Chicago, too much corn.
Wisconsin - rolling hills, friendly folk, CHEESE.
Minnesota - Cows, Harry Potter, and flat.
South Dakota - Badlands are cool as crap.
After Minneapolis where I split my jeans and slept in a college dorm suite with strangers (who win the sweetest 20-yr-olds ever award)... Leslie and I had an 8 hour drive to Ft. Pierre, SD. For this leg of the trip, I chose to drive it while my fabulous domestic partner, Lez, read Harry Potter (the 7th book) to me aloud while I gazed out the windshield. In between chapters of tense moments in the wizarding world, I watched farm, after farm, after farm pass by. I found myself contemplating things like whether or not Monsanto was responsible for the identical miles of corn rows racing past the Saturn on either side... and whether or not the farmers were allowed to save their seeds between seasons or what they would say to Michael Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma." I think too much...
After camping out in Ft. Pierre last night, we drove through The Badlands. Now, I had no idea what "badlands" were supposed to be or why they existed. But I just have to say: they BLEW ME AWAY. Please - if you haven't done so already, ask Leslie to be your friend on FB so you can see a glimpse the beauty that we took in today. It was creation at it's finest. We even ran into (almost literally) some prairie dogs and big horned sheep just chillin' on the side of the road... so naturally, we stopped and Leslie took their pictures while I desperately tried to coerce them to let me get close enough for a little touch. The peanut trial to the car almost worked with that prairie dog, dangit!
Anyway. Despite the rain outside and the acute realization that I am over 32 hours from home in a car, tonight I just feel so blessed. I am blessed with the means to drive across country and to have eyes to see it's beauty. I am blessed to have family and friends who care enough to read this blog, to pray for me, and to get excited on my behalf for what's to come. I will post more after Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and when we make it to Wyoming.
Phones work in South Dakota and beyond - so feel free to give me a ring! If you're reading this, I probably miss you.
~staceylynn
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