The Frozen North

Frequently, while in the South, we come across folks who believe (logically) that since Washington State is so far north, it must surely be colder than places like Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and the like, come winter and early spring.   Others hear of the endless rain that falls upon Seattle and think that we spend our days hunkered down indoors or wrapped tightly in waterproof wear of all shapes and colors. Many days, this is true (the wet part, not the frozen part).  

This year, we travelled through our share of frozen cold land as we headed back to Frogwater from Clearwater.   Unusually cold temperatures were entirely expected with the exceptionally harsh and extended winter that descended on the midwest, southeast, and many of the western states this season. We didn't make any bets on much improved weather as we headed further and further west.

True to our expectations, as we entered Idaho, it started to rain.  As we donned our rain gear, we just resigned ourselves to an extension of the wettest March on record that had just passed in the Pacific Northwest.  We arrived home to a mix of gray, fog, wet, and soggy.... as expected. Much to our surprise though, 48 hours after we returned, during a break from all the work that landed on our plates as we entered Washington, the sunshine came blazing out of hiding and made our whole world brighter:

That's pretty good for both the Frozen North and the Pacific NorthWET... I can't complain.  Of course, this stunning weather is transient, but I still shouldn't complain! 

Not complaining is the right idea.  It's the implementation that can get a wee bit tricky.

Diversifying

And the story goes like this ...

Once upon a time, there lived a crazy couple who thought it was feasible to haul three cats and three dogs (who did not get along with each other) from one end of the country to another in a minivan.   One of the dogs shall be called Lucky for short and one of the cats shall be called Faith.   The dog called Lucky has an obsession with cats.  He thinks about them day and night, dreaming and hoping against hope to catch one today or at the latest tomorrow.  He has no idea what to do with one if he catches it, but that's another problem for another time.

The crazy couple decided to leave the dog called Lucky:

 Alone with the cat called Faith:

while they packed up the minivan for another 600 mile trek from Point A to Point B.   Believing this to be his Magic Moment to catch a cat, Lucky set about the challenge of trying to figure out how to get into the hard plastic pet carrier in which Faith contentedly resided.  Faith believed that she was safe from Crazy Lucky, either because because of the strong plastic surrounding her, or because her name was, after all, Faith.  

Alas, when the crazy couple returned from their brief hiatus from these two furry friends, an equally brief tragedy had occurred.   While unable to open the carrier, Crazy Lucky did successfully roll it 180 degrees:

Whether Faith acquired a concussion or not, the crazy couple will never know.  Upon checking her from paw to paw, the couple only observed that she was appalled that something as icky and inferior as a dog had done this horrid thing to her.

But, unbeknownst to Crazy Lucky, the family had just diversified.   Prior, it was simply a non-denominational Christian family.   Now, on this fateful day, it had acquired a Holy Roller... how exciting is that?

 

What is it?

Your turn to participate! Prizes may be available depending on the accuracy and entertainment value of the responses.

#1.  What is it?  (Hint:  It often follows me everywhere)

Answer:  It's Kickstand (the cat)'s tail!

#2.  What is it?  (Hint:  It's in South Dakota)

Answer:  It's a big rock with Iron Pyrite (Fool's Gold) in it!

 #3.  What is it?  (Hint:   It could be a freeway under the right conditions)

Answer:  It's a frozen lake in South Dakota (very thick ice)!

#4.  What is it?  (Hint:   It won't last through the spring!)

Answer:  Bubbles frozen into what was once an ice fishing hole!

#5.  What is it?  (Hint:   you don't need a hint)

Answer:  It's Ella's Eyeball!

Four Cool Dudes and a Rock

Actually, it's five cool dudes if you count Gutzon Borglum who carved the four cool dudes into this little rock in South Dakota called Mount Rushmore:

Gutzon took some time to carve these sixty foot sculptures out of granite on the side of Mount Rushmore, 14 years from 1927 to 1941.  The only reason the effort stopped at what we see today (and did not include head to waist for each of the four presidents) was that age-old American reason for stopping in the middle of something:   lack of funding.

While on the topic of Americanism, Mount Rushmore is a fabulous example of our never-ending ability to charge something for everything.   However, we successfully ducked the $11 parking fee and additional entry fee by parking by the side of the road, betting that no one would tow a minivan with six animals inside. After hiking onto a little hill, we found our sought after photo-op in old-fashioned American style:  free of charge.  Mission accomplished.

The little town of Keystone, down the road from Mount Rushmore, supports every type of tourist trap known to mankind, but it is rather cute, especially in the winter time when most every tourist trap is closed:

Fortunately for us, the espresso stand and candy shop were very open and willing to satisfy our needs for a well made latte:

Of the four dudes carved into Mount Rushmore (George, Thomas, Teddy, and Abe), we enjoy George's sculpture the best.   That may be in part because George is complete, while the other dudes are only rocky granite heads.  Or it may be that George was just a talented leader and after winning a wee little conflict with Great Britain, was a fabulous model of what politics and presidential leadership in this country should look like.

Now, all we need to do is find and elect the next George Washington.

Validated, not Godforsaken

After leaving Badlands National Park, we entered Wall, South Dakota, home of the famous Wall Drugs which extends from one side of a main street block to the other, filled with every sort of trinket, burger, art piece, and toiletry one could imagine finding in South Dakota:

I never imagined being able to shop until I drop in South Dakota, but Wall Drugs make this a very real possibility.  It's a fun place to spend a few hours, enjoying a Buffalo burger with a glass of wine (red, of course), and browsing to my heart's content (and my foot's fatigue).   Barry may not have been as enthused as I about Wall Drug, but he can frequently be talked into indulging his wife:

While the shopping is fun and the food is good, my favorite part of Wall Drug is the history behind its success.   Dorothy and Ted Hustead opened Wall Drug in the 1930's and for years, operated it as a tiny, struggling pharmacy serving the very few and very poor residents of Wall, South Dakota in the middle of the Great Depression.   Regardless of the dismal prospects for success, Ted and Dorothy remained committed to a place and a business to which they felt God had called them.  Their family and friends, however, greatly disagreed, dismissing Wall as Godforsaken.  

Despite being surrounded by naysayers, Ted and Dorothy remained in Wall, living out a five year commitment to see what God had in store for them.   One hot and weary summer day, nearing the end of this five year commitment, Dorothy had an idea.   Why not advertise "Free Ice Water" along the highway to entice tired, hot drivers to stop by for awhile and partake in refreshment?  No other prospect for the survival of the business was available, so they set themselves to the task of making the very first Wall Drug billboards along the nearby highway.  

To make a long story short, the idea took off like wildfire and by the start of the twenty-first century, the greatly expanded Wall Drug sees as many as 20,000 visitors on a hot summer day.  The billboards across South Dakota advertising Wall Drug number almost that many.  

Wall is a wonderful testimony to the fact that no matter what it looks like, no matter how long the wait, no matter how frequent the suffering, no matter how tough the struggle... no place, not even the University of Washington campus or South Dakota or West Texas or even the litter box, is Godforsaken.  

Looks like God covered all His bases, Again.

The Bad and The Beautiful

Sounds like a soap opera?  or perhaps the latest and (not so) greatest reality TV show?

Well, actually, it's "just another National Park".   We had the pleasure of driving through Badlands National Park today in South Dakota.  I can certainly understand why someone coming upon the 60 mile long wall of the Badlands in a wagon a hundred plus years ago would be more than a little inclined to name the area Bad Lands.  But, with the advent of roads and modern conveniences, they are far more beautiful than bad.

Sediments have been deposited on the Badlands for a wee 68 million years but erosion of these wee quarter million acres into the pinnacles, spires, and buttes that decorate the land today began a scant half million years ago.   Eventually, the Badlands will erode away entirely, but I suspect that point will be reached long after my lifespan has passed:

Some of the Badlands are decorated with yellow mounds lying underneath a stripe of pink icing.   Rumor has it that the yellow was created by the first jungle to grow here and the pink by the second. Regardless of which jungle created which color, it's hard to believe that this land was once a lush, flourishing expanse of dense trees and tangled underbrush:

Even in this stage of their existence, the Badlands are beautiful.  This time of year, with few tourists in the park, was a perfect time to not only enjoy the views but the profound quiet of this place, interrupted only by gusts of wind rustling through the dried grass.  

They make them in South Dakota too!

This one was made March 25, 2014 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where the temperature failed to rise above freezing all the day long:

Amazing sunsets are not just for coastal locations like at our homes in Frogwater (Washington) and Clearwater (Florida).   They are for South Dakota too!  The cold, the wind, and the landlocked feel to this state make me think that the sun will simply run away as quickly as possible, sinking below the horizon for a brief respite before returning rather reluctantly the following morning.

Of course, my attitude about South Dakota is the problem, not the land, and certainly not the sunset. Anywhere, anytime, these sunsets can appear.  Here, in Sioux Falls, they splash beauty across an otherwise barren winterscape.  This particular sunset owes part of its beauty to the incredibly clean air, unique to sub-freezing temperatures and remote locations.

Tonight's sunset, captured at the end of a long day of traveling, reminds me to toss my stereotypes of places like South Dakota into the trash bin of the mind and instead open up my eyes with a clean slate to the beauty that lies everywhere, if only I would look more closely for it.