Summer of Fun- Chapter 1

 Saw- Heard-Did

In keeping with my summer tradition- it's time to dust off the "saw-heard-did" prompt to reflect on our summer adventures.   I wish I could commit myself to updating weekly- but  I've found through trial and error- that just doesn't happen.   So instead- when the summer spirit moves me, and I have access to my laptop- I shall try to update the blog.  

Saw-  I saw myself reaching the finish line of the school year.   I believe this is my 12th year as a school nurse- proving again that while the days are long, the years fly by.   This year seemed like it would never end, and then once we hit May- time sped up.   Oh yeah- I can live with that.   Of course, now I kindly ask that it slow down so I can savor the 9+ weeks of time off.

I also saw how Hubby and I had to work together, along with the support of friends near and far, to help ensure we were all set to leave town as planned.  Technical difficulties with the preferred tow vehicle meant if I wanted to do any sight seeing- I needed to agree to the side car or consider gearing up to ride the Scooter.   

Come on Stewie- let's hit the road...

Heard:  This first week of travel- we've heard the whistling of the trains (perhaps too often in Crawford Nebraska- apparently it's a popular freight route), the swoosh of the wind across the Dakota territory and the crunch of gravel (no photos-but let's just say Stewie and I briefly parted ways when we encountered gravel and a turn at too much speed). 

  We heard tales of Custer's last home-before he headed off to the Battle of Little Big Horn.   

As the tour guide showed us the piano could use a tune up...

Yep-General Custer was quite the avid hunter...

We learned of the origins of TRNP and the peace Teddy found here on the plains.

We learned about the ways of the Mandan people-surprised to see how spacious their earth lodges were.

What I didn't hear was the buzz of the alarm clock, the roar of a buffalo stampede (saw them stomping off, but fortunately, they were headed opposite of our direction) or the chatter of obnoxious fellow campers.   

Nope- so far, we're off to a great start in terms of finding quiet campgrounds-clean and respectful fellow campers...and buffalo that keep to themselves (mostly-this guy was serving as the guard of the restroom- good thing we travel with our own toilet on board!)

Did:   We did the Dakotas!   Still not sure why- other than I've had it in my head for the better part of the year that I wanted to check out Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP).   I had heard that it was here that Roosevelt came up with the idea for the national park system.   Was curious what would be so inspirational for him to commit to such a concept?   I have since learned that it was here that he came to heal his grieving heart, fell in love with the western frontier and returned to the east coast- ready to face life's challenges and enter the world of politics.   And well, the rest is history....   

Taking this more northern route would add only about 300 miles to our planned route, and allow us to see something new.   With the promise of lighter crowds and cooler temps, Hubby was of course all in.  

Did it meet our expectations?   Yes-I believe it did...but then again, the bar was set rather low.   I mean come on- we live in Colorado and we go to ND to see beauty?   Even the flag guys at the construction site were questioning "why'd you come here" (side bar- never realized when you are stuck waiting for your turn on a road construction, when you are  on a scooter-the crew gets a little more chatty-it was actually a pleasant way to pass the time-and we learned that all the green we were seeing-was far from the norm-rather a result of late wet spring.

Ok, enough with the slams about ND- we were pleasantly surprised to see how green these plains are, the gentle roll to the terrain was another  pleasant surprise, and the near empty highways were equally welcome treat.

What took us by surprise?   For starters, we both agree that the Badlands of SD are a 'been there-done that" sort of place.   We'd visited about 5 years ago- and actually stayed at the same area.  

 Way more crowded with fellow boondockers this time- but luckily very quiet and clean compared to some of the popular BLM spots we've visited in Colorado.     The drive itself through the Badlands is not nearly as impressive the second time nor does it capture my heart like the rocks of Utah.   But hey- it beat driving through the more crowded areas of the black hills so all in all it was good.

The ND department of tourism really tries hard- there are so many of these various roadside "giants", all decently maintained (even if a little weather weary- ND does have some rough winters I hear), with good spots to turn around an RV hauling a trailer.   And a little "phone in" narrative about the history of these roadside attractions.

And their state parks?  A+ for maintaining nice spacious campground, with the best shower house I've visited settled right in the middle of a historically rich area.   It sure made for a pleasant way to spend a rather overcast-drizzly Sunday.

And well now...it's time to wrap this up (and my wrist too-it's starting to ache a little more after my tumble earlier today)...and check out the "pick me up" treat we found after I took a tumble..

Until next time...keep wandering and wondering...