As I stood
here amongst this grand sculpture, I could not help but to get
muddled in the thought that glaciers were the main force that
created this scene. I know that for the rest of my time, I
will enjoy walking where glaciers did once roam.
We stopped
for gas near the Illinois / Wisconsin border. I had been up entirely
too long and while I hadn’t reached my wall yet, I was tired when I
got to Dave’s house. I off handedly reminded Dave of the road rules
and with a pang of regret, climbed into the passenger seat.
I don’t know why I can’t sleep in a moving vehicle. Perhaps I’m
afraid I’ll fart in my sleep and have to endure the ridicule. Or
I’ve been known to talk in my sleep, and not always do I say good
things. Or is it the belief that no one can do the feats that I can
(driving) without my supervision and assistance. Or am I just afraid
I’ll miss something. Whatever. I can’t sleep in a moving car. But
this was my first grand adventure and I learned a few things. (1)
Being up for 22 hours and being exhausted can help a person to
sleep. (2) The human body can run quite well on two hours of sleep.
After I relaxed for a while and settled in to the passenger seat
(there is little as disconcerting as being in the wrong seat of your
own truck) I did manage to doze on and off. I drifted away around
3:00 am and woke up with the sunrise as we passed into southern
Minnesota. When next we stopped, I told Dave that I could drive from
there. If I’m sitting in a car awake, I’d rather be driving.
We had been on the road for twelve hours, and the Plains lie ahead.
Now I’ve been in Kansas and Nebraska and I was unimpressed. South
Dakota was better. At least western South Dakota has the Black
Hills, Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National
Park, eastern South Dakota on the other hand is like Iowa on valium
(I’ve seen the Corn Palace). But I had never been in North Dakota. I
was hopeful.
Have you ever seen the movie Fargo? Well (and pay attention or
you’ll get lost) south eastern North Dakota looks just like that,
even in summer. Change the color to sage instead of white and there
you go. But as you move north west there is a subtle change that
occurs. The land begins a gentle roll, and some how the land goes
from flat to open. You can still look in any direction and your eye
sight will fail before you hit and obstruction, but instead of
boring, it’s serene. Not desolate, but peaceful.
Dave is a very good photographer. I was just starting to take my own
photography seriously, and decided to use this trip to pick his
brain. We were talking off and on about filters and film speed and
generally how to take better pictures in five easy lesson. If you
want to take better pictures then take a trip with Dave, but that’s
not what I’m writing about. I don’t know what I am writing about,
but that isn’t it.
