Wyoming

Wyoming is medicine. Admittedly, Phill and I both awoke feeling a little sick over our experience at Mt. Rushmore yesterday. I don't mean to harp on it. We talked about it. Talked about the commercialism, the push for consumerism in a gift shop stuffed with products from China....all at a place that's supposed to make us feel more patriotic than ever. We see the misgivings. We take note. We do our best to support local and not feed into the consumer mentality. Maybe witnessing it at a national monument is why we were both disheartened so much.

Once we crossed that Wyoming state line, our conversation changed. With Willie, Hank, and Johnny serenading us, we saw the numerous trains dotting the vast landscape hauling coal from one mining town to the next. From miles away, we watched the dark clouds build and then drove right into a glorious summer thunderstorm. While I could now take this moment to harp on our country's dependence on oil or on climate change, Wyoming seemed to inspire the patriotic feelings we missed yesterday. I'm so proud to know that our country still has these places. Land that is relatively untouched, land that was traversed by the bravest of explorers. Watching the trains reminded us of the infrastructure that supports our economy. The wide open sky gave Phill even more reason to get back in the plane. Paul's death could certainly paralyze his ambitions, but then again, getting in a car can be just as dangerous. Driving cross country is no small feat. He quoted Hellen Keller: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

The drive was good for us. We needed it. It renewed our faith in the country just a little; reinvigorated our adventurous spirits. After all, we decided to take this journey to explore and appreciate this great nation we live in.

There are few words to accurately describe the rest of these last two days for us. We drove up I-90, almost to the Montana border, then got off on State Route 14 at Sheridan. We followed it over the Bighorn Mountains, through Bighorn National Forest, out onto the flats west of Greybull and finally into Cody. Just outside of Yellowstone, we snuggled in for the night. It was a cool 45 degree in the mountains. We stayed at the Absaroka Mountain Lodge, so named for the mountains it's nestled between, and right on the Shoshone River. With no internet access or cell phone coverage, we had nothing to do but breath fresh mountain air, take a hike, sit around the campfire and look up at a Milky Way I forgot existed. It was lovely. It was cleansing. A welcome break from technology and distractions. We agreed that the lodge provided one of the most refreshing and genuine retreats we've had in a very long time.

Seven years ago, my dear friends, Rob and Sara, drove me up over Tioga Pass in California. It was one of the few times that I was profoundly awed, speechless, and moved almost to tears at the natural beauty before me. This is the best way I can describe our last 48 hours as we traversed the Bighorn Mountains, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The descriptions by Thoreau and Annie Dillard echoed in my thoughts, as my own words just cannot do this scenery justice. Route 14 will forever be special in my heart because it too left Phill speechless. To know we shared that same wonderment of nature....that he understands and appreciates my quests for the wild and untamed landscapes...it's a pillar of our relationship.

Within the first hour of entering Yellowstone, we had seen 3 moose (one was an enormous male with a full rack), one grizzly bear, and numerous bison. I cannot go without mentioning the mountain pine beetle either. Almost 85% of the park has been destroyed by this invasive species. To look across entire mountains of dead trees is quite astounding and heart-wrenching. We are so thankful we saw the park when we did, before more is destroyed. I'll leave you now with the pictures. Just as my words fall short, the pictures do as well. I can only hope that each of you has the occasion to experience this. To seek with your own eyes the thrill of a scene that moves your soul, awakens your senses and forever leaves an impression in your spirit.