Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Hey everyone!! Sorry the postings have been few lately, we have been backcountry camping in Yellowstone and obviously computers are non-functional there! So an update... When we visited Mount Rushmore, we met an amazing man who was on one of the crews that BUILT it! He had a piece of the granite that was carved off during construction, and he told us all about how it was done. I'm not sure if you know, but Mount Rushmore is actually an incomplete work of art. In September or October or 1941, funding ceased towards Mount Rushmore because money was being funneled to the war... during that time, construction stopped, and the sculptor ended up passing away. The son decided that a work of art should be finished by its creator and so, they permanently ceased construction with the Mount Rushmore we know today... but if you look closely at Abe Lincoln, you can see the outline of his fingers holding his jacket collar. Initially the carvings were supposed to go down to the waist, instead of just the bust. Afterwards we decided to check out Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse was absolutely amazing. I really hope to visit again in the future, and see it completed. If you don't know, Crazy Horse is a tribute to the Native American founders of America, and is funded by private donations. Several attempts by the US government have been made to take over the funding of it, but the creator insisted that this sculpture be a creation for the people, by the people. He left explicit directions on how to complete it, and a scale model has been made for visitors to see how it will look when it is complete. It is going to be remarkable site to see!

From there, we headed to Yellowstone. We stopped the night before at a state park to camp and then woke up around 6am to drive the rest of the way. Right before the Yellowstone entrance, we turned a corner, and a HUGE male bison was grazing on the side of the road! We pulled over and expected him to run away, but he just looked at us and continued grazing. We were only about 10 feet away from him. It was so exciting. Then we continued on into Yellowstone. I'm not sure what I was expecting really, but every time we rounded a bend I was in awe of the amazing scenery that we would see. Lake Yellowstone was completely frozen over, covered in snow and ice. Geysers were spewing steam up along the road, creating a scene that reminded me of something from Jurassic Park. It was almost surreal. While we were driving, we saw a few cars pulled over and people out taking pictures. We decided to pull over too and check it out. All the fuss was over a baby black bear!! He was out rooting in the field, alone, probably digging for grubs!

Once in Yellowstone we headed straight to Old Faithful, we arrived just in time to watch the eruption which was pretty spectacular. Then we walked around the thermal area. I have never in my life imagined quite how incredible the thermal pools would be. Each one was so unique and so special. My favorite was the Chromitic Pools...they are these rainbow pools, and while reading about them, we discovered something amazing. The colors are created by microscopic organisms...they are organisms that actually LIVE in these extreme conditions, and it is their presence that causes the amazing colors that we see.

After we explored the thermal area for a few hours, we headed up to our campground in Mammoth Springs. On our way, we were stuck in a road block of Bison! There were about 20 of them, and walked right next to our car on both sides! We were only a few inches from them! It was so cool! It ended up that the campground was full, but this nice gentleman suggested backcountry camping if we had our own gear. Backcountry camping means that we would be given a permit from the park ranger, and hike waaaay out into the Yellowstone wilderness and camp along side the buffalo and elk and whatever else came our way! So we got a permit and hiked about 2 miles out to our spot. It was bear country so food had to be far away from the tent. This was my first real camping experience, and I LOVED it. We woke up early and made breakfast and explored a bit. John saw a heard of elk passing by. We decided to take an afternoon nap before heading to our next camping spot that was a lot further into the park. I was woken up by the sound of thunder, and we both decided we didn't want to deal with a muddy camping fiasco, so we packed up and hiked the two miles back to our car.

Now we are in Montana, in a neat little town called Deer Lodge. We stopped because we feared we were having car trouble (it kept overheating). We couldn't find a campground, so we haggled with a motel and ended up getting the room for $48 (it started at about $80!) and it turned out that the owner is a mechanic! So he looked at the car, and drove it for about a half hour around the high way and mountains and he determined there was nothing wrong with it, but that we were driving it wrong. Apparently we were messing up something with the gears and so the car had to work harder to get up the mountains...regardless, he showed us how to properly drive it, and all should be well!

We have met the most amazing people so far in our journey. We have been surrounded by unique and memorable characters that have made this trip worth taking. Traveling the country is more than what you can see, it is about who you can meet. These are the faces and workers of our country. These people make America what it is. When you are home, or in school, you become accustomed to the framework and daily routine that is your life. People tend to forget the vast diversity that is our country, our world. I value every single moment of this adventure, and I wouldn't trade a single second of it.

I know you guys are awaiting pictures, but I forgot my USB cord to put them on my computer! As soon as I find a place to buy one, pictures will be immediately uploaded! Here are some from my cell phone to keep you tied over :-)

Love,

Jx2