 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
 |
||
|
This log is current through September 26, 2004 August 4, 2004 in Des Moines, Iowa Yesterday as we departed in the Gypsy Wagon a major tropical storm was moving up America’s east coast. Knowing when to leave is important in life.
Before long we’ll be at the foot of Wyoming’s Teton Mountains, renewing a love affair with Jenny. Before then are important stops in South Dakota.
Gregory, in south central SD is the official “Ground Zero of Pheasantdom,” as declared by Fortune Magazine in 1992. You’ll find Pheasants everywhere -- although substantially fewer after the fall hunting season. In Des Moines, Iowa we were told by a woman from South Dakota that tiny western towns are populated solely by “rednecks, fishermen, hunters and idiots.” Perhaps she was describing herself, because in little Gregory (pop. 1,342) we found interesting and intelligent people who love their community and work hard to make it a great place to live and raise their children. One might assume that Gregory’s sports teams are called the Fighting Cocks, but that is not so. They are the Gorillas -- and sure enough Gorillas are everywhere. This 10 footer stands on guard in front of the town auditorium. No matter what that bigoted woman told us, we greatly appreciate the values, the intelligence and the humor of people in towns like Gregory, South Dakota. Next: a 410 mile drive to Belle Fourche in NW South Dakota, during which we found the Black Hills teeming with tens of thousands of motorcycles as a half million bikers descend on tiny Sturgis. Talk about “rolling thunder!” We’ll report on that next.
The participants seemed friendly, well-mannered, and even though we saw tens of thousands of bikes on highways of all sizes, not one was speeding. In fact, it would be nice if everyone were so courteous on the roadways. We did note that the dress code for women was somewhat different than one might find at, say, a bridge tournament. But what the heck? Everyone was having a great time and everyone we ran into was polite and friendly. We have posted new rally photos in our South Dakota Gallery. August 14, 2004 in Wyoming This lava cooled more than fifty million years ago, but only became visible when the surrounding land eroded away about two million years ago, conveniently allowing Hollywood to shoot “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” here. Devil’s tower is near Sundance.
According a representative of Wyoming’s Finest, this car had been abandoned the previous day 25 miles from the nearest town. It somehow managed to immolate itself just as we happened along, burning right to the ground. Find new photos in our Wyoming Photo Gallery. August 15, 2004 in Jackson, Wyoming August 18, 2004 in Greycliff, southern Montana We invite you to read Don’s essay The Ranch. You will come away with a sense of life in the late 1800’s in southern Montana, difficult times romanticized by Hollywood. You may find the truth even more interesting. We’re off now to Sidney, Montana, the NE Montana town of Don’s birth -- and his father’s. We are thrilled that he is well enough to make the trip with us. Armed with cameras and lots of note paper, this will be an emotional search for our roots. August 20, 2004 in Sidney, Montana We have been on a mission to find our “roots” -- and we did. Things are very different, but we found the house where Don’s dad was born more than 85 years ago and the farm Don’s grandparents homesteaded near the Yellowstone River in 1906. Some of our exploration has been on the other side of the earth, but we’re also discovering important things much closer to “home” (an odd concept for people who travel continuously). See new photos in the Montana Photo Gallery.
We were there for two months late last year, during which the Maoists were involved in horrifying atrocities, but they never attempted to choke off the entirety of the Kathmandu valley (photo). August 27, 2004 We have decided that when we arrive back aboard Pioneer, our sailboat/home in the Chesapeake, we’ll sail off to Caribbean islands -- the route and destinations to be decided. Check the new photos in our Wyoming Photo Gallery. You’ll also find new photos in the Montana Photo Gallery. In this shot, taken at the mouth of the Clark’s Fork Canyon on the Montana/Wyoming border on August 26, 2004, it is obvious that summer weather is already ending. The high mountains of northern Wyoming were dusted with new snow while we where there -- even as our sailboat/Pioneer was baking in the Chesapeake heat. We’re beginning to worry about our high-end Dell laptop (on which we create this site). We’ve had to replace the motherboard (twice), the processor, memory (twice), hard drive, video card and fan, modem, lid and keyboard trim. August 31, 2004 in Vermillion, SD Her comments were very warmly received, and have been posted in the Essays section of this website. Photo: Becky with the President of the University of South Dakota, James Abbott. We’re now heading back to our sailboat/home Pioneer in the Chesapeake. We’ll prepare to sail south right after hurricane season. September 2, 2004 in Springfield, Ohio. September 5, 2004 back aboard Pioneer in Solomons, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. We’re preparing for any hurricane problems a few days from now, and will sail south after hurricane season. FYI: cheapest gasoline during the past 7,800 miles driving “out west” was $1.65.9 in eastern Indiana. The highest was $1.99.9 in the Black Hills. September 11, 2004 in Solomons, MD September 12, 2004 How long would we be at sea? We would appreciate hearing from previous participants. If we join this rally (dependent on whether we can get insurance), we wouldn’t return to the USA until next spring. A larger version of the above map can be found in the Maryland 2 Photo Gallery. September 15, 2004 in the Chesapeake When a storm the size of Ivan roars ashore all bets are off. Lots of sailboats were destroyed or seriously damaged on the island-nation of Granada by this same hurricane. We have been listening for friends’ reports via short wave radio. Photo: NASA Our South Dakota photo gallery was overflowing, so we started a new one: South Dakota 2. September 22, 2004 in the Chesapeake We’re working on a new log detailing the huge amount of preparation and planning necessary. When we get to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, we’ll post a daily log of the 1700-2000 mile voyage. At one point will be about 800 miles from land. The trip should take about 12-14 days. Then watch for further new logs as we explore the Caribbean. This will be the last entry of this log. The next log will detail our preparations for a major ocean voyage after hurricane season -- if it ever ends! First, this photo. Today was Becky’s birthday. Her wish was for a crabfest. The crabs put up a mighty struggle, but in the end Becky prevailed. |
||
We can’t go back to SE Asia and pick up where we left off there because thousands have died in floods and violent intern strife continues in places like Burma and Nepal. So we’re heading to America’s heartland -- the Old West. This leg of our Expedition will cover nearly 7,000 miles over five weeks.
August 10, 2004 in Belle Fourche, South Dakota
Have you ever been driving along and wished you could see a huge shaft of lava several hundred feet high? Who hasn’t? In NE Wyoming, you get your wish at Devil’s Tower. 
Naturally, something else people hope to see (to break the boredom of driving long distances) is a Cadillac on fire.
Meanwhile, we are growing concerned about our friends in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Maoists have established a blockade of the entire valley, a dire situation. More than 10,000 people have died in the continuing civil strife. 
