I needed a shower, but was running low on fresh water. There is a gauge inside that simply has four lights on it and I was on the last one. I’ve learned that you can see the actual water level through the white plastic tank from outside if you look really close. It’s a square 40 gallon tank, about 10 inches tall. It had about 1 inch left, so I decided to take a quick shower.
I was all soaped up when I heard the faucet start to spurt and sputter. I rinsed off quickly before the water ran out. It was nice to learn that I get a last minute warning and time to do an emergency rinse.
I called an RV place in Billings Montana and scheduled an appointment to have my electrical problems looked at. They could get me in Tuesday morning which was good. That gave me four days to wander there. I felt better, having a plan to deal with the problems. The step was still clicking; click click, click, click click, click. It had been talking to me for three days.
Badlands National Park was just up the road. I splurged for the Annual National Parks pass for $80. It’s good for a calendar year for most national parks. I hoped I could make back my money as I traveled.
The Badlands are stunning. I stood out in the crowd of families as I walked barefoot and shirtless off of the boardwalk. My feet curved with the earth and stuck to the sand. I felt sure-footed. I heard a little girl on the boardwalk yell to her mother, “look at that boy, he’s barefoot!” It is recommended that you wear shoes. There are rattle snakes in the area. I was very cautious of my surroundings. Two ladies in their fifties were taking each other’s picture by the “Be Ware of Rattle Snakes” sign. A photo opportunity must. I asked if they wanted me to take their picture. They returned the favor. I said, “This one’s for my mom, she’s always telling me to put some shoes on”. They liked my painted toe nails. We walked together toward the scenic overlook. Oddly the safe, man-made boardwalk was too hot for my feet. I balanced on the edge board that was lighter in color and not so hot. I walked some of the time next to the board walk on the sand. It was much more comfortable.
At the scenic overlook people were commenting to one another about the historical plaque. I said jokingly, “someone should just read it allowed”. One of the women I was walking with said enthusiastically, “I will, I was a teacher” and she began to read, she traded off each sentence with her friend. Everyone laughed and laughed. I’m finding that it’s easy to make friends with strangers while traveling alone. Anytime I’m trying to take my own picture someone will ask if they can do it for me. It’s a great conversation starter.
I wondered off of the boardwalk and out as far as I could safely get on a ledge. All of my new friends headed back to their cars. I noticed that people walk to the overlook, snap some pictures, then leave. I decided to stay awhile and sat down on the ledge. In time I started to notice things I hadn’t seen before; plants, birds and rings in the layers of sediment. It was a wonderful moment that only took about twenty minutes. I decided that I would make it part of my routine to stop, sit and really try to connect with places like this in the future.
As I walked back, I heard another girl shout, “look at that boy, way over there, he’s barefoot!”
I drove the scenic roadway through the Badlands. I found a place to dump and fill my water tanks. It cost $1 and was the honor system. I was so happy to fill my tank. I decided to give them $2, a very reasonable price, plus it’s money for the park to help preserve nature.
The drive was a good warm-up for the mountains I had coming up. It was windy, narrow and steep.
I stopped at many of the scenic overlooks. At Fossil Exhibit Trail I walked around again barefoot and cautious. I felt like I was on a vision quest in the dessert. The sun beamed down. It was very hot and dry. I studied the rocks, looking for fossils.
Wal, South Dakota was right at the end of the scenic drive. I’d been wanting to get a cowboy hat there for days. I was hungry to and wanted an authentic buffalo burger. I found my burger and a great hat. The place was very familiar as I had been there several times on family vacations. When I walked onto the street, women of all ages smiled at me and my hat. I knew I had picked a winner.
While taking my own picture again I was offered assistance. One woman said, “That’s a good photo-op” and took a picture of me for herself.
I left Wal and headed west. I wasn’t sure how far I’d go. I pulled of off the interstate at Sundance, Wyoming, but had no phone service, so decided to push on. Oddly in the middle of nowhere I had a great phone signal. I called my mom while headed west into the sun set. She looked and found that there was a Wal Mart in Gillette, 58 miles ahead. She even gave me the exit number. It was comforting to know where I would stay that night.
The Wal Mart had about ten other RVs staying at it. I needed some basic supplies and a good night sleep, so this was ideal.
There was a car dealership about one hundred feet away that for some reason had Hot AC music playing over their loudspeakers. I used my rubber ear bud headphones as earplugs. It worked great and I slept well.
I was all soaped up when I heard the faucet start to spurt and sputter. I rinsed off quickly before the water ran out. It was nice to learn that I get a last minute warning and time to do an emergency rinse.
I called an RV place in Billings Montana and scheduled an appointment to have my electrical problems looked at. They could get me in Tuesday morning which was good. That gave me four days to wander there. I felt better, having a plan to deal with the problems. The step was still clicking; click click, click, click click, click. It had been talking to me for three days.
Badlands National Park was just up the road. I splurged for the Annual National Parks pass for $80. It’s good for a calendar year for most national parks. I hoped I could make back my money as I traveled.
The Badlands are stunning. I stood out in the crowd of families as I walked barefoot and shirtless off of the boardwalk. My feet curved with the earth and stuck to the sand. I felt sure-footed. I heard a little girl on the boardwalk yell to her mother, “look at that boy, he’s barefoot!” It is recommended that you wear shoes. There are rattle snakes in the area. I was very cautious of my surroundings. Two ladies in their fifties were taking each other’s picture by the “Be Ware of Rattle Snakes” sign. A photo opportunity must. I asked if they wanted me to take their picture. They returned the favor. I said, “This one’s for my mom, she’s always telling me to put some shoes on”. They liked my painted toe nails. We walked together toward the scenic overlook. Oddly the safe, man-made boardwalk was too hot for my feet. I balanced on the edge board that was lighter in color and not so hot. I walked some of the time next to the board walk on the sand. It was much more comfortable.
At the scenic overlook people were commenting to one another about the historical plaque. I said jokingly, “someone should just read it allowed”. One of the women I was walking with said enthusiastically, “I will, I was a teacher” and she began to read, she traded off each sentence with her friend. Everyone laughed and laughed. I’m finding that it’s easy to make friends with strangers while traveling alone. Anytime I’m trying to take my own picture someone will ask if they can do it for me. It’s a great conversation starter.
I wondered off of the boardwalk and out as far as I could safely get on a ledge. All of my new friends headed back to their cars. I noticed that people walk to the overlook, snap some pictures, then leave. I decided to stay awhile and sat down on the ledge. In time I started to notice things I hadn’t seen before; plants, birds and rings in the layers of sediment. It was a wonderful moment that only took about twenty minutes. I decided that I would make it part of my routine to stop, sit and really try to connect with places like this in the future.
As I walked back, I heard another girl shout, “look at that boy, way over there, he’s barefoot!”
I drove the scenic roadway through the Badlands. I found a place to dump and fill my water tanks. It cost $1 and was the honor system. I was so happy to fill my tank. I decided to give them $2, a very reasonable price, plus it’s money for the park to help preserve nature.
The drive was a good warm-up for the mountains I had coming up. It was windy, narrow and steep.
I stopped at many of the scenic overlooks. At Fossil Exhibit Trail I walked around again barefoot and cautious. I felt like I was on a vision quest in the dessert. The sun beamed down. It was very hot and dry. I studied the rocks, looking for fossils.
Wal, South Dakota was right at the end of the scenic drive. I’d been wanting to get a cowboy hat there for days. I was hungry to and wanted an authentic buffalo burger. I found my burger and a great hat. The place was very familiar as I had been there several times on family vacations. When I walked onto the street, women of all ages smiled at me and my hat. I knew I had picked a winner.
While taking my own picture again I was offered assistance. One woman said, “That’s a good photo-op” and took a picture of me for herself.
I left Wal and headed west. I wasn’t sure how far I’d go. I pulled of off the interstate at Sundance, Wyoming, but had no phone service, so decided to push on. Oddly in the middle of nowhere I had a great phone signal. I called my mom while headed west into the sun set. She looked and found that there was a Wal Mart in Gillette, 58 miles ahead. She even gave me the exit number. It was comforting to know where I would stay that night.
The Wal Mart had about ten other RVs staying at it. I needed some basic supplies and a good night sleep, so this was ideal.
There was a car dealership about one hundred feet away that for some reason had Hot AC music playing over their loudspeakers. I used my rubber ear bud headphones as earplugs. It worked great and I slept well.
I love this entry. It feels really Zen and calm. One of several lessons seems to be to value and believe in the intrinsic goodness of our fellow humans. Another lesson: if you offer help, it is usually retured to you (or paid forward) to a greater extent. Another lesson: painted toe nail and weird hats get you everywhere if you're a guy. Keep writing John. Love it.
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