Grutz says, "To witness the sun rising and setting."

The Bad Lands. An otherworldly place of beauty. I fell madly in love with this captivating landscape.

Greetings all from mountain time! Carleen has been a stunning and accurate scribe these last few days and I admit I can do little to match her writing prowess. But I will do my best! Other than driving approximately 1,500 miles (hence my lack of blogging), I have enjoyed some grand and exciting places and colorful characters. Here are some places:

The Needles of Custer State Park. A place I once climbed in '96. (Obviously not all of it, but a couple of routes.

Drop the $10 for parking, it's worth it. And if you haven't been to Rushmore since the new renovations then get your red, white, and blue butt out to S.D. ASAP.

Giddy up, lil' doggy! Cowboys, bisons, and pickups oh my! The round up was a spectacle, though a change from previous runs. There was a bit of grumbling from the roundup faithful. Since it was our first time, we loved it, tired and all.

Devil's Tower. Once you see it you know why Teddy made it the first National Monument. And there are climbers on it in this shot (you gotta squint).

The most fascinating events for me are the sunsets and the sunrises. Every park or monument changes drastically at these times and it's like I'm seeing them anew. I can go on about geography and topography, but the way the sun plays upon the land out here is moving.


And now for the characters:

Marcia (1/2 the dynamic duo of the hosts with the mosts) and Sammy the wonder corgi. I now know why Queen Elizabeth digs these canine.

The Great White Hunter Jim and his trusty sidekick, Nick, await the perfect shot.

A lovely nude canvas, dollar bills adorning the wall, a frosty brew, and my best gal at my side. No friends, your not witnessing Nick's dreams, your witnessing his reality. It's good being Nick

So now I'm sitting in a commercial campground in Cody, Wy typing in the dark (and I can't find the frickin apostrophe and I keep hitting the semi-colon and it's tickin me off!) because they have wifi, and hot showers, and laundry. Ok, I feel kind of bad not staying in a state park or national park, but then again we stayed at Steve and Marcia's campground for a couple of nights.

I reckoned that this trek out west would total disconnect from the reality I was used to. But thanks to SDPB and Wyoming Public Radio I am reeling in the news and events and discussions. No doubt I feared a lack of NPR while traveling into (gulp) red states, but I've been delighted at what I found. For example we we're leaving Gilette this morning and the local NPR station was playing some music that blew my mind, including an upcoming release from Danni Harrison and Ben Harper. It was great! Danni sounds eerily like his departed father. Who would have thunk I would have been hearing that in Wyoming? Ok, enough of my NPR rant, but trusted reader, understand I have been driving alot.

But this trip has made me feel a little off. I do enjoy not being tied to the cellphone, I've had it off for what feels like weeks due to lack of reception. It's a liberating feeling, yet at times I worry about missing something. I also feel a little disconnected since I'm not doing alot of things I normally do, such as play and listen to music. I didn't realize how much time I spend around music. I am jonesing for some guitar, I cannot lie.

So tomorrow we're off to Yellowstone. So the next time you here from me I'll tell you all about it and the unusual bear encounter with a happy ending, in the mean time, check out Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It has five different museums under one roof and your admission gives you two days to visit. Highly recommended if you visit Cody, it has something for everyone. Really.

And, once more, thank you Katie and Emmanuel for the best hammock in the world. It's boss.

Oh, and before I forget, I'll also include info on the 5 mile laser pointer and the cool/awesome jar........