Gardiner, MT to Rapid City, SD
Miles: 542
Pass: Billings, Buffalo, Sheridan, Sturgis
Visit: Little Bighorn National Monument, Devil's Tower National Monument
Date: 05/29/2008
Today we drove. Just like yesterday and the day before. We drove for miles and miles. I never really know where we are going until we get there. The long days have stripped my mind of any discrimination between place and time. My mind is flowing and body is lagging behind.
Today we are traveling to Rapid City, SD from Gardiner, MT. As I look out the window, as I occasionally do, I noticed the mountains and the skirted grass fields below. Montana is known as the "treasure" state and is recognized as the "big sky" country. However Montana holds no treasure other than that of human experience. People no longer seek fortunes of fame; instead hey seek a peaceful life.
Driving throughout Montana, I can see the snow-capped mountains, the deep valleys, and the rolling hills. Montana, though very dry, is an inspiring state. Its natural beauty is only matched by its people unwavering appreciation for the environment. The mountains, blanketed in a quilt of snow, represent time and it's ever changing nature. Though mountains seem to be eternal, they are under constant change. This change may be small, but even these eternal monoliths are enslaved to the environment.
I know I have said it before, but I have grown to loathe driving. I cannot stand sitting in this van any longer. I don't mind traveling, but after 6,000 miles, it begins to wear on your nerves. The only thing I have to look forward to are the calculated stops made by Dr. Laythe and the work I still have left to do. Granted, the time left on this journey is fleeting, but I still have much reading and writing to accomplish.
This morning we departed Gardiner at 8:00am. The air was fresh and cool and the mountain landscape offered me something to focus on, before we left our hotel. It seems as though my backpack has grown much heavier over the past few weeks. Perhaps I am getting weak, or I have bought too many souvenirs.
Nevertheless I threw my "one metric ton" bag into the back of the van and watched the rear shocks give out. Okay, so it wasn't that heavy, but I did feel as though my arms were going to break off after hauling it to the van. After a few minutes on the road in Dr. Laythe’s van, the troublesome van two, we stopped at an Albertsons grocery store to refill our lunch bins. This would be the last time on the trip we would have to fill the bins.
On the road, I realize many different things. I notice that everything is becoming a routine. Drive, visit, drive, eat, drive, sleep. I don't realize what day it is anymore, nor what time it is. The simple and unnoticeable tasks I used to do are now becoming blatant and complicated. Everything we have done during this expedition, has felt like one giant day trip. I no longer recognized the breaks in time nor the differing dates. However who needs a calendar anyway? Wouldn’t it be better to live life in a time free world? Perhaps...
On this trip however, there is no unscheduled time. Everyday, Dr. Laythe has his own agenda and he tries to keep up with his stringent time schedule. Today we drove to the Little Bighorn National Monument. We entered the monument around 11:54am and soon embarked on a driving tour of the monument’s battlefields. This site offered visitors an accurate recreation of the battlefield movements and strategies used by Lt. Cornel George Custer and the Indians that occupied the area.
On June 25, 1876 the US government ordered George Custer and his men to strike an Indian settlement of 7,000. Custer’s force, only 260 men strong, paled in comparison to the 1,500 to 2,000 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors at the settlement. Needless to say the US forces were decimated by the skilled Indian warriors.
The purpose for this battle seems dumbfounded today. The US government, in an effort to pacify the Indians, viewed any Indian tribes that join together as a hostile threat to the United States. The government also sought to remove many Indians from their native lands in order to deter trade route thievery. Though many of the reasons mentioned by the US had no factual foundation, they still set out to fix the "Indian problem."
Custer made many mistakes when he tried to over take the Indians at Little Bighorn. Because of his overzealous attitude and underestimation of the Indians strong will, Custer lost his life during this battle and the attack failed miserably.
Because of this battle, the United States Government tightened their chokehold on the Indian tribes and further constricted movement of nomadic Indian tribes of the northwest. Many battles between the US and the now scattered Indian tribes would continue, until they were finally repressed to the point of "domestication."
The way I look at it, the United States treated the Native American tribes of the west and east like disobedient children and pests. Events such as Little Bighorn anger me and make me despise the actions taken by our early government. Today, the super ethnocentrism of America still butts its head even at the Little Bighorn site.
Despite the fact the US army lost this battle, the oppressor Lt. Cornel, George Custer is regarded as a fallen US war hero. Only recently has the site begun to recognize the Indian warriors who lost their lives during the conflict. These Indian warriors who fought oppression and sought to secure freedom. The very foundation of the American constitution is based on the fight against oppression and the pursuit of freedom. George Custer is no war hero; he is a murderer and a saboteur of the Native American culture.
Our small caravan traveled down into Wyoming after visiting the Little Bighorn National Memorial. The land here is very different than the western portion of Montana. Wyoming is large. The state seems to go on forever and ever. The mountains are small and the land offers a plethora of tans, greens and browns. The visibility also gives travelers a wonderful opportunity to view storms rolling in for up to 20 miles away.
Peering out my window I was startled by Mary sitting in the front, after she spotted a strange cloud formation. The formation turned out to be a funnel cloud. I was quite amazed by the sight and I could feel my pulse beginning to race. It was when the not too distant funnel cloud touched the grassy Wyoming surface that I became very worried. Now my heart was pumping louder than a charging locomotive. Rain began to pour down and the sky turned black. Dr. Laythe began to grip the wheel tight as we drove into the storm. Not knowing what to do we kept moving through the harsh weather.
Thankfully after 15 minutes of uneasy driving, the weather began to break and we no longer saw the tornado cell. For that 15 minutes, I felt scared, excited, and awestruck all at once. The rest of our ride we watched the skies and kept a close eye on the horizon. We did not want to have another run in with a tornado.
Moving north, we set our sights on Devils Tower National Monument. You may remember this geological structure from its cameo in the Steven Spielberg movie: Close Encounters of the 3rd kind. Approaching the tower, the dark Wyoming sky created an ominous backdrop for visitors. Luckily it had stopped raining by the time we entered the site and we were able to stay dry while we visited the park.
After a few photos and a quick hike, we returned to our vans and prepared for the 100-mile drive to Rapid City, South Dakota. On our way out of Wyoming Mother Nature showed us that she was not done flexing her muscles. Around 6:28pm we were hit with another thunderstorm. This storm differed from the first because we did not see any tornado cells, but what it lacked visually, it replaced with its intensity. Hail began to smack the van and at one point the strong winds pushed us almost off the road.
Dr. Laythe, between bouts of uncertainty and apprehension, forged ahead and clenched the wheel harder than before. I'm almost positive that he left permanent impressions on the wheel from his white-knuckled fists.
After braving the storm, we finally made it to South Dakota at 6:38pm. The land here, similar to Wyoming, is very green and heavily farmed. Due to the temperamental weather and our cautious drive, we entered Rapid City later than scheduled. Around 7:33pm we unloaded our vans and settled into our rooms at the Historic Alex Johnson Hotel. Apparently, room 804, the room I would be staying in that night was very haunted. I’ve never seen a ghost before, nor do I really think I will. However if this place is haunted, it will be interesting to see if something happens.
I am rooming with Steve for the next two nights and if anyone were to see a ghost, it would be him. Steve is a ghost hunter and has a strange connection with the supernatural. Perhaps I should be scared or something, but if ghosts were real, then I would have seen one by now. Right?
After we settled in our rooms, Kara, Steve, Lindsay, Mary and I went to the Firehouse Brewing Company bar and grill for dinner. The restaurant was a remodeled fire hall and supported a brewery on the second floor. The food was great and the beer was even better. I sipped on a Barely Blonde Ale and after we finished eating we went to the outdoor area and watched a fabulous local blues rock band. Though the band was very good we were not able to stay for the entire set. We all had a lot of work to complete before tomorrow and I had to prepare for my book presentation.
I’m not going to lie; I could be more prepared for my presentation. I read the book fast and I did not pick up as much information as I wanted to. However I feel I know enough information to give a good description about my book and the motivations of the author.
Hmmm...
I guess I miss the regularity of home. I have sworn in the past I will never settle down nor will I grow to be "comfortable." I still believe this of myself, but I need some regularity.
These journals are my only outlet right now. I’m locked in a van for upward of eight hours a day and I don't have a phone. The solace I find writing has become almost addictive. Yet, just like my music I am very uneasy about the quality of my work. I don't believe that I am good at this, nor do I believe I am good at performing music. Perhaps it is due to my apprehension toward criticism. Think about, if someone doesn’t like your work, they are not only criticizing you, but your personal thoughts as well.
It is because my poor self-confidence, that I removed the blog posts. I feel I can stand behind everything I have said, but I do not feel like others liked my work. Its very hard putting yourself out there and hearing what people have to say. I’d rather just opt out. However I can't do that all of my life.
I ain't gonna do it anymore. I ain't gonna sit the way they want, I ain't gonna work the way they want anymore. I ain't gonna bite my tongue. I'm gonna do what I want. I don't care what they think. I am in this for me. Only me. Call me selfish, but that is why I came. I'm going to still listen to others and hear out their advice, but I am going to stop condemning myself before I even act.
Afterthoughts:It’s a hard thing to do, tell yourself to stop acting a certain way, when you have been doing it all your life. You know your wrong, but you simply can’t stop. I tell myself to stop caring about others and focus on myself. However my old ways are easier to deal with than change. I feel trapped in my head and I don' t have the key. I hope time will take these feelings away...
"Diamonds they fade, flowers they bloom and I’m telling you; These feelings won't go away, they've been knocking me sideways." -Citizen Cope
Little Bighorn National Monument
Devil's Tower National Monument
Firehouse Brewing Co.
