tennessee

I love Memphis.


There are so many things to love about Memphis - the music, the civil rights history, the food…

Its no surprise that within hours of arriving in Memphis we went to go find BBQ. I actually think we had planned on making our own dinner that night, but as Guy was looking up restaurants and reading the menus, I do believe I would have lost my mind if I didn’t indulge immediately. Of course there are a ton of BBQ places to go to in Memphis, but we decided on a place called Interstate BBQ. The man who owns the place is the uncle of the well-known “Neely’s” from the food network. Most of the reviews online talked about how incredible the food was, but also mentioned terrible service and how “ghetto” the place was. We experienced nothing but the best on all fronts. We decided to eat a gigantic sampler platter, which included pork Ribs, beef Ribs, sausage, beef brisket, pork shoulder, B-B-Q spaghetti, beans, potato salad and bread. The waitress mentioned that most of the time two people can’t finish the platter. Not only did we finish it, but we each ordered our own dessert as well! Guy had a sweet “sock-it-to-me cake, and I had sweet potato pie. The whole meal was incredibly delicious, and started our time in Memphis on a fantastic note.

The next morning we went to the Peabody Hotel, a beautiful four-star hotel, to see the famous Peabody Ducks. Apparently its been a tradition since 1933 to march a group of ducks from their rooftop “Royal Duck Palace” to the fountain in the lobby by way of red carpet. The “Duck Master” brings them in at 11:00 and then leads them back upstairs at 5:00 everyday. To see more about the ducks click here: http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody_ducks/index.cfm It was fun to watch and yes, they were duckling.

After the ducks we headed over to Beale Street to check out the sights. We popped into a few stores, including A. Schwab - a quirky place that sells everything from voo doo accessories to quirky hats to XXXXL overalls. There are many eateries on Beale St, and we landed on Miss Polly’s Soul City Cafe for lunch where I dined on a delicious fried green tomato BLT. Following our lunch, we went to the Civil Rights Museum. It was incredible. The amount of information packed into this place is a bit overwhelming, but I have a particular interest in Civil Rights history, so I soaked it all up. I think we were there for four hours and could have stayed longer just to read through all of the material. Included in the museum (in fact, its built right into it) is the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. It was a very powerful experience to walk by the hotel room where he was staying (they had it staged to look exactly as it did that day) and look onto the balcony to the place where his life was taken. Naturally, the museum emphasized MLK Jr’s role in the civil rights movement, but I was impressed at how comprehensive the material was, from the early beginnings of America, to present day. The museum was definitely one of my favorite things about Memphis. http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/permexhibits.htm

The next day in Memphis was equally packed with Memphis goodness. The day began with a tour of Sun Studio, the “birthplace of rock n roll.” This is where Elvis got his start, and other musicians recorded, such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, BB King, and Carl Perkins. There were several interesting artifacts they had there, including the guitar and jacket Elvis wore when he made his television debut, as well as lots of great photos of many of the early musicians that recorded at Sun Studio. When we went into the actual recording part of the studio, our guide mentioned that the walls, floors, ceilings - were all original to the building - nothing has been changed. The studio itself isn’t very visually impressive or anything spectacular, but…it still was pretty cool to stand where some of the aforementioned artists recorded their music. At the end of the tour, we were allowed to pose with one of the original (of 5) microphones that these musicians undoubtedly used.

After our time of stardom, Guy surprised me by taking me to another fabulous meal of soul food deliciousness at Fourway Restaurant. I had the best fried chicken served with greens, yams, cornbread and sweet tea. And we really toned it down from the BBQ place because we SHARED a dessert this time - lemon meringue pie. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Since never of us were too keen on going to Graceland (not to mention the hefty price of $25 per person just to get in), we decided to just drive by it, take a few pics from afar, and move along.

Later that night, we decided to head back to Beale Street, for a taste of the nightlife. We thought about heading to a club to see a local band play some live blues, but decided just to take in the sights (plus we could kind of hear the music from the streets for free anyways). It was a fun, lively vibe, and since alcoholic beverages are allowed on the streets, lots of people were outside. After enjoying a beverage each, we called it a night - the wild partiers that we are!

One final stop we made before heading out of Memphis was stop at the Juneteenth celebration to see a few acts perform and grab a quick bite. Due to the extreme heat (little did I know that would be nothing compared to what we have since encountered) it was a rather quick encounter, but glad we stopped.

By the way…are you wondering what we’re doing in Memphis after Niagara Falls? Hmmm. Well, let’s just say that we had a bit of “falling out” that led us quietly back to Minnesota for a short period, where we re-evaluated things and decided to give it another go - this time towards the south. As wonderful as our travels have been, life on the road certainly isn’t always easy! So, I’ll leave it at that, and hope to have many more stories to come. :)

niagara falls

After we left the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota, we stopped in Minneapolis for a brief visit with family and friends. It was a bit abrupt and strange to be home, especially since we weren’t planning on it and stayed such a short time. It was really wonderful to see everyone, as brief as it was. From there, we decided to head to Niagara Falls, by way of Canada. We were quite underwhelmed by what we saw on our drive through Canada. I was really hoping for some beautiful scenery, but instead what we saw consisted almost exclusively of pine trees and concrete. I’m certain there are a lot of stunning places in Canada, but we unfortunately didn’t get to see any. After camping one night we made it to Niagara Falls the following evening. I had read somewhere that the falls were lit up at night, so we decided to check it out. I really enjoyed it, probably more than when we looked at them again the next day in the light. It was a very magical, mystical, almost eerie feeling as we walked along the dark paths looking at the rushing waters in the changing colored lights. It went from misty to sprinkling, to full on drenching rains as we wandered around…an unforgettable experience.

The next day we visited the falls again, this time with full sunlight. We started out on the U.S. side, then headed down to take the “Maid of the Mist” boat tour. The ride was definitely worth it, since it brings you right to the foot of the falls, complete with wildly rocking boat, water splashing in your face, and most importantly, the beautiful blue poncho that all passengers don. After our tour, we ventured to the Canada side of the falls, which had a much better view. Also on the Canada side was a whole sub “city” that I would quite frankly like to block out of my memory. It is quite possibly every pre-teen’s dream (and there were plenty of them present there) and the equivalent of a giant fun house, with blaring music coming from every building, wax museums and cheesy tourist gift shops. I told Guy I didn’t want to take any photos there because I didn’t want to remember anything!

Overall, Niagara Falls was a fascinating site, and would definitely recommend seeing it from a different vantage point, especially at night.

standing rock

South Dakota, Part 2:

When it came time to head to McLaughlin, SD to do our volunteer stint, I was beyond ready to get there. Since both of our computer’s batteries were dead and we had no access to the Natural Law Institute’s (the place we were volunteering at) phone number or address, we asked some people in town where Robert White Mountain (the Institute's leader) lived. The city is so small, the kids we asked knew right away where he lived. We had no idea what to expect of the facilities we would be residing in or what type of activities we would be doing as part of our volunteering. As we drove through town we spotted the red house on the corner the kid described to us. When we knocked on the door, a friendly woman named Beth answered the door and asked if we were Guy and Heidi. She welcomed us in, and shortly thereafter Robert came home.

The afternoon was spent with Robert telling us what the reservation was like, some Native American history, and allowed us to get to know one another. I think every American is aware of the fact that over a century ago Native Americans were stripped of their land and either killed or forced onto tiny Indian reservations. And most people are also aware of the poverty and less than desirable living conditions that presently exist on those very reservations. But it certainly was eye-opening to learn more about and be surrounded by these depressing circumstances. Robert shared with us that in the year 2009, there were an astonishing 21 suicides in 24 days. Or was it 24 suicides in 21 days? Either way, the suicide rate is off the charts on the reservation and was referred to as the suicide capital of the U.S., second only to the rate in Japan. 85% of the residents are unemployed, and 90% are alcoholics. 100% of the people are certainly affected by alcoholism. There are high rates of crime and poverty, and many young people are involved in gangs. As one might imagine, there is a general atmosphere of hopelessness and despair. After listening to all of these disheartening facts, I certainly felt that way as well.

In telling us about Native history, Robert brought up the fact that Native Americans culture included following, respecting, and gaining life through the buffalo. When the white man came to live in America, buffalo were over-hunted and reduced from millions to about 1,000. Coupled with the fact that Native Americans were held captive, no longer allowed to roam and follow the herds to hunt them (in a manner than never exploited the buffalo), their way of life was suffocated, and both the Natives and the buffalo suffered. The beautiful balance had been destroyed, and Native Americans literally starved, and were forced into a restricted and cruel life on what was, and still is, a concentration camp. Robert referred to his city as “Bear Soldier.” It is technically the town of “McLaughlin,” named after the man who killed Sitting Bull, a great Lakota leader. How sick is it that these Native Americans have to reside in a city named after the man who killed their revered leader? Not only that, but there is an “Indian curfew” siren - originally put in place decades ago, letting folks know that any Indian still on the street after that point could be “fairly” shot. It still sounds every night. It made my stomach churn listening to it. Really, it felt like a concentration camp. How is it possible that this still exists today? How can people think that racism still doesn’t exist today? But then I think back home to North Minneapolis, and remember that the ghettos across the country are all living this same terrible reality.

It was fascinating to listen to Robert talk about his culture, Lakota history, traditions and leaders. What a beautiful way of life the Lakota people had, before it was destroyed. Well, almost destroyed. It seems as though Robert and his wife have really taken it upon themselves to turn things around…not just for their city, but their reservation, their tribe and the world. They started the Natural Law Institute as a place for people to learn about Native history, culture, and traditions. A place for people to come to feel safe, connected and positive about their future. They bought their house a few years ago for $7,000, in hopes of one day using the entire building as their community center. Until then, they use it as both a gathering place and their home where they live with each other, their one year old baby Cante, Robert’s adult son, and daughter with four small children. The extended family took a few days to really warm up to me and Guy, but once they did they were all as warm and affectionate as could be. Cante was adorable and already adopting his culture; any time mom or dad put on Native music he would grab hold of anything near to him, and “dance” by stomping his right foot up and down.

Back to the Institute…they currently have an internet station for anyone who wants to drop by and use a computer, beading classes, their own personal library for people to use, a sweat lodge, a recording studio for community members to use, a large orchard with fruit trees, a community garden, and a large organic garden for use by their family, as well as for community feeds (and as a general example of sustainable living). They hope to expand their services to creating earth homes - inexpensive housing made with dirt and sticks that is supposed to be warm in the winter, cool in the summer. They dream of having the orchard grow into a bigger sanctuary, as well as their own garden; “places people can come to heal” Robert says. Beth also plans on a place with horses, where kids can learn to ride and care for their own animals. They are just oozing with dreams and positivity the entire time we are there. In fact, they have gained the attention of human and animal rights activist Jane Goodall, who has offered her support in various ways to the Standing Rock Reservation. Robert is a strong believer in the power of his Lakota heritage, including the use spiritual ceremonies. He also is diligent in his writing, and wants to spread the word to world about stopping the “Indian Wars.” I am in awe of Robert and Beth’s very real, very natural optimism, and find it infectious. How can people living in this environment feel this hope and have such incredible vision? Robert says he is not an activist. I don’t care what he wants to call himself, he is an incredible person and leader. For more on The Natural Law Institute, visit http://www.thenaturallawinstitute.com/

So, beyond the beautiful vision that Robert shared with us during our visit, we were able to participate in some practical things to help out (which really didn’t amount to much, but we hope we at least put a dent in their “to do” list). We were asked if we’ve done a lot of gardening when we arrived, which of course we’ve done NONE of, but said we were happy to learn! We did quite a bit of weeding, and some planting of vegetables in their garden, and got their sweat lodge cleaned up for a new season. Another young man, Orion, arrived while were there (he’s staying for the entire summer), who was quite the gardening expert, and helped guide us with planting.

During our final day at Robert and Beth’s, Robert planned on taking us on a trip to the Grand River, for a special “project.“ One of the that they want to do is make clothes from animal skins for their son, and hope to make and sell clothes in the future (they hope to celebrities!). Last fall, they put out a sign asking for people to donate their deer hides in hopes that they’d get a few. They ended up getting about 25. Robert explained to us that the old tradition of preparing hides to make clothes includes soaking them in the river so that the hair falls off and the fish eat any membranes or fat remaining on the hide. Do you see where I’m going with this story? Well, we agreed to participate in this process in any way that we could, and said we were here to help.

Robert led us into the back of the yard, past “Dirty White Boy” (their dog), to the place that the hides had been residing since LAST FALL. He mentioned that they had salted the hides in attempts to preserve them, but honestly didn’t know what condition they’d be in since they’d be in plastic garbage bags all winter and thawed out this spring (not to mention it was now the end of May). As we approached the large mound, a terrible odor permeated the air, and I saw swarms of flies hovering over the garbage bags of which I did not want to know the contents thereof. Guy and I exchanged nervous glances and began hauling the bags over to the family’s mini-van. As Orion and I stood next to each other waiting for our next instructions, I noticed him staring at the ground with a disgusted look. As I followed his gaze, I discovered, to my horror, what he was looking at. Maggots. This was distinctly what I had been fearing. A clump of maggots sat on the sidewalk, taunting me, leaving me to wonder how many more there would be when we opened the many bags of deer hides. As we were loading the bags into their mini-van, I noticed Guy popping in and out of our own van, where he was frequently applying sanitizer to his hands. I laughed. When all of the hide bags were finally loaded into the vehicle, we covered them with a tarp, baby Chante was tucked into the back seat, and we were off. I can only imagine the smell in that van.

When we arrived at the Grand River, Robert told us that we should collect some strong sticks in order to create stakes to which we would attach rope to hold the hides. After we got a good pile of branches, Orion began sharpening the ends so they could be driven into the ground. Guy grabbed some of the sticks to hammer them along the river bank. And that left me to…well, assist with the hides, I guess. I couldn’t very well just stand there and do nothing! So I stood alongside of Robert and told him to instruct me what to do. Of course I was terrified as I took the first hide out of the bag, fearing the large clump of maggots I saw earlier, picturing them falling on my lap. Fortunately, this hide was maggot-free. “You take the thickest part of the hide where there is a lot of fat left - the neck - and make a small cut through it.” Fat? Neck? Cut? Sure, I can do this, I thought, I just can’t think about what I’m doing. So after struggling to make the cut (yes, it WAS thick, and not as easy as it sounds), Robert then showed me how to tie the rope to the hide and to the stake and toss it into the river. And there you have it. I did it! As we went along the river, we were running low on rope, and decided to string three hides together at a time. It was also becoming increasingly difficult to climb up and down the river, so the boys were just dropping the hides down to me to tie up. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the opportunity to throw deer hides in the river, but let me tell you if you haven’t had the pleasure: trying to throw three deer hides in one few swoop is no easy task. In fact, they’re pretty heavy. As I tried to swing them back and forth to gain enough momentum to propel them into the water, they were flapping against my entire body repeatedly, leaving chunks of hair on my clothes. Needless to say, I smelled like rotting deer hides for awhile.

I definitely found some humor in the fact that neither of the boys so much as touched a hide during this experience (no Guy, holding them by a rope to lower them down to me does not count as “touching"), but I think Robert found even more humor in it and referred to me as being like one of the old fur trappers...or something like that.

Since we left shortly after our deer hide encounter, I don’t know what ended up happening to the hides. Did they float away? Are they hairless and fat-free? Will they be used to clothe Suri Cruise? We will have to check in with Robert and Beth to see what the current status is, but regardless of the outcome it was certainly an unforgettable experience for me!

All in all, the time we spent at the Standing Rock Reservation has definitely been the most meaningful for me. I really enjoyed learning everything we did, and wished we had more time there. I hope to visit there again some day soon.

south dakota

For the first part of our stay in South Dakota, we did the typical tourist-y type things. The first night was spent at the Black Hills National Forest, followed by a day of full of attractions. First we went to the town of Deadwood - where gunslingers Wild Bill and Calamity Jane had a short stay during the Gold Rush in the late 1800’s. The town has capitalized on that to the nth degree, where every casino, bar and gift shop either has “Wild Bill” or “Gold” in the title. I’m sure the town is a little more lively in the summer, when they do re-enactments of Wild Bill’s murder. We went into one museum focusing on some of the Wild West history, and went on our way.

Next we made a stop at Wind Cave National Park, where we were able to join the last tour of the day. The cave’s only natural entrance has huge gusts of wind rushing in and out due to the changes in the pressure outside of the cave, and the day we were there it acted as a natural air conditioner. The cave tour was very interesting, and its known for its “boxwork” which looks like honeycomb lattice covering the walls of the cave.

After the cave we took a drive to the Crazy Horse Memorial, an unfinished sculpture of the Native American warrior Crazy Horse, known for his refusal to sign treaties or live on government ordained reservations. This grand work of art was started decades ago, and still has a long way to go until it is finished, but it was fascinating to see, even from a distance (we didn’t want to pay the steep entrance costs!). Upon completion, it will be the world’s largest sculpture (all four heads of Mount Rushmore could fit in Crazy Horse’s face). Speaking of those famous heads, our last stop of the day was Mount Rushmore National Memorial. I had visited this memorial for the first time when I was seven years old, and it was raining - causing the faces to look as though they were crying. As we walked towards the memorial, it immediately started raining - just like stepping back in time! Although it was neat to see the sculpture, I think Guy and I had more fun taking “creative” photos; one to make him look as though he were another president, and one of me puckering up to George.

The next day brought back more memories for me as we headed towards Wall Drug. This place is so hilariously kitschy, and definitely unforgettable. Though it had been 24 years since I was last there, the same oversized jackalope (as well as several statues) was there for posing and photographing. For those who haven’t been there, this is the essence of Wall Drug - to pose by these hilarious props and take pictures. There are also gift shops, lots of historical photographs, as well as the free ice water (that’s what got this place on the map during a time that ice was a luxury), and the unbelievable deal of 5 cent coffee! The same trip that brought me to Mount Rushmore when I was seven also included a stop at Wall Drug, as well as the Badlands. And when I think about the times the van seems a little small for two, I imagine the four members of my family crowded in a vehicle of the same size and wonder how in the world my parents tolerated it!

The Badlands were even more beautiful than I remembered. While they resemble other colorful rock formations we’ve seen at other national parks, I love the softness and give these rocks have when you walk on them - almost like a cushioning effect. We took a scenic drive through the park and hiked on a small trail through the rocks themselves. Our final stop for the day was at the Minuteman Missile silo launch site. For several decades, the Great Plains stored thousands of gigantic missiles headed at the U.S.S.R., in order to detract them from shooting their missiles at us. It was a bit eerie when Guy and I went to the launch site where no one was around for miles, knowing that had we been at this exact site years ago, we would have been in BIG trouble (as the sign warned “deadly force” could be used against us).

At this point of the trip, we were supposed to be heading to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, where we were planning on volunteering with an organization called “The Natural Law Institute.” When Guy checked his email for the address and directions, he got a message from the leader saying his mother died, and he would need us to wait several days before we could come over. We were sorry to hear of his loss, and decided we would wait in South Dakota a few days rather than skip over this part of our trip. Unfortunately, we were in the dowdy town of Pierre for a few nights, which doesn’t have much to offer, but went to the city of Mobridge to camp by the Missouri River for a few days (which was much more pleasant).

The second half of our South Dakota visit will be up next…soon.

wyoming

Wyoming is a beautiful state. I have enjoyed both Montana and Wyoming due to the fact that we can constantly see horses and cows and buffalo right from the freeway. It helps keep me smiling along the drive.

From Montana we journeyed to beautiful Yellowstone National Park, one of the most (if not THE most) visited parks in the U.S. When we entered the park, it was snowing so hard we couldn’t see any of the landscape. I was a bit nervous we wouldn't be able to see anything through the entire park!  Luckily things cleared up shortly thereafter. The scenery was the most beautiful by the Yosemite Lake, since the western half still suffered loss from a huge fire in 1988. My favorite part of this park was definitely the animals, since we were able to see and get remarkably close to deer and bison. The shooting geysers, steaming hot springs, and bubbling pots of multi-colored mud that looked like something out of a science-fiction movie were also fun to see. We decided to check out Old Faithful, to see if it was worth all of the fuss. The most amusing part of Old Faithful was the huge crowd that gathered around to watch with cameras poised and ready to go. It was neat to see, but I thought a bit overrated and definitely wasn’t as interesting as a lot of other things we saw.  Here are a few of my favorite pics from Yellowstone:

We traveled to Cody, Wyoming that night to stay with our second “couch surfing” host Pat. She put us up in her R.V. with a space heater (lows in the upper 30’s that night). We found out that Pat had been a backpacker for 22 years, and recently lost her husband to cancer. She was a very interesting woman and I’m sure has more stories than I’ll ever have in my lifetime. As was the case with our other couch surfing host, Pat was a great host, and I just can’t get over the fact that people are willing to put complete strangers up for free in their homes on an ongoing basis. We have certainly experienced a lot of generosity from many people along our journey, and I am very touched and grateful to them all  (Read Guy's blog for more about Pat: http://choosingmyownadventures.blogspot.com/2010/05/latest-from-haitivia-wyoming.html)

The next morning we had a chance to pet Pat’s three horses (pure bliss for me), and then head across the state of Wyoming for a long day of driving. The only other point of interest along the way in Wyoming was our stop at Devil’s Tower…a big ol’ rock jutting almost 1300 feet into the air, named the first national monument in 1906, and a sacred site of Native Americans.

montana

Oh Montana. The site of some wonderful, good days. Its also the setting for one of the most somber days I’ve had thus far.

Sitting in Seattle, we decided to skip staying the extra day, skip Vancouver, and drive through the entire state of Washington. We ended up driving through Idaho, and ended the day (a very long one at that) just at the Montana western border. The next day was day #2 of making and changing plans. We were going to spend a few days going up to Glacier National Park and back, but luckily received a phone call from my uncle Jim letting us know that the weather was treacherous and dipping down to 14 degrees at night. Definitely NOT suitable for camping! So we decided to switch our route to head straight to Darby, Montana, to visit my uncle Jim and aunt Mary (the ones we stayed with back in Tuscon, Arizona).

Jim and Mary have a lovely resort called Traveller’s Rest where we were treated to one of their cute cabins. Of course we loved the chance to see them again and spend more time together. It was also a wonderful time to slow down a bit from our somewhat frantic pace. One of the days we went for a bit of a bike excursion. Mary showed us around their charming town before we headed out for the bigger portion of the ride. Now, when I was much younger, I LIVED on my bike. But since then, many years have passed. My aunt and uncle are pretty much Lance Armstrong level, and Guy of course is obsessed with biking and commutes regularly to work, so I was a bit tentative in joining the athletic trio. I obviously survived the journey, and think I did ok, (although I definitely “discovered” some muscles I had forgotten about a long time ago), and it really was a beautiful place for a ride, complete with a rushing stream, forests and mountains. Besides the ride, we enjoyed some delicious meals with Jim and Mary, got trained in on the game Skip Bo (which I will be purchasing when we complete this trip), petted their cat Misty, and had some good laughs.

During our time in Darby, we took a daytrip to Missoula, home of the University of Montana. Why go there? Guy’s great-grandfather, Rollin H. McKay, has several thousand photos housed at their library. It was a very neat experience to look through books full of photos that he took of Native Americans, cowboys, some family members, and local landmarks and landscapes, such as the Bitterroot Valley.

__________

Saturday was a sad day. Even the weather knew it.

On our way driving to Bozeman, we decided to stop at Big Hole National Battlefield. Over a century ago the Nez Perce were camping on this field when they got attacked and 90 of their members were killed. It was yet another sad example of Native Americans being pushed out of their land and forced either into reservations or death. Big Hole National Battlefield was created to honor all who were there. As we went to take a walk on the path leading out to the sacred land, it started snowing. We could hear a few Native American men down on the field singing, which was very neat. When we actually arrived at the field with several framed tee pees, the wind picked up and snow fell heavily on us. Although it was a somber experience, I’m so glad we went.

We continued on towards Bozeman; where Guy’s parent’s previously lived, where he had lived with his niece for a few months, and where his sister and her husband currently live. Just over two years ago, Guy’s parent’s tragically died here in a car accident, along with his nephew. He had not been back to the city since that time. I had never been to Bozeman, and more importantly, never met his parents. I think we both felt a bit nervous and full of emotion as we drove into town that evening. Guy drove me by his parent’s old house, and then to the site of the accident. I can’t really put into words what I was feeling as we came upon that site, but it was powerful. The next morning we went to the church where Mr. & Mrs. Still attended. I had no idea what to expect. The pastor and his wife played a big part in the lives of Guy’s parents, and then later with the family in dealing with their loss. They both recognized Guy immediately and were excited and surprised to see him. They were warm, wonderful people with a great spirit about them. The service itself was really beautiful, inviting and incredibly touching. There were a lot of tears throughout the small congregation during the service, Guy and myself included. Without trying to sound cliché or contrived, it felt like we were supposed to be there at that very time. I feel like this was the closest I would get to meeting Guy‘s parents, and it really felt like their spirits were present that day. It was an emotional but very special experience for me.

__________

So...there is no easy transition from such a heavy topic...I won't even try. 

After church we met Guy’s sister Mary and her husband Shatan for lunch at The Soup Garage, a place that Guy enjoyed when he lived in Bozeman. They had excellent soup or which you ordered from their very own “soup nazi” (he really was pretty stern, too). It was fun to have four Minneapolis “Northsiders” all together in the middle of Montana. Later Mary joined us for a swim at the Bozeman Hot Springs. None of us had ever been to a hot springs before, so it was a new experience for all of us. They had nine pools, plus a sauna and a “rainforest room” that was basically an incredibly hot steam room (and what I imagine hell to feel like). We went around testing everything, seeing what temperatures we could bear. Guy was happy as a clam going into the tortuously hot sauna, while Mary and I were much more content in the “medium” temps. I got the gumption to dive into the hottest pool (if Guy could do it, why couldn’t I?), till I could no longer stand it, promptly dunking into the ice cold waters of the neighboring pool. As I stood there looking at Guy, I noticed that the room started shifting back and forth, and realized I needed to get out of the water NOW. As I sat on the side of the pool, everything started going black, and told Guy, “I think I’m going to faint.” Well luckily I didn’t end up unconscious, but realized at that point what I did was incredibly stupid, due to some past experiences I’ve had with heat and fainting that I had apparently blocked out of my memory. Despite that experience, the hot springs were a lot of fun, and glad we got to share it with Mary.

Montana was a beautiful state, full of meaningful experiences.

pacific northwest

I have to admit what I had read about Portland before we arrived didn’t excite me terribly. When we drove into the city on Friday, I was forced to re-evaluated my poorly informed opinion. Since Portland is proclaimed the micro-brewery capital of the U.S., we decided to have lunch at a corner bar enjoying one of the local brews. I had been eyeing folks coming in and out of the gelato shop right next door and knew I had to have some. Afterwards we went to one of the best thrift stores I’ve ever been to - the Buffalo Exchange, (located across from a well-known-gigantic-block-wide bookstore) where I proceeded to haul an armload of ridiculously cheap dresses into the dressing room. It was hard to choose just one, and it was fortunate I had a time limit, because I spent every last second there before leaving with my purchase. I thought the city was charming, and definitely could’ve spent more time there then we did.

That night we camped very close to Mt. St. Helen’s, where we decided to spend the day on Saturday. What we hadn’t realized before we arrived was that we were visiting the mount on the 30th anniversary of the “big explosion” weekend. The sites we normally would have had access to through our national parks pass we ended up having to pay for, so didn’t end up seeing everything we hoped to see. Despite that, I was blown away by our beautiful surroundings. Although 30 years is a significant amount of time, biologically it isn’t a huge amount of time. And while you could definitely see the damage the eruption caused years ago, it was beautiful to see all of the new growth still making its way through. There were even a few lakes created by the erupting volcano. I was a bit surprised to feel so touched as we drove around, thinking about how even after destruction occurs, life always prevails.

Saturday evening we pulled into a rest stop just outside of Seattle. Even in the short amount of time we’ve been on this trip, its interesting to see the variety in the quality of rest stops from city to city and state to state. In Texas, there was free wi-fi and beautiful restrooms with automatic everything. In Seattle, there were crowded dirty bathrooms with just the basics. We also took note of the number of what we determined to be homeless people, parking there cars there for the night before heading out the next morning.

The next morning we headed straight to Pike Place Market in Seattle. I would like to spend every day of my life here. One of our first stops in the market was Pike Place Fish - the “famous” seafood shop where the workers toss fish to one another. It was certainly amusing, and the employees looked far happier than any I’ve ever seen. We passed through aisles of fresh produce, huge displays of flowers, and several stores and eateries. Since we were in Seattle, I had to buy my cliché cup of coffee (I passed on the original Starbucks- figured they were getting plenty of money already). For lunch we ate at this delicious place called Piroshky Piroshky for some delicious Russian delicacies. We were also fortunate to be at the market during a cheese festival, and thus stuffed our faces with plenty of it. We encountered several street performers - far more than any city we’ve visited thus far. Some were pretty pathetic, others quite entertaining. One man in particular caught our attention…the Cat Whisperer. He donned a furry cat hat complete with ears, a mini booth (think Lucy from Peanuts), and was giving out advice for cats while accepting donations for his cat sanctuary. He even brought one of his own cats along, who was surprisingly docile. While the Cat Whisperer was a little crazy, he captured my heart, as did Seattle.