After emerging from the bowels of the earth in an elevator (yes, they've put an elevator in the cave), I push Southward to Hot Springs, South Dakota. I'm long overdue for some food, so I find a sweet little health food store in town. In case you don't quite grasp the significance of this, finding a health food store in South Dakota when you're hungry is like finding an oasis in a desert when you're thirsty. Granted, I've never been in a grocery store so small (perhaps the size of a large dorm room?) and the fresh produce is limited to a few heads of lettuce and an apple on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Regardless, I feel instantly at home and am even "recognized" by the other shopper (her: you look really familiar. I think you're in a picture with my friend...me: not likely. her: are you a biologist? you look like a biologist.) I'll take that as a compliment, though it may be due to my being very dirty and smelling of cave and campfire. The clerk told me of a sweet camping spot nearby--no more "parking lot" camping for me.
There's still quite a bit of the day left, so I set off to find the Mammoth Site. Story goes, a developer in the 80's was bulldozing this site when he hit a mammoth tusk. Construction was delayed until they could dig it out, but the mammoth remains kept coming. The housing site was scrapped as they realized this was a significant site, and so far, 55 Columbian mammoth remains have been unearthed since then. Apparently it was an ancient sinkhole in which the male mammoths couldn't avoid (yes, all 55 remains are male-haha). They haven't even finished excavating yet, so they just built a huge building around the site (and now charge for admission. smart.)
I know it's completely and totally unfair to mention this, (especially as my mother is a speech therapist!) and I'm not trying to poke fun at anyone, but without the following detail I wouldn't be describing the true experience: Our tour guide had a pretty good lisp. Things came out like "55 Mammothth fell into the thinkhole".
The site had a behind-the-scenes area where you could see the lab where they make casts of the bones they find. But don't be mislead: I am totally lifting a real mammoth femur bone here, duh.
After I was mammothed-out, I set off to find the campsite. It was a bit of a challenge to find, and I ended up on a few miles of super-pothole-y dirt road. But: It paid off. I found a perfect little spot right next to the lake and the only other campers where a little family in an RV (Mom playing soccer with her 2-year old twins, dad fishing and catching sporadic fish which whip kids into frenzy...) It was even gloriously sunny, so I had a nice afternoon reading my book. As night fell, the RV neighbors invited me over for beer and campfire, but I was so tired I had to turn down the tempting offer. (see below: my gorgeous campsite!)
I woke up at midnight confused as to how long I had been sleeping, because it was almost as bright as day. Turns out the full moon was so bright, it was casting shadows all over the campsite. Weird, but not weird enough to keep me up too long. zzzzzzz
Love living the adventure through these posts, great little details (description of produce in the market) as well as the big (I should say mammoth) ones describing the natural wonders of the Rocky Mountain states. Detailth of sthpeech patternth are okay thinth they are not malithiouth. I must say I fall asleep faster at night knowing that you are sleeping at Kris and Steve's and not in your risking freezing and bears.
ReplyDeletelove,mom