Day 23 - This is Bear Country

Rapid City, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

With no real plan to start the day, we kinda took our time getting going.  That lack of planning was a bit of a backfire though, because we wouldn't reach Sioux Falls until 10:30pm CST - but that doesn't take into account the time zone change, either. Regardless, while in Cody the woman in the room next to us happened to have had a sweet two year old Cane Corso dog named 'Bella'. Conor was obsessed (of course) and would take any chance he could to pet her. As we were packing up Ms. Sylvia and ready to pull out of Cody, she mentioned a place outside of Rapid City called "Bear Country". Even had an old map in her Toyota 4Runner and handed that to Conor. "Thanks for the tip! We'll check it out!" I said as we loaded up and pulled away. Minutes down the road Conor had gone through the whole map given to him by our neighbor and, as far as he was concerned, this was our primary reason for going to the Black Hills and the Badlands.

This place was pretty impressive actually. It turned out to be a drive-thru zoo for regional wildlife. Elk, three different types of wolf (Arctic, Gray, and Timber), two types of Fox (Arctic and Red), three types of deer (White Tail, Mule, and Reindeer), a host of big cats (Mountain Lion, Lynx, and Bobcat), and two types of Bear (Black and Brown / Grizzly). And that was just the driving portion of the zoo. At the end you were able to exit your vehicle and walk around a number of enclosures of other animals, including a number of cubs and pups, too. Badgers, Porcupines, Beavers, Lynx kits, Coyotes, and more... But the Bear cubs...

Rounding out the tour as we were being funneled into the gift shop bore the opportunity to see all these young animals. That certainly did not disappoint. I must say, while my impulse control is (hopefully) much better than Conor's, he's not the only animal lover in the family. My whole life, as a child and through adulthood, I've had pets. Dogs, cats, my brother's ferret, a gigantic Red-Tail Boa Constrictor, several fish, and even an African side-neck turtle aptly named, Tank. I'm a sucker for an animal, but I'm a puddle for a babe. Because these animals are born in captivity, and because the habitats provided are intended to be wild in appearance but still constrictive in nature, the kits and cubs are raised apart from the adult animals for their own protection. And that would mean an entire enclosure filled with bear cubs.

I'm a rule follower for the most part. I tend not to deviate from the path, if for nothing else to avoid the hassle of having to answer for the transgression, whatever it may be. With that in mind, it took all my willpower to not jump in the bear cub enclosure, lay down on the ground, and start throwing around baby bears in what would be the World's greatest cage match. 

Okay, a fair bit of hyperbole there. First things first, I'm nearly 50 years old so I'm not "jumping down" into anything. But the point is made - Conor comes by his love of animals honestly. His old man is a total sucker for a fur-ball and coming across an enclosure full of bear cubs absolutely made our day.

Leaving Bear Country the plan was to make it to the World Famous town of Wall Drug, SD before entering the Badlands National Park. 

If you ever find yourself in South Dakota, a necessary stop is the town of Wall Drug. The town itself resembles the old boardwalk laden cow towns of the 19th century, but with all the modern amenities imaginable. In fact, the whole town is like one gigantic gift shop. Wall Drug is situated near the center of the State and became famous because in the 1800s and early 1900s it was the only point near the Badlands where riders and travelers could get a glass of ice water. That's right - the town of Wall Drug was founded on ice water! Capitalizing on its reputation, Wall Drug was built up over time to attract tourists and travelers alike. Now the town is a representation of all things South Dakota. Native American history, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, cowboys, and bison (there are tee-shirts and bumper stickers everywhere that read, "Don't Pet the Fluffy Cows", which is subsequently Conor's newest favorite expression.) It's a spectacle if nothing else, and certainly worth an hour of your time.

Wall Drug is just a few miles North of the entrance to the Badlands National Park. Given I've been through South Dakota several times on work trips, I've passed by this entrance twice before but until now, I've not taken the drive. After our cruise through the Badlands yesterday, assuredly, I will again.

The Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway is about 30 miles and can easily be done whether you're travelling Interstate 90 from the East or the West; it's a semi-circle loop with an entrance and an exit on either side, both sides interchanging with I-90. No matter which side you come in on, you begin the drive at a higher elevation and then gradually descend to the valley floor. It's both scenic and serene, especially as you consider the vastness of the Badlands. Looking out from any plateau to the West provides a visual experience to a seemingly endless horizon. Soft rolling grassy green hills to one side and deep canyon walls with sharp and treacherous edges on the other, it's a place where Earth and sky come together to form a void. There's a vastness to it that's unexplainable. From your vantage point in your air-conditioned vehicle, you have nothing to fear. Though were you to attempt to cross this chasm on your own without the help of a vehicle, a horse, or a mule, you would surely perish. It's a stark contrast, and in my opinion one of the better sites we've seen along the way. Certainly worth the time.

While the Badlands were absolutely worth the time, time would be a factor on this day. I mentioned at the start of this entry that we kind of took our time getting going this morning... Well, after Bear Country, Wall Drug, and a drive through the Badlands, it was nearly 5pm MST, and we still had about 300 miles to go to get to Sioux Falls. After stopping for dinner at a roadside restaurant attraction called "Al's Oasis", it was 8pm (now on Central Time) and we had two hours yet to travel. Before pulling back onto the Interstate I decided to top of the tank in the truck. I have no idea what happened or how, but when I stepped out of the truck I heard and felt something in my left ankle go "POP!". It almost felt like a cracked knuckle, and certainly didn't hurt but I felt a tightness in it. Muscle fatigue from the road I thought.

We powered through to Sioux Falls, pulling into the hotel parking lot shortly after 10pm CST. When I stepped out of the truck, I could hardly walk. My ankle had swelled up on the ride and I never really noticed, just kind of feeling that tightness but not realizing the swelling. I took a moment to loosen up and stretch, pull our bags out of the truck and make our way toward the hotel check in. Conor could see that I had a bit of a limp and inquired as to why. "Phantom injury", I said. "Nothing to worry about." He shrugged it off and we kept going. By the time we got to the room the ankle was fat and causing a great deal of pain. I must have given some audible queue because as I sat down and put my feet up Conor came over straight away. "Is it your ankle, Dad?" he asked. "Yeah Bud, I have no idea what I did - it just kinda popped and now it's all fat." Both feet were up and you could clearly see the swelling and discoloration beginning to show. I said, "I'll be okay, I just need to keep my feet up for a bit and take some Advil." Well, Conor went to work like he was triaging a deep wound. "No Dad, you need ice. I'm gonna go and get you ice." he said and started putting on his shoes. I told him to not bother and to just let me rest a bit but he was insistent. "No, I'm going to get a bag of ice. I'll be back in a second." and the door slammed behind him. It was 10:30pm at night, mind you. A few moments later Conor came back with the ice and he was working with a sort of urgency. I believe this was a chance for him to show me that it's not just me taking care of him, but that he can be there for me, also. 

I have to say, I was impressed. I'd never seen this behavior from him. But then I considered his life. For years Conor has seen me as both a parent to him and a caregiver to Sara. He's witnessed me providing care to someone I love, often times daily, and right up and to the moment of Sara's passing as we both stood by holding her hands... There was a profound sense of relief in this for me - seeing this young boy respond in this way. Once again, Conor's endless empathy was on display, though so was his sense of urgency as well as his problem solving skills. Weird to say, but there was a kind of divinity in that fat ankle because of what it showed me. And once more it was another notable mark on the Healing Road. With each mile we grow closer to home, I know in my heart we're gonna be okay.

Today is a grind day. We're pushing hard through Minnesota into Wisconsin on our way to Chicago. Unless something remarkable takes place, I'll not be entering a blog post for this day. I don't suspect I'll have much to say other than, "We pushed 80 MPH for 8 hours through one billion splattered bugs." But tomorrow we're on the final stop of our tour - The Chicago Field Museum. Assuredly we'll have a thing or two to say after that visit.

Into overdrive we go...