10 Aug 2008

Transcribed very late on the night of August 8th at the Devil’s Tower KOA

So today was supposed to be our day to “relax.” And, in a way, we did. Still, I suggest you sit back and grab some popcorn (or some other yummy snack) because boy! do we have some stories to tell!
1. We started our afternoon driving around the Needles (a nifty rock formation in Custer State Park). And while it was fun to snap shots of bikers and to climb all over the rocks, I found I was taking myself much too seriously. So then we stopped for lunch at a fishing spot. We ate some fudge and got ourselves into a giggling fit. We tossed silly jokes and semi-witty phrases back and forth like two school children as we crossed a creek or two. Suddenly, as we turned a bend in the forest path, two fishermen appeared. I awkwardly offered a “hello” in compensation for disrupting their tranquility. They seemed only slightly perturbed. And then we meandered over to a small waterfall and sat down. Jared read his favorite psalm (88) and the most popular (23) and I read Song of Solomon 1:2. Then, we got to reading our own books. Some time later, I wandered off to take a leak under a tree somewhere in the middle of nowhere. And afterward, I rustled up a whole horde of butterflies, then started to run for the sheer thrill of it—the spontaneous moment.  Eventually, I returned to play the role of Narcissus and to write my grandmother a thank-you card. When we got back to the car, we learned we had been out “there” for over two hours. Unfortunately, that meant we didn’t have time to see Mt. Rushmore, nor did we find any more buffalo. We were hoping to get our car surrounded by the brave beasts.
2. Next, we met some locals in Custer for dinner. They are friends of Dr. Graham, my favorite professor, and wonderful people. We talked about our travels and heard about theirs. They also told us some of the history of South Dakota and of their lives. Jared listened politely. We both ate apple pie for dessert, in memory of Kerouac.
3. Well, we didn’t know exactly what we were doing, but we decided we wanted to drive somewhere because we were excited and full of energy. Following the instructions given us at dinner, we went. We were happily driving along until we came to a point, curving around a bend and up a hill, where the speed limit wasn’t marked and we wondered what it was. We spotted a cop car. “I bet he could tell us,” I said. The car started up and began to follow us. We got pulled over. The state trooper politely asked us if we knew what the speed limit was. “Actually, we were just wondering that.” He told us it had dropped from 45 to 35 just a bit before we had passed him. We thanked him for telling us and gave him what he needed. We also told him a little about our road trip. He returned, thoroughly confused about our three last names—Coleman, Coyle, and Weidman—and asked us if we had any dope. We laughed. He got the idea. He handed us an official warning (which we’ll save as a souvenir) and told us to enjoy Yellowstone.
4. We continued on. Until it got dark, very dark. Well, there was a half moon, but it wasn’t very bright. Jared was talking to his girlfriend and missed the intended road to get to the Spears’ property, so we drove at the mercy of the GPS instead. At a scenic pull-off spot along route 14, we stopped and stared into the nothingness of space. I loved it. Jared was scared to death… mostly of wolves, bears, and other unknown things, like rattlesnakes, a recurring fear of Jared’s. The stars, though… Man, I’ve never seen so many in my life.
5. We continued on. We soon spotted the silhouette of an old, worn away volcano. Stopping at a nearby KOA, we met a guy from West Virginia who had only one arm. He was so cool. He recommended an Indian restaurant called Sitar in Charleston, WV. Sounded like a winner. We then took photos in complete darkness and used the two lights we had to create some totally awesome pictures. We’d say they turned out beautifully. One might even call them gorgeous. We tried out an avant-garde technique called painting, and it was like nothing I’d ever done before.
6. Then, of course, we typed this. And the rest is history.