Badlands of South Dakota
With Cami heading to Pittsburgh to help with training new CCO campus ministry staff I took off on the road with our van, camper and friend/training partner for the last 12 years, Chris Schubert. The ride was through amazing country and it provided a wonderful start to my renewal leave.
Our first day of driving was slow. There was a 20-25 mph headwind -- and added to the van and camper it made for a whopping 8 miles per gallon. Good thing we weren't yet on the "loneliest road."
Our first overnight was in the badlands. Originally we were going to stay in Interior, SD -- population 52. Cami and I had stayed overnight there once on another trip out west with our kids, and there was a little campground there. On that trip we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church of Interior -- doubling their congregation with our family of five plus niece Haley. This time we were not there on a Sunday, but worship happened anyway. Cami's research informed us that if we preferred, we could "boondock" (park/camp for free) on Bureau of Land Management property on an overlook. We found the spot and were glad that we chose to stay overnight there. We were on the rim of God's creation. The sunset and the sunrise over the badlands were both spectacular and unforgettable. God's handiwork is so apparent there.
We took a bike ride through the badlands the next day. Besides the beauty of the topography, there were some interesting goats on the hillsides. I was pretty sure a "butting" was going to happen, but thankfully not.
