Catch Up with the Kids

7/14

Today (7/14), I ate breakfast in Ohio, lunch in Indiana and dinner in Iowa.  After waking up at 8, swimming in Lake Erie was first on the agenda.  The whole family took a very hot, long and uncomfortable, yet very scenic trail to the shore of the Great Lake.  Everyone enjoyed the surprisingly warm and shallow water until it was discovered the bacteria levels in the lake exceeded state standards and children were not advised to swim, oops, apparently we had missed the large warning sign.  Luckily an inland lake was a short walk away and since no one has become sick yet our first stop on our trip was a success. 

Lunch in Indiana was at Lake Michigan, a colder version of Lake Erie and much more packed but sand dunes surrounding the area gave it a very cool and unlike Maine appearance.  I am continuously shocked at the size of the Great lakes having seen three of them and can find no indications that they are not as vast and wide as any ocean. 

Dinner was at Granite City Bar and Grille in Davenport, Iowa.  It was very good and I was glad to sit down and eat comfortably.  Of course right after dinner we pulled into a different section of the parking lot and proceeded to brush our teeth, wash our faces and change our clothes.  Any passerby would have had the perfectly rational notion that we were living out of our car and in a sense for the next thirty or so days we practically are.  Instead of stopping at any random campground like planned, we decided to drive through the night to enjoy a full day at the badlands the next day.  It was a really great day and first of, hopefully, many more to come.

7/15

I offered to be a part of the driving rotation for the night, or at least the first two hours but my repeated requests were shut down.  Sleeping in the car was an experience everyone should have just for the sake of being able to say you did it.  I have to give it to my parents though, driving from 8 P.M to 8 A.M is no easy feat and my dad claims he only nodded off once, impressive huh.  We arrived at a viewpoint at the beginning of the badlands in South Dakota after I missed almost all of the Great Plains due to being asleep but I did manage to be awake while crossing the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

The Viewpoint was the origin of two small trails, the first of many weaving in and out of the famed Badlands , originally the home of the Lakota Native Tribe and Crazy Horse and later a hideout for old western criminals escaping the authorities, in the present day though it is a popular tourist attraction.  Finn and I had a lot of fun climbing all over the eroding, towering and beautiful rock formations.  With the rock crumbling beneath our hands and feet and a thirst for adventure we clamored all over the pink, red and grey behemoths.  When we finally had reached our limit height wise we climbed down to a small platform overlooking a sheer cliff face.  The risk was worth it though as below us was a breathtaking view filled with seemingly endless mountains and ridges. 

The rest of our day was filled with hikes, drives and a stop at possibly the world’s most famous drugstore.  Three more hikes led me to the conclusion that nothing I will see will surpass what I saw today at the badlands, the formations never ceased to surprise and amaze me.  The wildlife we saw was also incredible as we saw multiple bighorn sheep, seemingly thousands of prairie dogs and most impressive a herd of bison crossed the dirt road in front of us.  On a side note I would like to say hello to my girlfriend, Laurine.  I don’t think she believed me when I said I would give her a shout out, she’s been a real trooper.  At Wall Drug, which I had never heard of, I experienced the sights and sounds of a tiny town with a major tourist attraction, it was incredible the number of stores that fit into one building and I enjoyed my homemade ice cream and donut immensely.   

The campsite is perfect, not buggy and right in the thick of the Badlands, with easy showers, bathrooms and a water fountain all within a short walk.  Words cannot describe the feeling of sitting out here at 8:30 writing this, staring at a backdrop that looks more like a green screen than reality.  It is my sincere hope that everyone has the pleasure of witnessing something like this in their lifetime. 

Paul’s Portion:

7/14-7/15

Oops is right, I swallowed that bacteria water!  At the Pro Foot ball Hall of Fame, we saw lots of old players and three Saints people, Darren Sproles, Drew Brees and Willie Roaf, I am very happy.  We took lots of pictures and even got to stand on a real football field.  My favorite part of the trip so far is climbing in the Badlands. 

Finn's Portion

7/14-7/15

We drove to the Pro football Hall of Fame.  I enjoyed the Hall of Fame but my favorite part was when we got to play out on the field.   We drove to the campsite at Lake Erie.  Paul, Silas and I went swimming that night and the water was pleasantly warm and the beach was fantastic.  We had a delicious chili dinner but had to flee to our tents to avoid being eaten alive by skeeters.   The next morning we all went to the beach but our stay was shortened by the realization that the water could kill us.  That night we had a delicious dinner in Iowa, I got the Bedda Chedda Bacon Burger.  I had a lot of fun at the Badlands but was greatly surprised by the appearance of the Badlands due to the vague description provided by my parents.  I had lots of fun hiking, climbing and enjoying the scenery and I hope the other National Parks compare to this one. 

There will be more pictures but my battery is dying.  Take care.



Look at those moves!  The NFL is missing this!



Paul, Finn, Silas in preparation for their future induction!

Camp site in Maumee State Park in Ohio