The Chinese Lady at Church

So, the weekend doesn't count for vacation days in my rule book, but we had a special weekend 4-5 August. We got to visit FAMILY! On the way to their house, we did take in a fourth cave on our great midwestern adventure--Crystal Lake Cave in Iowa. BEAUTIFUL. Slightly cheezy tour guide, but the formations speak for themselves. The bat flying around repeatedly making passes over our head may have been a little rabid, but the cave was amazing. And then we got to Bettendorf where my sister lives with her husband and two boys.

The boys weren't there when we arrived, but their parents graciously fed us lunch anyway. Then we all drove out to the boy scout camp in Illinois to greet them after their week away in Lansing, Michigan at NOAC (National Order of the Arrow Convention/Contingent/Conference/Coalition or whatever the C stands for)--NICE camp! When we got back to their house, there was a big thunderstorm which took care of the electricity for a couple of hours. It was a fine opportunity to go get ice cream!

One of the things we did together that weekend was visit the site of the older boy's Eagle Scout project. He and all his volunteers logged over 600 man hours in rehabilitating the walking trail on this island in the Mississippi River. It was near Lock and Dam 14, so we got to see the whole canal scene operating. We played Boy Scout Monopoly, Farkle, and Curses. It was great to spend time with all four of them!

Now, about that Chinese Lady. On Sunday, we attended Church in Illinois with my sister and her family. Once a month, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we have what's called Testimony Meeting. Anyone who feels so inclined, is invited to step to the podium and share or bear their testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are usually short talks, perhaps 1-4 minutes. Near the end of the meeting, a lady named LW approached the microphone and you could see she was a little emotional. I loved her immediately. I don't know if it's because of her Spirit or my understanding of Asians in general because I lived in Japan, or her lovely broken English or what, but I sure loved her.

She explained that she had recently met with the bishop of the ward to let him know that she had decided she wanted to be sealed in the temple to her Annie ("my Annie" was the way she said it). One could infer that she was divorced and the mother of one daughter who looks to be a teenager. She explained that she was shocked, surprised, and devastated to learn that this was not possible because she does not currently have a husband. She herself is a convert to the church and it sounds like she has received her own endowment in the temple. She said she "cried like a baby" in the bishop's office. But then, she bore pure testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation and her faith in Jesus Christ. It was powerful. She proclaimed that she will live the Gospel to the best of her ability until the day comes that she and Annie can be united eternally as a Family in the House of the Lord. She doesn't know when that will be, but she is strong and dedicated. She said she wants to do her best and that if anybody sees her doing something wrong that we should "knock me in the head or scream at me" so she can improve.

There are so many of us who have tried our best to live righteously and yet blessings are still withheld for a later time. Some people jump ship because they aren't very patient. I want to be like LW and just dig my heels in a little harder and renew my promises. I will wait upon the Lord for His blessings according to His will and His timing. I will not jump ship. After the meeting, I went to the pew where LW was sitting. I offered a hand shake and thanked her for sharing her testimony. She locked eyes with me, both sets watery, and then we embraced silently. I may never see her again, but she has impacted my life and I will always be glad I heard her speak.

BYGTWSO!-Day 40

Woke up at Myre-Big Island State Park in Minnesota. LOVED the place! Swanky showers in camp! Grassy tent site. Wildlife included skunk, fox, eagle, and woodchuck.

We headed for Austin, MN to check out the SPAM museum. We are not huge fans of SPAM. In fact, we've been married for almost eight years and had never purchased a single can until we toured the museum of course. Now we have five cans which theoretically should last us the rest of our lives. The one way I really do like spam is when Sister Oshima from Lana'i makes SPAM Musubi. I wish I could have some of that right now! And did you know? There are SIX SPAM factories in the world today. Two are right here in the USA (Minnesota and Nebraska). The others are in Japan, South Korea, Philippines, and Denmark.

The owner/creator had a naming contest. He gave a $100 prize. SPAM is a contraction for SPiced hAM. SPAM! I'm sure glad the Ox Joints in Gravy never became a big hit!

After SPAM, we headed back to Iowa to visit Burr Oak, a place that Laura Ingalls Wilder had lived with her family. She lived in a lot of places so there are sites and museums all over the midwest, but for this trip, we could only do one. We took the tour. I have always loved and will always love Laura Ingalls Wilder. When I was little, I would pretend that she came back to life in modern times and that it was my job to bring her up to speed on the all the new inventions. I once led her on a tour of our laundry room and imagined how she would marvel at the washing machine, not having to haul water from the creek. K was a good sport!

After Laura, we went to Effigy Mounds National Monument, a place we have visited before. There are some cool Indian burial mounds in the shapes of animals and stuff along the Mississippi River. I love learning about Mound Builders. We drove the River Road along THE River and stopped at an overlook. So pastoral, don't you think? Pretty farms. We also drove across the river into Wisconsin (how many states is that?) to buy cheese--divine. And then K pulled into a spot he fondly remembers from his childhood...Spook Cave! Oh man, cheeziest cave tour ever, but here's the thing, it's a boat ride through the cave. And they've been using the same boats since the place opened for tours fifty-seven years ago. And you have to duck during long-ish portions of the tour in order to avoid bleeding head wounds. It was a great way to cool off on a hot and humid summer day. Our guide had the perfect scream. You simply must go!

BYGTWSO!-Day 39

Woke up in Mitchell, South Dakota and headed for the World's Only Corn Palace. Did you catch that? World's Only. They change the pictures/scenes every year and they use all sorts of varieties of corn to get the colors. During the summer, it's a big gift shop inside. During the rest of the year, the local high school (I can just imagine the jokes and nicknames) uses it to play basketball. My favorite? The free samples of several flavors of popcorn at the Corn-cessions!

After the Corn Palace, we drove out of South Dakota and dropped down into the extreme northwestern corner of Iowa to visit a state preserve, Gitchie Manitou. I asked K, "So what are they preserving?" He replied, "It's this rock called Sioux Quartzite." I returned, "Oh? Like there's hardly any of it and they have to protect what's left of it?" Something like that. We walked along the Big Sioux River about a half mile back and found a quartzite shelter erected by those darling CCC boys I love to learn about. We saw outcroppings of Sioux Quartzite, but I guess you might say I just didn't get it about why this rock was so special. K further explained that there was supposed to be cactus growing on it and stuff. Really? In Iowa? Found the cactus. It was one of those things where I just went along with K trying to to learn and listen but not really latching on to the whole idea of the place. I mean the whole area was lovely and all, but I just didn't understand why someone was preserving this rock when surely there had to be more of it on the earth than just this one teensy spot, you know?

After the preserve, we left Iowa, drove back into South Dakota, and then promptly headed for Minnesota. We needed to visit Pipestone National Monument. Never heard of it. Oh boy, this place was a GEM. A real crown jewel in the story of America. I had emotional connections to this place going on like crazy (and I'm not an Indian). And what's more, this place answered all my "I don't get it" questions left over from Gitchie Manitou!

As it would turn out, it's the stuff UNDER the Sioux Quartzite that's so amazing! It's called Pipestone and the Native Americans (23 tribes) regard it as sacred. They would quarry by hand for the stone (hard work getting through the quartzite) and then saw, chisel, and shape the pipestone into their ceremonial smoking pipes which were highly important in their spiritual worship. In fact, they had two Indians in the VC shaping pipestone right before our eyes. Now, I don't worship through smoke and I'm not an Indian, but my connections came with that good ol' universal concept of working for a very long time on something that is very important to you, and then finally seeing your progress. In fact, the Indians still quarry today. It takes some of them five years to get their permit to quarry. We walked the little trail and climbed up on the rocks and looked down into the quarries and appreciated the heck out of this little monument. And you would never know by driving by that there's a cliff band and a thirty foot waterfall in the middle of the field! I now own a set of pipestone earrings made by an Indian. Oh, and they had petroglyphs too.

BYGTWSO!-Day 38

I finally made it to Mount Rushmore!

Woke up in the Elk Mountain Campground at Wind Cave National Monument. First thing, headed out of the park, we ran into a herd of bison all over the road, so we crept along. We slowly drove around a curve and what did our eyes behold? Bison mating! You just don't see that every day. In the middle of the road. We had to stop. At least we had the courtesy to avoid taking pictures of that.

In college, I had this great roommate, Tiki. She told me that when she was young, her mom made up a game for road trips to keep the kids occupied while looking out the window. There was no official list, but some examples were: cat in the window=50 points, blooming rose bush=25 points, etc. Tiki said the BIG points came when you saw something really special like a cow peeing! A cow peeing was like TWO HUNDRED POINTS! All I could think when I saw the bison mating was, "That's got to be worth like a thousand points!"

We drove through Custer State Park which borders Wind Cave National Park and because of our lack of time to spend in Custer, it sort of ended up being a fifteen dollar toll road. You're so welcome, South Dakota. After walking the Presidential Trail at Rushmore, we headed for...wait for it...Wall Drug, South Dakota. If you've been there, you know. If you haven't, go. At least once in your life. Big tip: the best buy in Wall is the bagged ice--we got fourteen pounds for $2.50 at the soda counter!

After that, we drove to Badlands National Park. It was so windy and so hot. We thought about hiking, but just couldn't get ourselves to part with the air conditioning in the car. Saw a Bighorn Sheep, a coyote, and a mountain goat today! After that, we drove to another NPS site called Minuteman Missiles, the only NPS site dedicated to the Cold War. And then we drove East on I-90 in a rainstorm. With rainbows.

BYGTWSO!-Day 37

Woke up in camp and headed for Devil's Tower. Great, Great, GREAT! We walked the Tower Trail which is 1.3 miles. Stunning views to be had no matter where you stood! I love geology that makes me THINK and ASK and WONDER. The columns on this thing are either 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 sided, but MOST of them are SIX sided. The boulders around the bottom are the pieces of column that eroded and broke off--you can see some straight-ish edges in the boulder field. No one in "modern" times has ever witnessed any rockfall. Notice the rock climber in the next pic--867 feet tall, this thing! It HAS been free climbed as well!!! The columns are the largest in the entire world, as big as 60 feet long and 20 feet wide! Biggest in the world, right there in Wyomin'! Also, had to include the rabbit and the prairie dog!

From Devil's Tower, we headed to South Dakota to check out Jewel Cave National Monument. Yes, we are National Park Service junkies. K parked and ran to the ticket kiosk to stand in line. By the time I arrived, he was headed toward me across the parking lot with a dejected look complaining that all the "good" tours were sold out and all that was left were the twenty minute Discovery Tours. I said, "We're HERE! We may never come back. Get in line for the twenty minute tour, even if it's all they have!" So we stood in line and I heard the ranger tell the man ahead of us that seven tickets came back for the Scenic Tour. The man purchased five of the seven. K almost didn't dare hope that this could be true, so he gingerly asked if there could possibly be two left for the Scenic Tour and of course, there were! Oh, the joy! Whenever stuff like this happens to K, I always think it's because Heavenly Father knows K's rock loving, cave-minded, appreciation for all geologic wonders spirit. I try to point this out to him and he says, "No, it's because Heavenly Father loves you the most." Whatever. Jewel is the second longest cave in the world after Mammoth and it was amazing!

Where did we go from there? To another cave, of course! We headed for Wind Cave National Park and got on the last Natural Entrance Tour of the day. Holy Box Work. Box Work is this cool formation and 95% of all cave box work found in caves today is found in Wind Cave. That's ninety-five percent of all cave box work in the WORLD, people. Very cool. And Wind is the fifth longest cave in the world! All this in South Dakota!

Our wildlife list today included: rabbit, antelope, prairie dogs, wild turkeys, deer, and bison!

BYGTWSO!-Day 36

We woke up in and headed straight for Wyoming. As K said, "It takes a long time to drive from the southwestern part of Wyoming to the northeastern part of Wyoming." Yes, yes it does. We had lunch in Rawlins on the lawn of the state penitentiary. We waved at Martin's Cove and Devil's Gate as we drove by (we've each been, but not together). We saw numerous antelope in Wyoming, practically a given.

We couldn't quite make it to Devil's Tower National Monument, so we settled for a state park called Keyhole. Beautiful, tranquil, quiet, and warm. We set up the tent and then heated leftover goulash from home. There was one other couple camping clear on the other side--couldn't see or hear each other, but we all chatted in the parking lot the next morning (as she, the blonde from New Zealand, approached in a pink bikini asking, "Which cliff is the best for diving into the water?"). It was almost a full moon and some teens showed up to jump off cliffs. Nobody died. While K slept on in the morning, I walked around the cliffy shore and wondered, "Rod and Shelley, has your love lasted as long as your names etched into this rock?"