We took our first rest day in Faith SD, a very comforting sounding name to me. It was much needed and well over do. Laurel, being the ambitious and tireless lady that she is, still woke up at 6am to go for a run. I slept. I woke up fully about 8:30, and it felt good to want to get up. Laurel had gotten breakfast already and was out on the phone, so I went to the motel cafe on my own. Blueberry pancakes. Delicious! The motel owner is also the waitress and by now likely knows us quite well! She is also, coincidentally, originally from Minnesota but says that she really loves it out here. The dinner cook also came out to speak with us awhile last night, and he is a lovely gentleman.
Around midday we went to see the town museum. It is small, but it has many fossils -- lots of t rex and duckbills out here! -- and a lot of town history and old uniforms, wires, photos etc. It shows a bit about the various railways and ranching and cattle life, as well as talking about the Dawes act, which divided up communally held native lands (and in the process also stole great portions of it to be "opened up" to homesteaders) and treaty of fort Laramie. A reminder of the strong and long lived culture of this land, in this case the Lakota nations. I was struck by one note in particular, which spoke against the perception of the Dakotas as wilderness or the "wild" west. As I mentioned yesterday in some of my musings, and perhaps you could discern, this land is not "wilderness". That is a construct of western Anglo philosophy. This land is living and breathing and beautiful and broad, but it is also home. It is a home to people, and long has been, and a home to our many relations. So do not speak to me of wilderness: speak to me of life and the earth, which can be open and vast, or forested and deep, and all of these are home to many. Wild only in the feeling ones heart should feel, of gratitude and wonder, to live on such an earth.
We had lunch at Linda's drive in, the only restaurant besides the motel cafe in town. We took a walk through town, and I admired again the far horizons. After this, I took a nap! Can you believe it! How indulgent I felt.
This evening we had dinner again at the motel cafe. It is a very kind atmosphere here, and the owner/waitress has been really great to talk with. Tonight there were four older folks, on a long trip, eating dinner. An older man named Calvin came in later, and overhearing his conversation made me smile. A very humorous man he must be. Tomorrow we will have breakfast once more here, and be on our way towards Reva. The cook tonight told us that is some beautiful country, so I will be excited to see what tomorrow holds.
Thanks to the Branding Iron motel for their hospitality! Deb and Tim cooked us delicious meals, and gave us so much kindness -- including seeing us off with necklaces for good luck and a good, hearty breakfast. It is the kindness of people we meet that keeps me going, and even when I am tired, gives me new strength. I feel very fortunate to have made it to Faith SD, and even more fortunate to have ended up at the Branding Iron motel to rest up. Please stop in if you are in South Dakota!
We have about 500 miles to go to reach our goal of Morgan MT following the KXL. So we could use your good thoughts!