Hi ho, Silver! Away!

Hi ho, Silver! Away!
Originally uploaded by wethreedees.

We spent Wednesday driving on US 61, virtually deserted—prairie rolling off in every direction. Ranch after ranch. Cattle grouped in a tight circle, cattle a series of dots on far hillsides. Cattle and calves sitting and standing, this one turning its head to watch us pass, a group drinking water beneath a windmill. Horses. Each house or spread in an oasis of trees.

I thought of living here in sod-house days. Even now. Sun and storm and no one nearby. I thought of our breakdown history on this trip. And our good fortune, really. My gratitude for the automobile and cellular phone—despite their destructive side effects—grew with each mile. Once, going uphill, the Bounder seemed to hesitate. I stopped breathing; Andre was quick to assure me that it was the cruise control—just couldn't handle that hill.

We continued to roll through miles of glorious landscape. If that sounds like hyperbole, maybe a stronger vocabulary, or a more romantic language would help me pinpoint how moved I was seeing all this, mile after mile.

We entered South Dakota. The land began to change—I could see how caves and canyons might be ahead. We stopped early, and are here at the Kemo Sabay campground. Nothing pretentious. Nothing big like the sea of RVs flooding a valley surrounded by mountains near Mt. Rushmore, advertised in the RV guide.