We refreshed some more geology memories today, and were reminded that the Great Plains used to be a shallow sea. Then continental plates pushed and shoved, mountains were raised, and the sea drained. First it became a subtropical forest, then a savannah, and then the grasslands that we see today. Rain, wind, and erosion shaped some of the landscape into the Badlands. Touring the area by car, we wondered what the first settlers must have thought when seeing the area – did they liken it to hell? What was it like to live in those sod houses, built into the side of a hill, and listen to the winds whistle, and the grass sing? From the Badlands we traversed South Dakota from west to east. The prairie stretched endlessly in all directions, with farms infrequently dotting the horizon. Outside the car windows, we were mesmerized by acres and acres of corn and sunflowers interspersed with silos and rounded “bales” of hay. To pass the time, we started reading all the billboards along the I-90 and learned about some of the local views, seeing “Your Parents Choose You,” “Life is a Gift Not a Choice,” “Abortion – Did you Forget Someone?” and even an “Evict Pelosi.” The saddest part of the day was observing the damage wrought by the flooding Missouri in terms of submerged land, downed trees, debris, and ruined homes and businesses, not to mention injuries and lost lives. To top it off, we heard from home today – Callie cat had an accident with her tail and a door, and underwent surgery this morning. She will come home tomorrow with a shorter tail, hopefully to more careful door etiquette, and as a wiser cat.
