I’m feeling like a trip down memory lane again today & this is another one the that makes me laugh ’til I cry &/or snort. Whenever Abe really wants to make me laugh he will mention our one & only “real” vacation. Back when life was good & full of promise we decided to take a vacation…so I planned a week long trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. I booked online & we chose the first week in October. (I will never go there during the summer again if I can avoid it…it was heavenly to be there & avoid the crowds.) A lot of the tourist traps were closed but the good stuff was open & we were able to wander around without feeling like we were in a herd of cattle. When I booked online I chose a package which included passes to the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave & Custer State Park among a few other things.
The Badlands was amazing & we spent a glorious afternoon off-roading through the southern part–totally alone on the windswept buttes & as we drove out at sunset we were lucky enough to drive through the herd of buffalo. We were so close we could nearly touch them. They were completely undisturbed by our presence so we coasted along for quite awhile watching them. I was lucky enough to experience a truly primitive moment when one of the large bulls looked me right in the eye as we drove past…
Anyway, one day we drove to Wind Cave National Park…this was my first time in a cave & although I am a bit claustrophobic I was a trooper (at least I think so….) and just held my breath when I got scared. It was amazing & beautiful — some of the best scenery I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. Someday I’ll get ambitious & post them here. One of the most memorable things about the tour was our guide….
Picture, if you will, a tall woman…ordinary in every way, very pleasant manner & the speaking cadence of Keanu Reeves in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”. Yes you heard me…suddenly all I could see was Keanu in drag…it is a memory that both haunts & amuses me. In order to give you the full experience please take a trip with me into the cave….(this is all in a California surfer voice…very nasal from a woman born & raised in the Midwest) It went a little something like this–
“So, like there’s tons of cavers (I’m thinking what in the world is a caver?) in like Russia & Mexico. They’re super great & like laid back and stuff. So if you think you wanna go caving (the English major shudders even thinking that word) like just go & you’ll like have the awesomest time. I mean I went caving in Mexico right? It was just really like so fun. All these people just like hang out in caves, ya know, and explore. There’s just so much cool stuff to do when caving….there’s the tunnels & the crawling around….and then there’s like just all this really cool stuff to see.”
Now I understood what she meant when using “caving”….I am fairly well-read & I love words so it wasn’t that I had trouble grasping the definition. However, I am much more familiar with the term spelunking ….the word “caving” falls into that horrible place where words are turned into verbs for no good reason. I personally don’t understand it…just saying. Well, the monologue went on like that for some time…since just typing like that has given me a nervous tic I must stop there. ( It was amusing & yet horrifying as Abe & I had to listen to that for over an hour. I nearly threw myself into a pitch black hole to avoid it but Abe restrained me & promised me a stiff drink if I could soldier on. If I can find the video we took (I believe we have audio of the guide talking) I may have to attempt an upload so you can get the full effect.
We did have a great time & it was fascinating to see all the formations. The one thing that always comes back to us though is the “caving” & the “cavers”….so like anybody wanna go caving & like totally have the funnest, most awesomest time ever? (in my best Valley Girl accent).
