Day Three ~ September 10, 2010 ~ Bozeman to Rapid City, SD ~ 540 mi

It was a chilly 44 and drizzling when I left Boseman this morning. Jen Goldman bought me breakfast at the Nova Café; it was great to catch-up, although brief, with a fellow transplanted Vermonter.

I’m headed for Alva, a tiny town nestled in the heart of the Black Hills of Wyoming near the infamous Devils Tower.

I think I was about 13 years old when my sister Debbie was married in Casper, WY. We drove out and I visited Devils Tower back then, but didn't get further into the Black Hills on that trip. Typical of an adolescent, I didn’t appreciate the beauty that surrounded me. It’s different now. Perhaps I’m seeing with my heart as well, because it feels like this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. Travelling beyond the tower further into the Black Hills, I found Alva.

My mom talked about this area, it is where she grew-up. Her father was a share chopper who followed the crops around Northeastern Wyoming and Western South Dakota. Although my mother did not graduate from high school, she could write quite beautifully, misspellings and all. One year for Christmas I asked her to write down some childhood memories of hers and she did. It was as special gift as I knew little about her upbringing and her family. She proved to be very adept at descriptive writing, so much so that today, as I wondered through this area, I could easily see all the places she had described, almost like I had been here before.

She is buried here, it is easy to see why she chose it ~ it is incredibly serene. I hope she found the peace here that escaped her on Earth.

Rocket and Whidbey got to romp after many hours in the car – the cattle were very curious of the dogs and followed them around the fence.

Do you think Volkswagon would be interested?

I had to double back for this.....

Incase it is hard to tell, there are two dogs sitting in the truck watching for their owner in the pasture.

Map of today's milage:
View Larger Map