The Klaus House Goes West: Day 1, Grand Forks to Great Falls (June 8, 2013)

                 

We (my mother, brother, and myself) were on the road around 6 A.M., and for the first hour or two it seemed like the road belonged only to us, the truck drivers, and the golden light of the rising sun. As we passed Fargo and headed west on I-94 we were gradually joined by more travelers like ourselves. 

The travel highlight of the day was stopping in the Badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. As always, the Badlands are an inspiring sight. You drive across generally flat grasslands and then suddenly, without a warning, the earth opens up and the scene is dominated by jutting red rocks and stunted trees. Each layer or rock seems to be a different rosy shade, which contrasts sharply with the greenery that manages to find a foothold in the sandy soil. This trip was especially memorable because the buffalo that inhabit the park decided to come and say hello to all the visitors. My family has been visiting the Badlands for longer than I can remember, and we have never had the buffalo willingly come and graze so close to people! It was a slightly crazy but amazing moment, and one that will probably never happen to me again no matter how many more times I visit the area. :)

That dark shape sitting at the edge of the cliff in the center is a buffalo!

Family Time!

In my family the Badlands are filled with memories of happy camping trips and a reverence for the beauty held within the park. Do you remember in the Lion King when the hyenas shiver at the word "Mufasa?" Replace "Mufasa" with "Badlands" and you have our reaction in a nutshell! If there was one place I would tell everyone who passes through ND (or live there for that matter) to go, it would be Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Seriously guys, please, if you get the chance or if you have to change your schedule to make it, do yourself a favor and just go there! 

After the Badlands we headed through Dickinson (yes, that is its real name... but feel free to take a few seconds to snicker if you feel the need) and through to Montana 200. The road is a two lane highway with many hills, so keep your eyes peeled for the escaped sheep/cattle/antelope that has wandered onto the road. Other than that and the occasional hairy pass to get around a truck, this portion of the drive was uneventful. The terrain we went through was empty grassland dotted with cattle and the occasional beaten up looking ranch or town. 

TIP: Fill up in the last city in North Dakota before you continue into Montana, because there isn't another gas station until you hit Great Falls! 

We pulled into Great Falls around 6:00 P.M. and I am forever grateful to our family friend Sue- she had dinner cooked up and waiting for us. There are few things more lifting to ones mood than being surprised with delicious food after a long day in the car! During and after dinner there was happy chatter as we all caught up with one another, but by 8:00 P.M. we travelers were weary and soon found ourselves fast asleep in our beds. 

And Thus Ended Day 1 of the Klaus' Trip West.

-AK

Americana- I believe in USA

      

This weekend Artifact Uprising began a three day challenge using the hashtag #AUAmericana. The point of this challenge was to inspire the users of Instagram to consider and share what it is that inspires them about the American culture. The winner of this challenge will be given the opportunity to take over AU's feed this upcoming weekend. Needless to say, when I heard about this challenge I was both excited and intrigued. I struggled to brainstorm ideas about what America meant to me- was it the snow capped peaks of the Cascades or the golden sunsets on the plains? Was it the people or was it the land? 

America is a mystery. It is both an ideal and a reality, and those two are sometimes completely opposite. Far from a melting pot where everyone harmoniously melts together, America is a land of opposites. There are people from the far right and the far left politically, there is a mixture of religions and worldview points, and there is a vast range of wealth- from the staggeringly wealthy to the heartrendingly poor. With all of these differences it is no surprise that Americans often disagree with one another, we disagree on healthcare, childcare, education, taxes... the list goes on and on. So what is it, exactly, that binds this country together?

To be honest, I am not sure. America is a multicolored coat, full of different geographic patches and held together by the stories of its citizens. I adore my native country, especially when I see areas where differences are accepted and become a celebrated part of the community. As a country we can be stubborn and proud, traits which are often at the root of our successes and our blunders. As a people… as a people we defy stereotypes and confirm them. We are both mainstream materialism and the counter-culture cry for simplicity. We are a people constantly struggling for balance. We are something, and yet we are also its complete opposite.

It seems to be the people that bind us as a country- each person held by chains of love, family, and/or friendship to those around us. Link after link we add, and each added link brings with it the links of others, until we have a glowing web that holds communities together. Today, with the USA vs. Belgium game starting in less than an hour, I am reminded of those chains as they become more apparent with friends and strangers coming together and bond over futbol. Differences are put aside as masses of people pack into homes, bars, sports fields, or parks to root for a common cause.

I believe in USA. In its idealism, but more importantly in its people. America is a mystery, one that is too vast to fit a singular definition, and that is part of its charm. The images below are an attempt to capture some of that mystery. The blanket was crafted for me by a relative, and the models are of my dear friend Anne and me. All images were shot with my Nikon D60 and edited using VSCO films. 

 

I believe in USA.

-AK