Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The second national park of my summer, was a bit unexpected. Unexpected in the sense that I didn't originially have a plan to visit it. When mom and I found ourselves with a few extra days on the leaving side of our trip we decided we might as well head on out early. But where to? A look at the map and mom mentioned that there was one more national park in North Dakota we hadn't hit that wouldn't add too much (what is too much on a road trip that logged over 5,000 miles of driving?) to our trip. And so we headed off, with a plan to hit Devil's Tower National Monument which we hadn't gotten to the last time we were in Wyoming and then head through South Dakota and into North Dakota to spend a day or two around Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Never mind that it was going to be around the 4th of July. An hour of throwing hotel numbers at my mom to call, found us rooms to ensure we wouldn't have to keep driving forever on the holiday.

Usually I have a pretty good idea of what the options are for random stops on our trips, having outsourced much of my exploring to Roadside America, this time we took off before I had any ideas. I found myself scrambling every night to see if there was anything around for us to see. Which is probably why we ended up at the Geographical Center of the US in Belle Fourche, South Dakota as well as the Termesphere Gallery in Spearfish, SD. Devil's Tower was well worth the detail and the hour of two we spend walking around the base of the volcanic rock structure, constantly turning our heads up to glance towards the sky and the top of the monument. I have to admit though, there really isn't a lot when you drive through western South and North Dakota. Perhaps that is why we kept changing our plans as we drove.

Originally we had only planned to visit the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt Park. But when we realized it would be less than a 100 miles out of the way, and it wasn't even noon yet, we altered our mental map and kept heading north to the North Unit. A more remote, and quiet section of the park. We saw perhaps 5 people during the 4 hours we spent in that section. Our attention directed to the natural landscape instead. Cannonball excretions forming in the side of a hill, the rattlesnake that made both of us jump before quickly hurrying away at its warning shake, the endless landscape and bright yellow clover against a brilliant blue sky. The chance to get out, hike a bit (okay, maybe that was a bad idea as mom ended up with a fractured ankle on our first day out rather than just a bad sprain as we had expected), and enjoy clean air. Always one of the goals of my summer vacations.

The next day we headed into the South Unit of the park. A few more people, although still not enough to interrupt our enjoyment of the landscape. I took a 3.5 mile hike through the interior of the park, while mom continued along the road to the viewpoints. We saw a few wild horses and a herd of bison grazing in the clover. A hot, dusty day which made the idea of driving for another 3 days to Glacier National Park just bearable.

Summer escape

Summer is so often an escape for me. One in which I try to get as surrounded by nature as possible, as a way to recover from 10 months in one of the biggest cities in the world. Over the past several years I've been doing that by heading into the US's National Parks. This summer was no different. The main destination this year was Glacier National Park in Montana, where there was no shortage of trails to allow me brief forays away from just about anything that reminded me of civilization (well if you could ignore the bear bells ringing from other hiker's packs). As always it was the little moments that really made the week special, and allowed my spirit to recover. Finding a perfect reflection of the mountains in the lake. Noticing that the sun hit my favorite flower, the bear paw, in just the right manner in that field. Reaching Apikuni falls to find no one else there, making the .8 miles up hill well worth the hard breathing. The marmot that just made me smile. That plant, whose inner growth spoke to the part of me that loves symmetrical, mathematical beauty. The different shades of blue that together form one peaceful landscape. Reaching the third waterfall in one day, and finding I only had to share it with 6 other people. Splurging on high tea at the Prince of Wales hotel across the Canadian border in Waterton Lakes National Park. Just the overall peacefulness of mountains, greenery and water helped me to feel renewed.  

Happy Independence Day India!

Okay, so I'm a few days late writing this, but Friday was India's Independence Day. At midnight on August 14, 1947 India and Pakistan gained their independence from Britain (interestingly the midnight hour allows India and Pakistan to celebrate their independence on different days - India on the 15th and Pakistan on the 14th). The country's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, began to rule along with the presence of the British as a Governor General, until a constitution could be written and adopted in 1950 and the Republic of India officially came into existence as the world's largest democracy (and now I know why India celebrates both and Independence day and a Republic day). Independence day is celebrated with flag hoisting ceremonies, colorful decorations and a speech by the current prime minister. However, it is the words of Nehru, that truly celebrate what this day means to India:

"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again."               -Jawaharlal Nehru

Early morning

As I head down the red dirt path, the lush green of monsoon season encroaching upon the space, serenaded by the cries of peacocks, a waft of incense from an early morning trip to a shrine reminds me that not everything is bad about jet lag. An early escape from my apartment allows me to seep back into the rhythm of my corner of Delhi while it is still waking up and the pace is slower. As my feet pound  the ground I find myself letting go, reaching for a type of physical and mental renewal. Preparing myself for the new start that Monday will bring. Yes, I guess I can say that I'm ready for the start of a new school year, my fourth here in Delhi. 

Mini Oasis

One thing I like about walking around my neighborhood is that every once you are surprised; okay, really I'm surprised quite a bit, but I'm talking about the pleasant escape type of surprise. In the middle of a housing block you'll find a square that is completely green. If you walk around it enough there is sure to be a gate on one side that will let you slip inside and escape the city. It is a neighborhood park. Or perhaps I would be better off saying neighborhood garden. There is a usually a path that winds either through the greenery and flowers or around it. A path that only take a few minutes to completely traverse, and yet it is long enough to force you to breathe deep, appreciate the overabundance of nature that can survive if given a little space, and remember that not everything is concrete.

Roadside jobs: ladder maker

One of the roadside jobs here in Delhi that always captures my attention is the ladder maker. His work leaning up against a simple wall, you can see the choices. Do you need a ladder that is 3 feet or 4? Perhaps longer? Just make a stop of the side of the road and pick a wooden one out. I'm sure they can deliver it to you on a bicycle!

Old Excursions

I was having some trouble coming up with something to write about today. After all it is getting close to the end of the school year (just three more weeks until I fly out of India) and a teacher's motivation goes way way way down as you get closer to the end of the year. So I thought I'd write about two spots that I visited a while back on a day trip from Udaipur.

The first is Kumbalgarh Fort. Constructed on the hills of a small town of rural Rajasthan, it boasts an impressive 15 km of walls protecting the fort and the surrounding land - the only wall construction longer is that of the Great Wall of China. This clearly leaves plenty of space inside the walls for construction. Not just of the fort on the top, but also for the 360 temples which are nestled among the grounds. Built in the 15th century it continued to be expanded and improved until the 19th century when it ceased to be occupied. As you can imagine building such an extensive wall has its own host of problems and there is a legend which accompanies the history of this one. It is said that when the ruler was having trouble constructing the wall in the 1400s, a spiritual leader advised that it would be necessary to have a volunteer for a human sacrifice ritually decapitated. A temple should then be built where his head fell, and the walls and fort along the lines of his body. True or not, there is currently a temple at the main gate of the fort to commemorate the sacrifice. 

The second stop on our day trip was the Shri Ranakpur Jain Temple, an ornate multilevel temple built from 1437-1458. After getting rid of any leather we had on ourselves (the Jain believe deeply in not harming other living beings), verifying we were in a pure state, and getting ourselves down to one camera each, we climbed the stairs up into the white structure. Carved with an impressive amount of detail there we pieces to catch the eye every way you turned. While we couldn't approach the main temple platform, there was plenty to attract attention as we wandered around the inside courtyard of the temple. Filled with columns - each one unique, carvings on the ceilings and the walls, the yellow and red flowers providing a striking contrast to the white marble inside. Truly an example of the exquisite architecture that adorns parts of India.