I am writing from Big Sky country,
Montana. We are traveling into Wyoming today heading for Yellowstone
National Park and then onto The Grand Teton National Park. By the time I get
home, I will have been gone a month. It's fun to travel but I'm
really ready to be home and sleep in my own bed. Living out of
suitcases can get old pretty fast. Our cross country trek started
off at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan for a week
long workshop on hydrotherapy and natural remedies. This program
was developed by Dr. Agatha Thrash, M.D. Wow! I was so inspired by
this workshop. Home staging consultations are not what I had in mind
when I pursued design but is what is available in a sluggish economy.
I think, however, that I would have enjoyed naturopathy as a field
of study. There was so much excellent information at this workshop
that I would like to share with you! The program was mostly lead out
by Dr. David DeRose, MD from Weimar Center of Health and Education
and Don Miller, ND from Uchee Pines Institute. I am fascinated by
natural methods of healing. There is something alluring about taking the road
less traveled that attracts me to no end. So much to blog about on
this topic, so little time.
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| Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island, Michigan |
From Berrien Springs we headed up to
quintessentially idyllic Mackinac Island. I really need to spend
more time on this historic island. There are no cars allowed there .
My kids got a real kick out seeing the horse drawn garbage collection
buggy. We cycled the eight-mile loop around the island and left feeling like we just
didn't spend enough time in such a gorgeous place.
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| Authentic Wells Fargo Stage Coach, 1880 Town - South Dakota |
We traveled across the Upper Peninsula
into Wisconsin and Minnesota. My family couldn't resist staying
away from the Mall of America in Minneapolis and going on a couple of the rides
at the theme park situated in the middle of this massive mall. From
here we were off to the wild west. I felt like I was in some
western movie as soon as we hit South Dakota. I never knew that
there was so much to see and do in this state. My husband kept
humming a tune from the old western films he watched when he was
growing up. I couldn't help but think about what it must have been
like for Lewis and Clark or Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. I
need to go back some time; I felt like we just scratched the surface there.
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| Mountain Goat, Glacier National Park- Montana |
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| Do you see the line that traverses the mountain? That's a road! I white-knuckled it the whole way! Logan Pass, Glacier National Park - Montana |
During our trip we saw spectacular
vistas at Glacier National Park, Montana and harvested wild
huckleberries in grizzly country in northern Idaho. Aside from the
famed novel by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, I had never heard of
huckleberries. It turns out that huckleberries are the most highly
prized berries out in those parts. My husband wanted to buy a
huckleberry pie and came back with just a seven-dollar slice to
share among the four of us. They were selling a pie for a whopping $42.00! A pound of freshly
picked huckleberries can fetch between $40.00 and $50.00 wholesale. Talk about a pricey berry! When we experienced how long it
took to harvest these dark succulent beauties, we understood why they are
so highly prized. Not only do you have to look over you shoulder to
be sure not to have any grizzly or mountain lion encounters, you also
need to harvest from shrubs that stubbornly will grow only where they
darn well please - which happens to be mostly in remote mountain tops.
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| Big Horn Sheep (Ram was not around) - Badlands, South Dakota |
It thrills me to see wildlife in their
natural setting. So much nicer than going to the zoo and seeing them
in boring enclosures. Chancing upon a regal bull elk with a full,
impressive rack or handfeeding skiddish prairie dogs just sends me
to the moon. Anyone else get excited over such experiences?
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| Bison, Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming |
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| Me and my kids (Nathan took the shot) |
There is so much breathtaking beauty in
this country of ours. From plains and prairies to fantastic
sweeping mountain panoramas. It's no wonder that this land has been
the muse of so many writers and artists striving to
capture and convey the arresting beauty found in the varied
landscapes. So much I want to see and do but time is limited! We'll
save further exploration for another trip! Back to my regular
blogging by next week!
Have a great day!
