I was off to another early start this Saturday morning in Bismarck ND. It was still raining, foggy, and there was construction on the highway. Once I left the town behind, it was dark…very, very, very dark. No ambient light of any kind.  Full Dark… No Stars… No Cars…  It would have been spectacular if the skies had been clear and I could have seen the stars. But that was not to be so I just squinted into the dark and listened to the wheels humming on the pavement and the windshield wipers drumming a beat. The speed limit was 75 on I94 but I was going much slower (about 55) given the poor conditions. I was also thinking about all the road kill I’ve seen over the past week: deer, raccoons, fox, rabbit, and some USA (unidentifiable squished animals). I know that critters are most active during the pre-dawn and dusk hours so I kept my eyes sharp. Angels must have been whispering in my ear because sure enough, not much further down the road, I spotted a beautiful doe standing right out on the shoulder. Thankfully, she stayed in her lane and I stayed in mine so all was well.

As the sun came up I could see that the landscape was soft and muted in the fog and misty rain. The hillsides were covered in a velvety blanket of low foliage with no sharp angles, jutting rocks or ragged corners. It felt like a giant fluffy blanket had been thrown over the earth and the sky had been suffused with gray cotton candy. Such a restful setting.

When the sun rose I could see the wide variety of color in the landscape. My painter’s eye was greedily drinking in the subtle color changes greens, golds, russets, browns, and yellows of the land spread out around me.  A red dirt road cut a winding path up a velvety green hillside. It was a chilly 39 degrees and the wind and rain made it feel much cooler. I crossed another time zone and I’m now two hours ahead of home.

I was feeling in somewhat of a free-fall this morning. Maybe it was the dark, or the fog, or the rain, but I felt like an acrobat who has stepped off the platform, let go of her partner’s hand and was suspended in the air, reaching into the unknown for that swinging bar. There is safety on the platform and comfort when holding a trusted one’s hands as you swinging out a bit to grab the bar, but I made the decision to fully let go, to jump, to fly, to trust. I didn’t embark on this adventure out of fear or necessity, but rather by choice. I could, if I wished, just turn my truck around and head back home, climb back on that platform of safety. But the thing that compelled me to let go in the first place is still whispering in my ear, encouraging me forward and even in moments where I feel like I’m in free-fall, I know I’m on the right path. This adventure is terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time and I am learning to stretch my wings and to trust.

Along I94 I saw a sign advertising the Enchanted Highway and a promise of Giant Metal Sculptures. The first one was a large sculpture of Migrating Canadian Geese and it was visible from the highway. I took the exit but found that the road leading up to the sculpture was closed so I couldn’t get close. It was raining pretty hard. I Googled the Enchanted Highway and found that it is a 32 mile stretch of road between Gladstone and Regent North Dakota where 7 giant sculptures line the road. I ate my breakfast of yogurt and coffee and debated with myself about whether I should take the drive. Wasn’t this exactly the sort of thing that I hope to do in my adventures with the trailer? Why was I resisting? Whose voice was that in my head trying to talk me out of it…”it’s raining, it’s cold, you won’t get any good photos, maybe the other roads are closed too and it will be a waste of time, you can come back another trip…”  Really?? When did reasonable caution turn into unreasonable overcaution?  It’s time to tell that voice to hush! I was going on that drive, and if it turned out to be a bust, well,  I would just turn around and come back.

I’m so glad I went! The landscape was stunning and I saw fields and fields of sunflowers.  I photographed all of the sculptures, and yes, it was raining and overcast but the experience was worth the effort.  I saw large hens I couldn’t identify walking along the edge of the sunflower field, and then spotted a beautiful male pheasant and knew those were his girls. I watched red-tailed hawks hunting, sandhill cranes soaring, a covey of quail scuttling along the field, and a line of dove perched on fence posts. I found petrified rocks, a military tank, and a castle, and it was all free!  It was indeed an enchanted highway and I’m glad I took the time to explore it.

 

 

I was back on the highway around lunch time and as the miles rolled by the landscape continued to change. The yellow and green dappled hills dropped away into long expanses of open plains.  I drove through the Little Missouri National Grassland in Medora, ND. My next stop was what I thought was just a rest area at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park but actually turned out to be the Painted Canyon Visitors Center and Overlook of the Painted Canyon of the Badlands! It was still raining but I got some photos and a little video in spite of the weather. I would love to bring the trailer back to this park and spend some time. The brief glimpse I had today was stunning and it would be fun to explore this area in more depth.

 

After leaving this stop, I was treated to an exceptionally beautiful drive through this unique landscape and was fortunate to see a buffalo grazing on the side of the road! Yes, this time it’s a REAL buffalo!!

 

The badlands landscape gave way to prairie once again and the drive was easy despite the continued rain. I saw a herd of Pronghorn deer along the side of the road but unfortunately, there was no place to pull off to get a photo. This was a day full of surprise adventures. I have settled in for the night in Billings, MT and plan to get plenty of rest. There is no telling what wonders await me tomorrow!