A Wandering Artist - Day 4 & 5

Time to recharge - Day 4
Since we had a couple of days before my boyfriend's family reunion, we decided to spend the time

resting and recharging. Though we were well aware that it would be rather uneventful, we thought it would be for the best. My car, though functional, is small and rather cramped so when two tall men are having to fold themselves up in order to get inside, are in that position for several hours at a time then nearly have to roll out when exiting the vehicle it is rather difficult on their joints and bodies. So I suggested that we rest. Of course there was at least one thing that I wanted to do. There is a small hiking trail called the George S. Mickelson Trail which winds its way through the Black Hills here in South Dakota. What's nice is that it runs behind the hotel. Grabbing my camera, I went forth and wandered the trail for a bit. 

The trail gently weaved it's way along through the area and is often used by the locals for biking, walking and jogging. Since I wasn't sure of how far I should go, I kept my exploration of the path brief. However I took it slow in order to enjoy the sound of the stream that ribboned through the area. The water was moving quickly and made me remember some of the streams I remember from my childhood growing up in Germany. Joking with my boyfriend, I had commented that it would be interesting and entertaining if we could go tubing along the creek and just follow it down stream. He was amused at the suggestion but had to let me know that the depth of the water wasn't deep enough to allow something like that and there was the possibility that the rocks would puncture a hole or two into the tube. Oh well, it was fun to think about at the time. I couldn't help but marvel at the amount and variety of wild flowers in the area. Several seemed similar to the ones that I was familiar with in

California but in colors or sizes that I hadn't thought were possible while others I hadn't seen before. I also couldn't help but marvel at the vibrancy of the colors. Maybe it's because of the mountain air and dependable amount of rainfall during this time of year or the richness of the soil but I couldn't help but ponder how much more vibrant the landscape of the Sacramento Valley in California would be if the weather there would be like this. 

Chilling and making plans - Day 5
Grogley waking up and pulling ourselves out of bed, the thought that we only had one more night at the hotel was starting to sink in. Over breakfast, we made our plans for the next leg of our journey. The plan we agreed to is that after the reunion, we would be on the road once again and making our way back home. Of course the route back would involve us going through Wyoming then the Salt Flats of Utah. It's a route we're well acquainted with and is perhaps the fastest way back (depending on the amount of road construction that is going on at the time), but it's also perhaps the most unforgiving simply for the fact it is Summer and we'll be going through desert regions that tend to be one color. So the likelihood of driver exhaustion or eye strain is high. It's

just something that we need to prepare for.

With another day for relaxing and preparing for the days ahead, I decided to take the time to go through the various images that I've taken up to this point to get them organized. It was also an opportunity to brainstorm a plan for what I needed to get done when finally home since I still have deadlines coming up (more information about that in a later post). I also wanted the chance to possibly sketch out some ideas that have been floating around in my head. Flipping though image after image, I couldn't help but be amused about how many images of wild flowers and even dried wood I had captured from the trip so far. I just couldn't help myself as I commented 'Look! Photo references for more art!'. Of course this earned me some amused looks from the guys since they're both used to some of my shenanigans. I can only imagine what the next few days will give me in the way of photo opportunities because the possibilities for ideas and inspiration is so high.