I always write when we’re on the road with my music blaring in my ears and coffee ruining through my veins (nothing inspires me like a venti toffee nut iced coffee). Tucked away in my little cocoon, I find it easy to escape for a little while. It’s only when I glance up to see everyone smirking and smiling at me do I pop an earphone out just to hear the tail end of one of Billy’s famous jokes. In this edition of “Billy’s Horrid Jokes,” he’s compared me to a Redwood tree after Kris explained how it’d be impossible to wrap our arms around one. Scuse me, I’m gonna go throw up my lunch…..Juuust kiddiiiin’. Speaking of lunch, we ate about an hour ago (5pm)…I guess that makes it BRUNNER (That’s breakfast, lunch & dinner for those who have yet to catch on.) Otherwise, we snacked on apples and BBQ chips which doesn’t exactly cut it for a Hendricks. I started feeling a little woozie, but I came back to life once I downed my taco salad…which took me 11 minutes 42 seconds according to Billy’s iPhone stopwatch. (Apparently I’m so fast that they decided to time me.) I was wondering what was so interesting under the table. Anyhow, I’ve got a full belly and KOL rocking out in my ears but somehow I still can’t exactly focus. We’re driving down Pacific Coast Highway (RT 1) and the view is downright breathtaking. I find myself looking up more than I did when we were rolling down the mountains of Yellowstone, and I’m beginning to question what makes my heart beat faster: the Pacific shoreline or Colorado vistas? We’re headed towards LA…expecting to stop right outside of it so that we just have a short trek in tomorrow morning, but who knows where we’ll end up. Heck, a couple hours ago I got a brilliant idea to fly to Hawaii, and a few minutes later we were on Kyle’s Blackberry looking at flight prices. We all decided we’d be willing to forego skydiving in exchange for a few days in the Sunshine State (we could skydive at home), but prices were about double what we’d spend to soar through the sky soo it’s doubtful, but Mom & Dad, don’t be surprised if you get a MMS of me in a grass skirt and coconut bra. ALOHAAA!! ☺ It’s been a few days since we’ve last posted and we got wind of a few complaints about the delay, but when we don’t drive, we don’t blog ☹ We can’t be spending our time on the mac when we could be out living! It goes against everything we stand for!! When we’re cooped up in the Durango, we will write faithfully…We promise ☺ I love to write. Actually, I HAVE to write. It’s the cheapest form of therapy. When I don’t journal for a while, I find myself craving it. Once I started blogging on Day 2, I figured that’d fulfill my need to write, but I thought wrong. It just doesn’t satisfy my soul. Yea, I’m writing about our adventures and even my personal reflections, but there are things swirling around in my head that aren’t exactly for the public’s eyes. I like to think of journaling as a place to unload your insanity – a place to say the things that you shouldn’t say out loud. So I have resolved: I will blog and supplement with a journal sesh here and there. Pleasant Hill was…well, PLEASANT ☺ We spent the past 3 nights in Pleasant Hill, California with Marg’s cousin Chris, his wife Cindy and their three kids: Bella, Fonzie & Ava Grace. (Marg is Tric, Kris and Billy’s momma for those who don’t already know.) We were blown away with their hospitality…especially considering we showed up on Wednesday night – two nights earlier than we had originally planned! The first night, we expected to say hello and head out to grab a bite to eat, but Chris started up the grill and treated us to our first home-cooked meal in 10 days – cheeseburgers & his famous garlic fries. We sat around chatting well into the night on the back patio. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I saw Tricia’s eye open up real wide and I turned around to see a raccoon 8 feet from us, trying to sneak into the open back door. I’m not exactly sure what happened from there on because I screamed like a little girl and ran up the swing set slide, but I’m pretty sure Chris scared him off. PS I just unplugged for a hot sec to hear Billy, Cobra and Tric’s own rendition of the dinner scene from The Break Up. “Amy – in the back seat. Amy – in the back seat. Kris – with the GPS. Kris – with the GPS. Cops – pulling over cars. Cops – pulling over cars.” To the tune “Gary – on the kick drum”….Basically stating everything they see. Kris is in the midst of calling hotels to find us the cheapest place for us to lay our heads tonight so she’s not enjoying the song as much as the others. I’ll pretend my music is too loud and smile every couple of minutes ☺ That ought to suffice. Bahah. Anyhow, back to business – Chris and Cindy helped us decide what we would do with our time while we were in the area. We originally planned to tour SanFran that following day (Thursday), but as they spit out random ideas, Cindy mentioned, “You guys should go wine tasting in Napa Valley!” Tricia’s pupils dilated on that fifth syllable and it was decided from there. Only thing standing in our way: Billy. We knew he wouldn’t want to ride around all day just to look at vineyards and watch us sip on wine. There was only one way around it: kill him. Just kiddiiiing ☺ Instead, we’d make it sound like we would selflessly wander around Napa Valley to kill time so he and Kyle could go golfing (Billy’s absolute faaaav hobby.) Well, it worked! Thursday, June 3rd marked a pivotal moment in Durango Drifters’ history – we’d part ways for the day. After our breakfast FEAST, we hugged the boys goodbye as us girls headed to Napa Valley and Billy and Kyle left with Chris to shoot 18 at Tilden Park. Friday was spent in down town San Francisco. We debated over Alcatraz, but decided against it considering everyone we’ve talked to about it has said it’s a tourist trap and not worth the 32 bucks. Our next thought was a boat tour that went under the bridge, along the coast, and around Alcatraz. The posted price was $15/person, and Tric got him down to $12/person without even bartering. She said she could get him down to 10 but we decided against it for 3 reasons: 1. Pieces of the boat were masking-taped together. 2. The guy looked like he may have escaped from Alcatrez. 3. By the time we seriously considered it, we would be cutting it close to make it back to Oakland for the A’s game! (tix were generously donated by Chris and Cindy!! THANK YOU THANK YOOOU!) We toured the city and found that we didn’t need to PAY for entertainment. Tric glanced to her left to see a man painted ALL SILVER. She kinda jumped as he passed….not to be rude, but simply because she didn’t expect to see a SILVER MAN walking by. She gasped and unknowingly said, “Oh my god!” He screamed back something about how she better call out to her ****ing god and some other unnecessary profanities. Anyhow, once he was a solid hundred yards away (far enough away to run if needed), it was quite amusing. Later on, I had my own run-in. I was strolling along, enjoying the beautiful weather and chatting with Tric when a BUSH (a homeless man holding a bunch of branches) freaking jumped out and growled at me. I screamed and ran until the initial scare wore off, and I realized a crowd of people were laughing at me and taping my reaction. Ohh, how I wish I was not oblivious to the world. We actually ended up joining the crowd for a bit and watching people freak out. You would think it’d get old….but it doesn’t. Later that evening, we headed into Oakland to catch the A’s vs. Twins’…Yes, TWINS. As in Tricia’s new team, TWINS. As in Jesse Crain, TWINS. I hate to say it, but Tric is officially a groupie. We purposely got there early just so that she could hang over the outfield screaming “JESSE!” as he caught fly balls during warm-up. Her efforts did not go in vain. He tossed her ANOTHER ball. She’s in love. I keep trying to remind her that he has a wife and two kids…..but then again, so did Tiger. We just pulled up to a Quality Inn in Santa Maria, CA. I’ve got to help unpack and get this laundry going. Random Snippets: -Peet’s (Cali coffee) doesn’t hold a candle to our beloved Starbucks. -Apparently you’re not supposed to do ‘bottoms up’ when your'e wine tasting. -When we first checked in here in Santa Maria, we had 13 minutes before the pool closed so Tric, Kyle, Billy & I threw on our suits & headed down…Only to realize we needed a key to get in. I began to run back upstairs...only to realize we needed a key to get back in the hotel. With our phones in the room, our only option was to hoist Billy up to our balcony where Kristina stared at Bill through the glass and fumbled with the door for a solid 8 minutes only to realize one of those safety bars was in place. -The Durango got its first car wash/vacuum! -I am proposing that the Twizzlers get stored in the FRONT of the Durango. Billy asks for ONE Twizzler like every 7 minutes...Just when I finally get everything organized again. It's malicious. -We got to watch fireworks from right field after the A's vs Twins game!!! Much love, a.hendricks
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
My birthday bash-or a bashed birthday.
Woke up to a damp, condensation tarp, somehow I was tangled in my sleeping bag on the opposite of where I had rested my head that night. Not to mention, my bladder was full to capacity, to me it felt maxed out beyond belief. OVERDOSE. It way too dark for me to truck over to the bathrooms 200ft away, it wasn’t too comforting reading all the “beware of bear”, “do not approach the wild life” signs that were posted every couple hundred feet. So I held it in. Held it in for 5 hrs, tossin’ and turnin’, thinking about the other drifters nestled up in their cocoon sleeping bags. I may have snuck some winks in but other than that shut eye did not come easily. I reached the point, the point where I had to face the wilderness and the unknown. I quietly opened the tent door and took a half step out and squatted, as I held on to the tent with one hand in fear that my face was about to be torn and dismantled by Mr. grizzly bear. I was still not in my comfort zone, so I made it fast. Maybe a little too fast. Cause when I tucked myself back in my semi-damp sleeping bag (cause I was wedged on the outside) I still had a full bladder. Greattttt, I said to myself. I’m sure many of you can relate to what I was going through. I checked the time and it was only 1:49 am. Light would not appear for at least 4 more hours. Time passed and this time for real, I WAS ABOUT TO CONQUER THE WILD, I was in too much pain. At this point, if I walked into a bear, I walked into a bear. I grabbed the keys to the Durango, shook Amy and asked if she would pretty please come with me. If anyone knows how Amy sleeps, they would know how unconscious she really is. I got a mumble “20 minutes!” “20 minutes”, I said to myself, HECK NO! But I bet you all know I waited the 20 minutes that she somehow needed at 3:45. I fastened my headlight like it was my job and ran to the Durango that was sitting maybe 10 feet away from our tent. Closed the door like I was being attacked by a bear, turned on the lights and windshield wipers and parked next to the bathroom doors. I probably now hold the world record of the longest pee, if I calculated it. AH! Now I can sleep peacefully. I scurried back into the car, drove 200 ft and parked. I jumped back in my sleeping bag and fell fast asleep. Thank you Amy for taking the trip with me. Morning came before you knew it, like my dad always says “time doesn’t wait for anyone, not even me.” ITS OFFICIALLY MY BIRTHDAY! I am now 23 years young in the mountains of Yellowstone. What a beautiful morning. The fire pit now looks like a baby swimming pool, filled with last nights rain. We quickly packed up our quarters, broke down the tent, and packed the Durango, as our next stop was Jackson, Wyoming. We spent some time walking the streets in the quaint little town, but the 43-degree rainy day took away from the atmosphere. We grabbed a bite to eat at the bunnery, my original choice was the Million Dollar Bar, and my lil bro is not yet the legal age.. My mom gave my brother a birthday card before he left to give it to me on my birthday. He gave it to me at the Bunnery, it was a card and a ring that reads, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” thanks mom & dad. I was contemplating have a birthday beer for my birthday lunch but found out it was my turn to drive. Instead, I ordered water. If I only knew I was going to drive 10 hours to Elko Nevada, I might have ordered a shot of whiskey. I drove 10 hours and it was MY birthday! I made sure the rest of the drifters were on guilt trip as I randomly shouted it out. But in all honestly, I enjoyed the drive. If you look at a map, and mark Jackson Wyoming to Elko, NV...you see nothing. Nothing but mountains, and more mountains. Literally. And that is when I imagined what the Loneliest road look liked. But within my 10 hr drive, I reflected on what can be better than this. I mean I was driving through mountains upon mountains stilted up in the big sky, with cloud formations that looked like a portrait. I was with 4 good people on a cross-country road trip. Life is good. We finally arrived in Elko, NV. Kristina said it was better than Wells, NV only 40 miles further. Plus we technically gained an hour driving through the Pacific Time zone. Well if there is one thing we all learned, take Kristina with a grain a salt, because she sometimes likes to stretch the truth or simply create something that is false. Elko NV, I thought I went back in a time machine. Mullets, slooww-paced people…I looked around to see if I saw anyone who looked like “us,” as we celebrated my birthday in the Golden Inn Casino Diner. Nope, didn’t see one, however, something did catch my eye. My eye spotted a leather jacket propped up on a nearby booth, that had a patched sewed on it that read “psychopath.” If that wasn’t comforting, I don’t know what else could be. I ordered a Heineken, I figured its my birthday, I deserve it. (Not like it was any different from the last 9 days) J And I don’t know if it was by luck or chance or maybeeee they knew it was my birthday…. They didn’t charge me for the Heineken. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! We checked into the Econo lodge and called it a night. A birthday bash it was!
Random Snippets
My birthday was 25 hours.
RIP mr/ms birdie that I hit at 75mph. OUCH!
Billy’s Ringworm is growing.
Kristina is still a scavenger, grubbed my leftover mozzarella sticks, but sit through dinner and ordered water… hmmm?
Cobra was to first to pee on the side of a highway.
Amy swore that she is no longer going make derogatory remarks and refrain from potty mouth language.
Forever young, tric xo.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Adventures of Pineapple Pooh
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention… if you come across a small yellow creature shaped like a pineapple who resembles pooh bear in our pictures, that’s our protector, our gnome, our little man… pineapple pooh! He can be very sneaky at times (hidden in the background) but at the same time daring (lounging on a pile of buffalo dung). He has been a real trooper so far, he has even been in the United States Post Mail Service, he probably didn’t like that too much. I know I wouldn’t like being cooped up in an 8 ½ by 11 white mailing envelope from Matamoras PA to Minnesota. Luckily, he had a clear window to peek through if he was feeling lonely or scared. My mom had to mail him on Day 4, with all the chaotic last minute packing and planning, we left pineapple pooh behind, according to my mom, pineapple Pete. (that is what she labeled the envelope when he arrived at the Hilton). He missed out on Cedar point, but that was probably a good thing because his lack of height would prohibit him from riding the coasters. He’s only 1 inch. Maybe he could of got away with the kiddy rides. Keep your beautiful eyes peeled for our yellow shield pineapple pooh!
Forever young,
Tric xo.
Day 6 – Day 8: Keystone, SD to Gillette, WY to Yellowstone, WY
SO MUCH FOR SUMMER VACATION
Back on the road…Back to civilization…Back to my 20 inches of leather (that is now coated with a film of dirt from our spelunking adventure from a few days back). I look out the window to see the ground covered in white stuff. Back in Ohio, we were flabbergasted to find a half-inch of pollen coating the grass…We picked it up and threw it at each other as one would in a snowball fight but it wasn’t nearly as effective on account of the lacking mass. Who would’ve known that in less than a week, Billy & Kyle would be throwing LEGIT SNOWBALLS as we frantically scramble towards the Durango - our only source of refuge. Yes, SNOWBALLS…In reference to SNOW. We just spent the past two days in Yellowstone where temperatures dropped below freezing at times. As we drove up the mountain, we saw less grass and more snow. I think we all secretly wished it was some kind of sick joke, but we kept our mouths shut and our smiles big as we lightheartedly cracked jokes about how this wasn’t exactly how we envisioned our SUMMER vacay. When we got to camp it was already close to 9pm so as soon as Billy put the Durango in park, we all jumped out and got grindin’. The boys tackled the fire; TP & I pitched the tent; and Kristina organized the food in our bear storage box and snapped a few photos. If this was a Road Rules Challenge, the girls would’ve DEFINITELY won, but I WILL admit… Billy & Kyle WERE hitting a few roadblocks: our fire pit had about a quarter-inch of water in it and our lighter sticks were nowhere to be found. FAIL. Sooo we had a wet base and matches that stayed lit a solid 2 seconds, BUT we also had some very friendly neighbors J They suggested we dig out the water/mud and replace it with dry dirt. FAIL again. The matches just weren’t cutting it. Finally the neighbs came over with a HOT WOOD and a lighter to save the night. In an attempt to salvage Billy & Kyle’s manhood, they successfully started one the next night on their own….just in time for a rainstorm! J
That first night was a rough one for me. I’ve always prided myself on my sleeping abilities, but it just wasn’t happening. I have a pretty solid resume:
-I conked out every year at the Jersey Fireworks Fair just before the fireworks started crackling right above my head
-I slept comfortably in my closet on top of several pairs of shoes because I was too lazy to take them out
-My mom found me snuggled up in a cardboard box a few weeks after my first visit to NYC
Now I’m not sure if that proves my sleeping abilities or simply how weird I am…..Anyhow, I may have gotten a whopping two hours of sleep that first night in Yellowstone. I offered to take the end (closest to the grizzlies), but I was regretting that a couple hours into the night when I had yet to get warm enough to drift off into a peaceful slumber. I was NOT a happy camper…literally. Thankfully, there was a little comedic relief at about 6:15am when Kris’s nature was calling and she refused to walk the 200 yards to the bathroom in the grizzly-infested woods. Instead, she decided she’d drive the outrageous distance, and after we heard the Durango running for a bit, we wondered what the freeeeak she was doing (only to find out she was waiting for the windshield to defrost-figures). Finally, we heard her kick it into reverse…or what we thought was reverse…..VROOOOOOOM! The engine roared and we (and the rest of Yellowstone) were startled for a hot second. Thankfully, it was neutral and not DRIVE since our tent was about 8 feet in front of the Durango’s bumper. Anyhow, she made it to and from the bathroom without any grizzly encounters…(but we did hear coyotes or wolves howling on night #2).
Monday was the one full day we had at Yellowstone, so we decided to take the 40 minute ride to Old Faithful - a geyser that faithfully shoots boiling, stinky sulfur water up to 180 feet into the sky every 76 minutes. Old Faithful wasn’t the only geyser that was going off that day. Billy had one coming out of his butt. His faithfully erupted about every 4-6 minutes. Every time he let one loose, I’d say, “BILLYYYY!!!” and he’d be like, “IT’S THE GEYSERS!!”…even when we were back at the campsite. I’m sure this’ll be his excuse for the remainder of the trip. After Old Faithul, we took a 3-mile hike up to the overlook and around to see the other geysers and mudpots in the area.
REWIND: SPELUNKING, MT RUSHMORE, CUSTER STATE PARK
Day 6 we woke up later than expected and began to discuss our plans for the day: we wanted to go to Rushmore Caves to spelunk, head over to see the presidents, drive through Custer State Park via Needles Highway, and then drive to Gillette, WY. Kyle thought it might be a good idea to call ahead for the Rushmore Caves and they said they could only get us in at 10….it was 9:47am. They waited up a few minutes for us, and we made it! For those of you who don’t know, spelunking is basically crawling through tiny little crevices hundreds of feet underground. I’d call it caving, but apparently spelunking is the OFFICIAL term. Tric and I had been once before in CO with Sethy and Jeffy whom we had met at a bar the night before….Momma wasn’t too fond of that whole scenario and ever since I came home from Colorado last July, she has been trying to convince me to never go caving again. Even the night before I left for the road trip, I walked upstairs with my headlamp on, and she FREAKED out saying I wasn’t going caving until I explained that headlamps are ALSO used at campsites so you don’t have to cart around a flashlight….not JUST for caving. I never promised I wouldn’t do it though. Sorry momma…you know I LOVE YOU TO PIECES but you just can’t tame this WILD BEAST!!!! Anyhow, we spent three and a half hours underground for a mere 35 bucks each. That’s like 10 bucks an hour. SHWEEET. Words can’t possibly give this experience justice, so I’m going to leave it to pictures, but I’m not sure that’ll even do it. My advice: DO IT. Oh, there was one thing worth mention – Brennan, our guide, took us back to “The Fissure,” one of the tightest spots in the caves where they don’t typically take tours. I guess that’s why Brennan started FREAKING OUT when Kris said she was stuck. I don’t think his boss would’ve been very happy with him. Kris eventually got herself backed out, but stayed behind for a few minutes as we went ahead to the next “room.” I have to say, I am blown away by Kris right now. Some of this stuff isn’t exactly in her comfort zone, but she’s pushing her limits and realizing that she’s capable of waaay more than she ever knew. Kudos Kris J
We came out of the caves covered in dirt, grabbed a bite to eat and headed right over to the monument. Even though I had seen it once before when I was 12, Mount Rushmore was still pretty cool. You see it in your history books for years growing up so when it’s really right there in front of you, it’s pretty exciting. It was a first for the rest of the Drifters, so I’m sure their experience was a bit more overwhelming. We walked towards the mountain as we stared up at Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Jefferson in awe. Some nice girl took our photo in front of the monument (or so we thought). Just as we all got settled into our spots back in the Durango, Kris says, “Guys, I don’t think she ever actually took the picture.” Sooo we walked ALL THE WAY BACK to get our picture taken…and this time we made sure it was there. Custer was beautiful…Lots of buffalo….An few elk…Some birds…a pronghorn deer…No grizzlies L There were some really cool roads that went between rocks that were just big enough for the Durango and obviously – BEAUTIFUL vistas.
After our day of spelunking and sightseeing, we hopped on the road hoping to find something to eat on our way to Gillette. There was NOTHING in the middle of Wyoming so we ended up starving for a solid 9 hours until we finally made it into Gillette around 9:30pm. We’ve been mostly eating at locally-owned restaurants in an attempt to get the hometown feel and interact more with locals, but that night, we just went for the first thing we saw – Applebees (Kris & T also had giftcards waiting in their wallets that would help on the cashflow). We went across the street to crash at the Days Inn and by the time we got settled in, I was not about to wait up for 3 hours to do laundry so I promised I’d wake up early the next day to get r dooone. Set my alarm for 8:45am knowing that we’d be leaving around 11, but apparently my phone had yet to recognize the time change, so I was unknowingly up at 7:45am while the rest of the Drifters snuggled till close to 10:20. The dryer was subpar & took a couple rounds to actually dry things so I guess my early morning was just the big guy looking out for me. It actually ended up being a splendid morning. I ate breakfast, kicked it solo and got a run in. It was the first time I really had time away from the Drifters and while I wasn’t exactly CRAVING it, I realized how nice it is to get away once I had it. But in all seriousness, I have yet to get the least bit annoyed/frustrated with anyone. That’s pretty good considering we’ve spent the past 8 and a half days together.
We just jumped back in the car. We try to stop at as many state signs as we can…Just entered Idaho! We’re planning on driving through to Wells, Nevada and staying there for the night.
Random Snippets:
-TODAY IS TRICIA’S BIRTHDAY!! Marg & PapaPoore sent along a cute card with Billy to give to her today. Kris remade the card she forgot at home on a brown paper bag, and I gave Tric her card this morning. She opened her present from me before we left so we didn’t have to waste space – a scrapbook that read “Durango Drifters 2010” on the front with tons of fun stuff to make it super cute! J I can’t wait to see the finished product.
-All of Yellowstone is spotted with huge piles of buffalo dung. And when I say huge…I mean HUGE. Like 10-12 inches in diameter. Big enough to trip over. & I say that from personal experience.
-Our route map fell off our back window when we went from hot to extreme cold L I’m especially bummin’ cause it was right next to me and I was ACTUALLY learning my states! Dang Nabiiiit.
-Just finished my first book! Onto book number #2…I’m going to have to hide to finished books once they start accumulating in my suitcase cause the Drifters are willing to burn anything to start a campfire…even old love notes found in their wallet.
-I heard a huge smacking/popping noise while I was blogging and freaked out a babybit just to find out that Tric hit a bird. BIRD KILLER!
-WE HAVEN’T SHOWERED IN 3 DAYS – NO SHOWERS AT YELLOWSTONE. OW OWWW!!! (no showers, electricity, or cell service actually….a little escape J)
-Nicknames are beginning to form naturally…I think I’m the lone ranger without one L We’ve got:
-Kyle “Cobra” Sheare…because he’s a sneaky mother Russian. No, it’s from basketball way back when.
-Kris “The Whispering Scavenger” Poore in reference to her secret-telling, frugal disposition
-Billy “The Geyser” Poore in reference to his raunchy and faithful flagellations
-Tric “The Bird Killer” Poore in reference to her most recent homicide
Much love,
a.hendricks
Spelunk it!
Day 7: Keystone, SD (Kristina)
SPELUNK IT!
FINDING RUSHMORE CAVE
Awhile back I was looking for things to do while we spent the day in the Mt. Rushmore area. Obviously, things like seeing Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Needles Highway and Custer State Park were on our list of things to see. I wanted to find something different. I remember Tric and Amy talking about how much fun they had caving last summer in Colorado so I thought this would be perfect for all of us to take part in. So I decided to look more into caving (plus I would much rather go caving with a tour guide that somewhat looks after us than with Tric and Amy’s friends in Colorado and just wing it with no equipment) While I was searching I came across Rushmore Cave, only 5 miles from where we were staying. There were two options: 1.) a $18.00 walking tour inside the cave or 2.) a $35.00 2 ½ hour spelunking tour. After informing Billy (the one in charge of putting the itinerary together) what I found we talked it over with the other drifters Friday night and decided let’s do it!
Rushing to Rushmore Cave
We planned on waking up around 8:30. However, Saturday morning came around quickly and the five of us didn’t awake until 9:30 ahhh! We were already running late! Kyle came up with a brilliant idea, “Kris you should call to see if we need reservations.” Good thing I called because they had a 10:00 am and 3:00 pm spelunking tour. It was 9:47 am when I called. I spoke with April the receptionist at Rushmore Cave. She was very nice and let us sign up when two people were already on the list that max’s out at five people. I informed April that we were currently getting ready at the Super 8 in Keystone. She told me we have time to get there for the 10:00 am tour; it’s only 5 miles away and that she would wait for us to arrive! That came unexpected because back in the Northeast the response would have been a.) we can’t fit more than five in a single tour or b.) if your not here by 10, were not waiting. But fortunate for us this wasn’t the case in South Dakota. When I hung up the phone I informed the drifters to get ready and pack as fast as possible; Rushmore Cave is waiting for us. I told the group no one needed showers until after caving, although Amy refused to listen on account of her greasy head and jumped into the shower anyway while the rest of us quickly packed the car. Believe me when I say I never saw five human beings get dressed, packed and out the door so fast. We were literally driving to Rushmore Cave in less than ten minutes. We crammed everything in the Durango and jumped in to save time and rearrange after caving. We arrived at 10:05 am.
WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO??
Now I know I am the one that searched and found Rushmore Cave. I was the one that encouraged the drifters we shouldn’t miss out on it. But let me tell you I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I just assumed we would be a slight step above the regular walking tour. (with minimal crawling here and there to get into rooms the walking tour didn’t cover) But boy was I wrong!!! The five of us walked in dressed in the proper clothing: long sleeve shirts, jeans and hiking shoes almost as we weren’t armatures at this and take part in spelunking on a daily basis. We met our tour guide Brendon; Billy paid for the excursion while the rest of us got a head start filling out a liability form: pretty much stating if we get hurt or die we cant sue Rushmore Cave. Amy willingly asked, “Did anyone ever die in Rushmore Cave?” Brendon answered, “No.” which was a relief to us all. We received helmets, headlamps, elbow and kneepads.
READY, SET, GO
The tour started off simple. We did the walking tour and as we entered the cave, Kyle said, “I feel like I’m in Goonies!” Brendon informed us on how the rooms formed and how they received their names. Since I’m a science major I found this in particular to be interesting. I learned about karsts topography (caves) throughout college and read about them in textbooks; it was really neat to see them in person and take everything I learned in class and finally see the real thing! However about thirty minutes later we were truly put to the test! This is when spelunking began…Brendon took us to the entrance. Now if you could only see the size of the entrance. It was tiny and very oddly shaped—My first thought was “how the hell am I going to fit through…” but somehow I twisted and turned my body and managed to get through (looking back it still amazes me how I got in) All five drifters entered the cave. Over the next two hours we were hunched over, army crawling, sliding head first, feet first using every muscle in out bodies with our back centimeters from the limestone ceiling. Now some fortunate ones made it through with ease compared to others. For instance Brendon, our tour guide and Tricia who is 5’4” and 115 lbs soaking wet didn’t have a single issue except jamming her right foot in a rock for a mere 20 seconds and thought she was stuck. But when it came time to slide past an 8 ½ inch crevice she did it with ease, like she was walking through the Holland Tunnel plenty of room on each side. Must be nice. As for Kyle, Billy and Amy they made it through the cave nicely. I followed Brendon through the cave followed by Amy, Tric, Billy and Kyle behind me. Certain times I could here Billy saying, “how is Kristina getting through” which encouraged me and kept me going…they were surprised and so was I that I made it through.
UH-OH…FISSURE ROOM
However, over the 2 ½ hours I did encounter one issue. Brendon took us off course to towards the Fissure Room. Unfortunately that is the only room I did not see. I simply couldn’t twist and turn my body through a gap 8 ½ inches wide. I was seriously stuck for what seemed like forever, I couldn’t budge in either direction and I kept calm (surprisingly I didn’t spaz or simply just cry in fear of being trapped) Brendon kept encouraging me from one side and the rest of the drifters from behind me. Worse came to worse Brendon (whose was panicking I was stuck because he took us off course and definitely would get in trouble for taking tourists to the fissure room) told me he was on one side and tric and amy are behind me and they both could help pull me out. But I managed to back out myself, which was a huge relief for me who was holding back tears and Brendon who now wouldn’t get in trouble for taking us to the Fissure room. I backed out and let the rest go through. They all managed to enter. I feel as though I could have attempted and possibly get through. But it wasn’t worth it I would have been in so much fear that I couldn’t get back through. I can imagine the headline in the local paper now, “Girl from PA stuck in Rushmore Cave: carried out by caving emergency team!” Definitely not worth it to me so I stayed behind; the rest of the group returned a few minutes later and we continued on our way. During the adventure there were a few times I needed assistance from Billy and Amy here and there and made it through.
ABSOLUTE DARKNESS
Towards the end of our spelunking experience Brendon took us to a room and we turned our lights off. It was absolute darkness and it was near because there are only two places in the world where this could occur: in a cave or in the bottom of the ocean. Absolute darkness is so so dark you cannot see your hand a millimeter in front of your face. If your down they’re a month straight you would come out color blind (which never been tested but could be true). Although strangely enough tric swears she could see in absolute darkness, which is, impossible so she should definitely get her eyes checked because maybe she is the only person in the 6 billion human population that has the ability (Crazzyyyy!) or maybe she was using her imagination and never saw anything…who knows. Well from here on out we did some digging (laying on your back head first pushing and pulling your body) up and over tunnels until we eventually exited the cave.
OUT AT LAST
It was relief to be out and able to move around. We headed to the exit sign to wipe the piles of dirt off our bodies and clean up. We thanked Brendon for an awesome time, looked through the gift shop, signed the guest book and headed out. It was a long morning, we were hungry so next stop: Lunch! Looking back caving at Rushmore cave was a once in a lifetime experience. I accomplished something I didn’t think I could and along with the drifters had a blast spelunking!
Random Snippets:
“Bill your talking like were in a war zone” –Cobra
That’s it for now…
~ Kristina xoxo
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Roughin' it for the next 3 days..
Driving to Yellowstone National Park today. May 30, 2010. EMBRACE THE OUTDOORS!
<--(the pic is from our splunking adventure yesterday, blog will be coming soon! )
ps. We didn't foret about day 6... we will post that day of adventures ASAP. Perhaps, today if we can swing it somehow. Otherwise, once we get back into civilization. In the meantime, enjoy your memorial day weekend, go out bbq & throw back some brewski, bask in the sun... cause in the last 6 days, if we learned one thing it is...... WE ARE PROUD TO BE AMERICAN!
God bless,
Tric
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Day 5: 10hr Drive & Near Death Experience
We try to write during the drive so we can post when we get to where we’re going, but since I was driving today, I have to bang out a little hypothesis now at 12:30am so I can hit the sack. We have to be up super early tomorrow…I’m really excited about tomorrow! I won’t write about our plans now to save on time – I’ll just reflect afterwards. Anyhow, along the drive today….I got to control the iPod for a solid 10 hours. I threw on a mix of everything but we had a pretty solid worship sesh which I thoroughly enjoyed. The sun was setting across the wiiide open spaces of South Dakota which allowed me to just bask in the big guy’s glory. He’s quite the artist. Aside from the beauties of nature, I was also smitten with the beauty in the far back seat of the Durango – Tricia Arline Poore…waving her arms and singing her little heart out. We smiled at each other for a solid hour via the rear view mirror as we killed every song with our horrible voices…but I’m sure it sounded angelic to JC. Cobra joined in throughout while Kris kept her earplugs in and Billy clapped along.
We had one very memorable detour within our 11 hour trip. We swung by the Badlands. It was a race against the sun...We pulled up about 40 minutes after it disappeared from our sight but the sky still held just enough light for us to FREAK OUUUUT when we finally pulled up (we WOULD’VE been there with time to spare if Kris didn’t HAVE to see the CORN PALACE.) Anyhow, we finally parked and explored a bit. Just as we were about to get back in the Durango, another car pulled up to us. I guess that doesn’t seem that weird, but we were just pulled off to the side of the road (not in a designated parking area) and we had only seen 2 other cars back there the whole time. Three people emerged from the car. A Native American dude with shoulder length hair, an older woman who seemed to be his mother, and a white chick who didn’t smile or respond to any of my friendly attempts. The guy started walking towards our car as we were getting in so of course we started up conversation and I remember nervously fidgeting for my buckle. We were all kinda saying “Let’s go” and “Get in the car” under our breath as we continued to chat with him, closed the doors and started up. He said, “Your tire’s goin’ round and round” as he pointed at our tire like something was wrong with it. I thanked him and stumbled over my words as a I drove off and we all kinda freaked out for a while after that. Since it took us a good 45 minutes to get back to a main road, we all kept talking about what was going through our minds and exaggerated every scenario to the max. Kris thought he was going to “get a bow and arrow out and shoot all our tires” (this was said with GENUINE SERIOUSNESS). Billy still has YET to let it go…He just said, “Who wants to go to the Badlands tomorrow??” and while we were driving he pulled out his iPhone and said, “BREAKING NEWS! FUGATIVE ON THE LOSE!!!”
We didn’t get a photo at the entrance sign in hopes of getting decent sunlight for the
actual badlands, so we planned to get one on our way out. As we pulled up to the sign, Kris started freaking out and refused to get out of the car insisting that a drive-by pic of the sign would do just fine. We all ignored her initial attempts but as she got more frantic, Tricia started freaking out too and jumped back in the car. I grabbed the camera and snapped the shot of the boys while Kris continued to scream from the car. When we all finally got back in she said, “He gained 3 minutes on us.” (Again…..COMPLETE SERIOUSNESS). Well, the entire trip back was laced with jokes in reference to our Native American friend and the fact that we narrowly escaped death.
Random Snippets:
*We recognize that most/some of these will have absolutely not relevance to you or make sense to you but enjoy what you can make sense of.
-Tric: “I haven’t had a cold soda in months. Mmm this is DAMN good.
-Kristina: “Tric, what are you wearing today?” Tric (with a completely straight face): “……….Apple bottom jeans. Boots with the fur.”
-Me updating Sethy on our travels: “We’re in Minnesota, Missouri right??”
-Billy looking at Kyle buying a beer: “I thought this was supposed to be a DRY trip???”
-Me: “Wait, #13’s important too right?” Tric: “THAT’S A-ROD.” Me: “Hey guys! A-ROD’s HERE!!”
-Tric: “Peeling PEGGY.” Me: “Tric, were simply talking about exfoliation.” Tric: “Ohh, I thought we were talking about ALLITERATION”
-Me: “How many miles are we goin again?...Like 24,000 right??” (apparently it’s only about 9/10,000 – I don’t have very good comprehension for numbers – hence the finance major.
Much love
a.hendricks
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