Waking up to Buffalo

One week ago we turned in the keys to our Minneapolis apartment, and in that moment Reilly's truck became our new home. It was stressful in the days leading up to that transaction trying to figure out what we would need for an everlasting journey, while also trying to finish the last week of work, and simultaneously moving out. We had way too many material possessions and could barely fit every thing into the truck.

Spending time with Reilly's family in Iowa was just the transition time we needed to shed several boxes of stuff before setting out for the West (not to mention a wonderful time as always of great food, love, and story telling).

Sunset at the Old School

On Tuesday November 3rd, with a giant bag of Grandma's homemade cookies we set out for the great unknown. The stretching endless monotony of South Dakota was lulling me to sleep with its black cattle dots grazing when I was shocked out of my seat by the sight of the Badlands. When we got closer we got out of the car to take a look, the formations reminded me of swallow nests or termite mounds, impressive melting mud piles.

We saw all sorts of wildlife on our way through South Dakota; prairie dogs, mule deer, coyote... but none compare to the great buffalo. After the glorious prairie sunset as we were searching for our campsite for the night, we saw one laying in the grass in the twilight. We mistook it for cattle at first- but we were jumping up in down in our seats when we realized its true identity. It was the first time either of us had seen a buffalo in the wild! As we drove further down the gravel road to our campsite,  the landscape opened up and revealed an entire herd grazing just a half mile from our truck. 

We were relieved to see several other campers as we pulled into our free campsite, at least we humans would be together if anything happened. Cooking our mac n' cheese for dinner, a pack of coyotes starting singing behind us, another pack to our left picked up the song, and a couple to our right joined in. We were surrounded, and they sounded closer than I have ever heard. We noticed as we set up our tent that the ground was scattered with dinner-plate-sized buffalo pies and massive hoof prints.

After a long night of howling prairie winds and me yelling "Git!" at footsteps I thought were coyotes (but were probably just innocent people walking to the restroom) we woke inside a misty cloud with buffalo roaming in our campsite. We stared at them in awe for a long while, but when they started wandering in our direction we quickly packed up and began breakfast on the tailgate.

As we left our island of wilderness, I thought about how waking up to the buffalo awakened my spirit out of a strange slumber. It's good to be genuinely scared sometimes, and to witness the great strength and power of nature. It made me feel vulnerable, but at the same time grateful for the beauty of life. 

xo

haley