The Boy Who Cried Buffalo

Before I talk about my journey to NoDak, I had some crazy stories from MoRu from the other day that I wanted to share.

As I mentioned, I talk about each of the presidents on my ranger walk--specifically, their accomplishments in terms of American foreign policy. Also, when talking about Abe Lincoln, I naturally talk about the Civil War and how he ended slavery... stuff like that.  So on Thursday, this man comes up to me after the end of my ranger walk and says, "You know, you need to study up on your Southern history; we Southerners didn't even call that war 'the Civil War.'"  Really?? I said, "Oh, you mean, the War of Northern Aggression?" to which he said,"Yea, exactly. The South never even invaded anyone."  Really?? Was he trying to argue with me about the CIVIL WAR?!?! Was the war not about SLAVERY?!?! Also... the South never invaded anyone? Fort Sumter ring a bell? Gettysburg, maybe?  Smile and nod, Jake; smile and nod.

Andrew also had an intense encounter; this girl... who was a little definitely a little "off," came up to him and started to tell him about how she loves horror movies, especially gory ones where blood and "flesh tearing" are involved... Then, she tells him that she has multiple personalities, but she's being treated for her illnesses, so it's OK... THEN, she tells him that some people think she's crazy because a few years ago, she tried to murder her parents...
Dealing with the public is fun!

So, I just got back from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota; WOW was that spectacular! I went with Andrew, and we stayed with my friend Ellen, who was a seasonal ranger at Mt. Rushmore when I got to Mount Rushmore at the end of April.  It really didn't seem like I was in the middle of North Dakota... the landscape was amazing and desert-like, like Arizona or New Mexico.

We went hiking in the park (I'll post pictures) and I pulled 4 ticks off of me (fun!). We also crossed paths with a huge buffalo, who decided to take a Scheisse right in front of us.

The park smelled amazing, too (except for the Scheisse).  Apparently there are 7 different types of sages there.  I don't really know why anyone would live in ND... yea, Teddy Roosevelt NP was sweet, but it's about an hour to the nearest grocery store, and the only thing mildly exciting in town was the Dairy Queen (no, I'm not referring to myself).

Back to work tomorrow!
Jake