The Black Hills, originally home to the Lakota native Americans (the name is a direct translation), got there name due to the dark appearance of the thick trees populating the area. Most notably, it houses Mt Rushmore and the Crazy Horse memorial, as well as a myriad of other interesting features. The area blew up in 1874, after George Custers expedition into the area revealed something hiding deep within the hills. Gold. The hills were peppered with caves and cave networks, all rich in precious metal and minerals. Still to this day, the caves remain a main attraction in the area, drawing tourists from around the world who have an enthusiasm for spelunking.
All posts by Matt Malan
Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower, standing almost 1000 feet tall, this strange protrusion of rock pierces the rolling hills as if some insidious force drove it straight out of the ground. Truly alien to its surroundings, the tower looks like nothing you’ve ever seen. It began to form some 200 million years ago, though no one is really sure how. The tower is comprised of igneous rock, magma, and it is widely accepted that the tower is an igneous intrusion; meaning a giant core of magma that instead of erupting, simply pushed the land above it up and out. However the theories as to its exact origin vary from expert to expert. Some believe it was the core of a super volcano that cooled over time and turned into a plug, other believe it was the heart of a great magma chamber, and it was revealed as the earth around it eroded away, much in the same way Yosemite was exposed. Whatever the case, the rock is as strange and intriguing today as it ever has been, prompting up to 400,000 visitors annually.
Day 20 Road Updates: 3PM Central
10AM Central
After a crushing defeat at Yellowstone (our camp site got double booked and we ended up on the road, skipping 99% of the park to go find a hotel), we’re back on I90 and headed towards Devils tower. For those who haven’t seen close encounters of the third kind, go watch it right now then come back and tell me you aren’t hyped to see the tower too. Though basic in its form, it holds almost as much significance for sci fi fans as Roswell does. The terrain so far has been, well, fairly bleak. Lots of grass and low mountains, trees here and there, and a surprising amount of bikers. Almost feel like Texas again. More updates to come.
SAM & Chihuly Gardens
The Seattle Art museum and the Chihuly Gardens at the space needle. Chihuly, a master of glass work, and is known around the world for his unique style which falls somewhere between actual glass blowing and big art. His work is exhibited across the globe, with permanent installations scattered across the U.S. and Europe, and some in east Asia and India. One of his largest installations, the Chihuly garden in Seattle wraps around the base of the space needle, and makes up the majority of the grounds. Half indoor half outdoor, it is a maze of twisted glass and neon pipes, carefully designed to compliment it’s setting.
The first half, the indoor “Glass house”, is home to the more intricate exhibits, shielded from the environment and lit up to the advantage of the dim rooms. The museum takes about 30 minutes to really appreciate, but you could easily spend much longer.
Day 18 Road Updates: 2PM Central
10AM Pacific
The journey back east has begun, the I-90 will be taking us over 400 miles to Missoula Montana through the forests of Washington. Our route takes us past Mt. Rainer and through the mountains, across the tip of Idaho then into the Lolo National Forest just outside Missoula. The first hints of the Rockies have begun to show up in the form of massive forested waves of land, framing the sky in a washed out shade of green. This leg of the journey is the start of our shift backwards into Eastern time, we lose our first hour after exiting Idaho. More updates to come.
Day 16 Road Updates: 5PM Pacific
10AM Pacific
My apologies for the late start, the forests of Northern California have a seemingly intrinsic lack of cell towers. We spent the morning careening around mountains through a thick low fog, quite an adrenaline soaked journey. Finally though, were into Oregon and trough the treacherous forest/mountain roads, at least for now. The whole state smells like a giant lumber mill, it’s amazing. The smell of forests is everywhere, as well as actual lumber mills, contributing to this magnificent aroma. The sun is out and the fog has been left far behind in the city of Eureka. Never ever go there. If you’re going to see the redwoods, fly to Portland then drive down and stay in Eugene. Don’t even think about Eureka. The post explaining our reasoning should be up tonight. Anyhow, Portland is about 4 hours out, hopefully the weather holds. Also here’s a picture of the foggy roads, another reason to never visit Eureka. It’s pretty reckless. More updates to come.
Redwood National & State Parks
The Redwood forests, home to one of the three remaining Sequoioideae on this planet: Seqouia sempervirens, the Coast Redwoods. Along with the Giant sequoia, Seqouiadendron giganteum, (only found in Yosemite), and Metaseqouia, the Dawn Redwood (only found in China), they make up the only existing coniferous redwoods alive. Dating back some 1.6 million years, the Coast Redwoods are some of the earliest trees known to exist, a first blueprint for modern trees. Growing to heights of almost 400 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and 3000 years old, these colossal plants are some of the oldest things living, not to mention the biggest. As the largest of the redwood species, the Coast Redwoods dominate the landscape completely, it’s not difficult to see why it was picked as the location of Endor, I kept expecting Ewoks to pop up from between the towering pillars of wood.
Alcatraz Island National Park
Alcatraz, a small island in the bay of San Francisco. Famous for housing the nation’s first super max prison, dubbed “the Rock”, these 22 acres of cold stone and gulls nests are much more than pop culture would have you believing. Established in 1847 as a defensive position after California bought it from the Spanish, Alcatraz saw the first steps of its transformation into the place it is today about 15 years later, at the start of the civil war. It was built up along with fort point, known as the guardian of the gate, and filled with high range cannons, thus a single building now stood on the island.
Day 15 Road Updates: 2PM Pacific
8AM Pacific
After a night in the citizen hotel, we’re on the road and headed to the city of Eureka. A day at the beaches and the redwoods beckons, as we work our way up to the return leg of the journey. The highways are empty and the heat is on, with a high of 99, were most assuredly out of the mountains. Not a lot to say at this point, but we should be passing through fort Bragg in a few hours. More updates to come.
Tertiary update: just passed the town of yolo. Heh.
Day 14 Road Updates: 12PM Pacific
My apologies for the lack of road updates of late, it’s due simply to a lack of road in general, the city posts each night should give the full picture though. We’ve just come from the Presidio, and are currently crossing the golden gate. Trust me, it’s better from afar. The traffic is abysmal, perpetuated by the ludicrous amount of tourists who think a car is just a sightseeing utensil. Since entering the city, we’ve encountered a marathon, a bike race, and an aids walk, none of them have been as detrimental to our time as the ridiculous out of country drivers.
The World As We Know It 