Interstate Adventures

We pulled into the first scenic parking lot when we entered the Badlands. After driving many hours past endless yellow fields dotted with black cows, the pink canyons looked even more unusual. We were in awe as we walked toward a ledge for what would be the first of many moments of wonder in this national park. A nice-looking couple asked me to take their picture and I was happy when they offered to take ours. They were recently married and on their way from Los Angeles to Minneapolis. He was from Colombia and his wife translated from Spanish “He likes to take selfies with people he meets on the road. Would you mind?”

The next time, it was my turn to ask for the selfie. We met Moshe who was from Los Angeles.  Before that, he had wandered the world, and before that, he came from Israel. He gave us the warmest welcome with Israeli tea when we arrived and Turkish coffee the morning of departure. He told us about all his travels as a young adult across India, Thailand, Eastern and Western Europe. He kept telling his father he was coming home even though he did not. He eventually settled in Los Angeles. During Covid, his work dried up and he voluntarily retired. He bought his rig and has not looked back since. He seeks scenic dispersed camping in the west and has aims for New England. We offered him a dispersed site in our driveway.

When we were in Cody, a man in a cowboy hat came by and addressed Bruce, “I like your rig.” They got to talking about rigs, tires, and electric valves for water tanks. He said, “That’s my rig over there” as he pointed to the parking lot across the way. He was visiting Cody from the center of Texas. The conversation expanded as we learned he was a retired radio host. He was helping to raise his three grandchildren. One of the parents was a drug addict. They were concerned there was another sibling and he said they were searching. I wanted to remember this gentleman so I asked if I could take his photo next to Bruce. He stood tall and said to himself, “Someone wants a picture of me!” Then a woman passed by indicating it was time to go. He took her hand and kissed it. He said with a smile, “That’s my lady.”

As we entered a narrow grassy maze that led to the shore of the river, a couple of well-fed, energetic golden retrievers burst from between two campers. They blazed by us down the same path that we were following. A gentleman with dark gray, shoulder-length hair, parted in the middle, came over and made sure we were not bothered by his frisky dogs. I immediately wanted a picture of him. He said, “You know, I have a bear on my table back at my camper.” Before I could process, I blurted out, “I have to see this.” When we finally did get to see his bear, it was a taxidermy and he said with astonishment, “It cost almost three thousand dollars and they still botched up the eyes.” I asked if I could take a picture of it and him and he said, “Yes, the bear but not me” as he backed away.

After parking the van at the Crater Lake Visitor Center for a hike, I noticed the car next to us had an unusual old-fashioned-looking camera set up. It was a modern version of a view camera with a dark cloth. An older gentleman stood off to the side and a younger was rummaging around in the trunk. I mentioned the unusual camera and asked what they were photographing. The younger of the two said, “We are photographing the parking lot.” Then the older gentleman stepped in and explained to me that they are going to take pictures of the crater. He added, “I take only black and white photos. So, I do not care about orange sunsets or the color of the water.” I asked if I could take a picture of them with my camera as I pulled out my iPhone.

After hiking my last three miles in Devils Garden in Arches National Park with a woman who is turning 59 this year, I just pulled my phone out and said, let’s get a picture together. I asked some tourists from Spain to take our photo. She sold her house in Colorado recently and has been living in a trailer until she leaves the U.S. for a Southeast Asia travel adventure next year. She said, “I want to head up to South Dakota if it is not too cold.’ She added, “The last time I was in the Badlands was back in the 90’s and I hiked in brand new cowboy boots.” We never asked each other’s names.