Most of you are probably wondering what in the world happened to me. After all, I haven't posted in nearly a month. Actually, I was taking a very lovely road trip all the way to South Dakota with my siblings to visit my other sibling. For the directionally challenged, South Dakota on the map is located beneath North Dakota, not above. For the scientifically challenged, heat expands and cold contracts not the other way around.
The weather in South Dakota was beautiful, but overly warm. Mid-August and all that, you know. We arrived on Saturday, having left Friday. On Sunday, we went to church with my brother. Interestingly, a missionary from China was there. He had many very interesting things to say. For instance, Chinese children, because of the one-child policy, are all spoiled brats. They call them "little emperors" and "little empresses." On Monday, my brother got us up at 5:30 and we took a mile and a half walk around three beautiful little lakes. Little is right, I'd call them ponds myself. After that, we played Wally Ball. And no, that is not Volleyball, although I thought it was at first. It was quite fun. Does all this count as Snippets of South Dakota?
All right, here's some real South Dakota stuff. South Dakota is home of the Black Hills. These hills, similar in shape, size, and color, to Brown Speed Bumps, are really quite lovely. They are home to the scrawny, scraggly, and skinny National Pine forest. The forest is so thinly populated with trees that it makes for a lovely shaded walk with few obstructions and impediments both to the view and to movement. I may be sounding a little sarcastic here, and it's true, I am. But that doesn't mean I didn't like it. It was so neat to see all the different types of beauty that God thought to create.
Also located in the Black Hills of South Dakota is the National Monument: Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is truly a beautiful work of art. It is thrilling to be there and see it and think about the great contributions of those four great men. I have to say that my favorites, in order, are Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Jefferson. The monument is huge. It inspires a wonderful love of my country, i.e. patriotism. I would encourage everyone who is in the area to go and see it, also to see the lighting ceremony at the end of the day.
South Dakota possesses two cave systems. I had the privilege to visit one. The Wind Caves are one of the longest systems in the nation. 136 miles have been explored. It is believed that this is only 5-10% of the cave. It has the most box-work in the world. Box-work is very beautiful. It is as if a cube of cement was poured and partitioned with cement. In the partitions, we put sugar. Then, we pour water on the creation. Naturally, the sugar dissolves. The frame is all that is left, and that is what box-work is like. Some parts of the box-work are very thin. If you scrape your finger lightly on the edge, it makes music.
That, combined, is both my recent visit to South Dakota, and my Snippets.
(This has been: Tidbits of South Dakota. Look in next time to read Fountain of Thoughts:_)
