Sunday, Aug 16 - Return Home

Up at 7 to a sunny, cool morning. We packed up and headed up to the main house for breakfast at 8 with the other guests at the ranch. The B&B is like a cozy little hotel with guest rooms on two levels of a house with a deck overlooking an expansive river valley with the homestead cabin off in the distance, and the Badlands rising up off in the east. The owners of the B&B are cattle ranchers, as were their parents who acquired this land earlier last century when the government opened it up to homesteaders. Phil Kruse chatted with us about the history of his family, the ranch, the guest house, and the old homesteader’s cabin, which was occupied by his grandparents. And, of course, Phil couldn’t resist telling us about the government’s inane policies towards cattle ranching and prairie dog control. Fun to listen to him as he would shake his head and chuckle!

Breakfast was served from a kitchen counter just like at any house – eggs, bison sausage, biscuits and gravy, and fresh fruit. The guests ate at long tables in the “living room” nearby. Afterwards we took our coffee out on the deck to soak up the beautiful morning and expansive views to the south. We were in the car by 9 am to finish our drive, with a brief stop in Worthington MN for a to-go Arby's lunch. We were back in the Johnson’s driveway by 7 pm. Once there, we "decompressed" the vehicles and trailer so that we could each locate our personal gear before going our separate ways.

I have collected several memories on the trip that I’ll mention here so they are not lost to me as time passes.

Gary’s camera in your face
Nora’s bright green bandana
Michael carrying a 50 lb pack – even with llamas!
America not moving on the trail until the other llamas had come into view
Nora rock-hopping at Boot Lake (when she thought nobody was watching)
The awesome dutch oven desserts
Always, always sunscreen mixed with bug spray mixed with sweat. Yuck.
Kevin not shaving the whole trip
Heavy gnats and mosquitoes our second day at Boot Lake camp
Fresh skillet-fried mountain trout
“Hey man, I’ll trade you a good lure for some bug juice.”
“Peace man. A million, no, two million thanks to your crew, man. You guys are the greatest.”
Kayla organizing the trailer contents like a Tetris puzzle
Surviving the Badlands storm!
Susan feeling sick the whole way up to Wind River Peak, and making it as far as everyone else
Digging holes and packing out our TP in silver bags
Michael’s birthday!
Glorious summits and mountain passes
Gary (“Tito”) finding a song for ANY word that was said
Naming Kevin “Diana” (Ross), and then adding “Princess” to the name
Michael: “I think Paint hates me.”
America sneezing on Gary – twice
“Kayla, what’s for dinner?”
Nora and Kayla talking to the llamas on the trail, especially during difficult water crossings
Nora a fast and swift hiker, Chuck slow and steady
Maggie’s Wind River summit in her sandals
Kevin stealing all the cookies at lunch, then Gary having the gall to ask the Chuck Wagon for some cookies
Racing to put the tarp on the trailer and bungee it down before the rain hit
Kayla chasing wildlife for photos
Weiney water lemonade broth
Trying to keep the llamas from pooping in the water
Nora weighing out the panniers each day
Kayla’s campfire songs, Kevin and Michael’s guitars, and 3-4 dork lights leaning in to read the lyrics
Chuck needing his coffee in the morning, and a Coke when we were on the road
Maggie doing make-up on the trail: “You never know which photo will end up on the wall at home.”