2023 High School Trip Journal | Sunday, August 6
An Update from Liv Enstad
August 6th started out early with breakfast at the AmericInn and a checkout at 7:30 am. We hopped on the bus and started our trip to Badlands National Park. The bus ride was peaceful with few disruptions and a lot of sleeping. We drove into a new time zone and arrived at the park at around 9:30 am mountain time! The views were incredible. We learned about the sacred ground we were standing on and how important it is to so many people. We talked about Genesis and the origin story while sitting about 30 feet above the ground on top of a hill. We talked about how the Badlands are key to the origin story to many native tribes in the Dakotas. It was important for me to learn about the land I was in and how to respect it. The Badlands was once a vast ocean before volcanic activity pushed the sea floor up. Each year it rains 14 inches and each year the deposits erode. We talked about Wounded Knee and how the native people were dancing and trying to reclaim their sacred land when over 300 of them were murdered. The word Badlands comes from the native word of Mako Sica “land bad”. The area got the name because of the rough terrain and the challenge of moving through it. We hiked a few trails and slid down a few too many rocks while deeply connecting and supporting each other.
As we left the National Park, we all felt so much closer to nature and farther away from the chaos of our everyday lives. The next part of our drive was quite eventful as we took 29 people to Wall Drug! The cheeseburger was delicious, and the ice water was impeccable! We shopped around and left the city at 1:15 when we drove two more hours to Custer, SD. Throughout our road trip we passed hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles because there is a huge motorcycle show. The drive was beautiful, it was so cool to watch the landscape change from treeless and flat to forested mountains and rivers running. The Black Hills have lived up to my expectations. Our arrival at Outlaw Ranch was so calming and felt like home the second we turned into the lot. We had a yummy dinner and learned about a few of the Outlaw Ranch mealtime traditions. We each got paired up with one another and shared about the special places from our pictures. I learned so many things about my partner that I never would have guessed were a part of his story. Before bed, we reflected as a group and talked about love and forgiveness, we again talked about the land we are making home for the next few days, and we all shared our favorite place and why it is special to us. We are in the middle of the mountains in the most peaceful place, and we are all feeling so ready to relax. I am so excited to explore this state and continue to learn about the history of the land and the people who call it home.
Our driver Sammie is so kind and we have all loved getting to know him. A few of us have taken turns driving next to him and getting to hear his story. In case any parents are worried, Sammie is an excellent driver, and we are all in great hands. We all miss you, but we are having a great time!
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Stay tuned for more updates from the road!
