The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

Waterfall Chasing My day started out with a mistake... I wasn't thinking when I chose a hike on Beartooth Plateau. When I pulled up to the trailhead, it was snowing. I spun around and laughed in the parking lot. I was wearing sandals and a tee shirt. I'd brought a knife to a gun fight. The plateau would have to wait for a warmer day. I spent the rest of the day checking out waterfalls on the other side of the pass, down by Cooke City. The first was called Bridal Falls. It looked like it was coming out of a slot canyon, and I am intrigued by that. The next was called Sheep Creek Falls. It's an off trail hike up this canyon, and all of a sudden you go around a corner and there they are. It literally took my breath away, and then I started laughing because it was so beautiful. I have a lot of those moments on my summer trips. I hope that never stops. The final waterfall was Crazy Creek Falls, which were crazy indeed. There was so much whitewater it actually looked like

The first part of this hike is not impressive: at least a mile through a burned area. But then you start seeing waterfalls. And then the creek becomes wide and calm, and it looks just like Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite. (I think this is why I'm so in love with this area... it reminds me of Yosemite.) And then, at 4 miles, you reach Quinnebaugh Meadows, and it's heaven. Pretty as a postcard. It almost doesn't look real.

It was going to be a rainy day, so I just went for an easy two mile stroll on the Lake Fork Trail to see Silver Falls. I can't believe what they call "creeks" around here... This raging whitewater is the Lake Fork of Rock Creek. It's not even the main fork of the creek! I met yet another sweet old man who offered to take my picture. I sang songs while I hiked. I was happy.

I am staying at a campground of horrors. I spent Tuesday night in Billings with my beloved Paula. Her twins remind me of the minions. They are two-and-a-half and run around speaking gibberish and making messes. When I arrived at the Palisades campground, I had to use the bathroom. The sites have some privacy, but since there were other campers around, I decided to be polite and use the vault toilet. Upon opening the door, and huge cloud of moths flew into my face. I screamed and ran. All I could think was "they're in my hair, they're in my hair." Horrifying. This event repeated itself when I went to put my cooler in the bear locker. Why so many moths???? Today I hiked just a portion of the Willow Creek trail because I was being attacked by butterflies. Did you know they can smell fear? It's true. It attracts them. They kept trying to land on me, and they traveled in pairs or threesomes, and there were all different kinds, most of which I'd never seen bef

For driving into the sunset, "After You" by Chastity Brown. For rocking out, "Alexandra" by Hamilton Leithauser. Always, "Alone" by Trampled by Turtles. For hiking, "Compass" by Lady Antebellum. Always, "The Devil's Paintbrush Road" by The Wailin' Jennies. "Single I was born, single I will die, I'll marry myself to the whole wide world, never make her cry." For epic drives through exquisitely beautiful spots, "Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men. Always, "High on a Mountain" by Olabelle. For climbing switchbacks, "Icky Thump" by The White Stripes, "Water Fountain" by the Tune Yards, and "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys. Always, "January Wedding" by the Avett Brothers. For when I need an anthem, "Long Live" by Taylor Swift. For worship, "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)." For rainy days reading in bed, "For Emma, Fore

Sia was right. Montana is fickle, but worth having a long term affair with. Sunday morning found me at a Lutheran church in Big Timber. I don't usually go to church on my trips, but I had this feeling I should go and am glad I did. We sang my favorite hymn, and the sermon was based on that hymn and exactly what I needed to hear. The people were so friendly, and I found out that the pastor's college roommate is my parents' pastor. Things went downhill from there. It rained all day and was in the mid-40's as I headed into the Crazy Mountains, only to be turned around by a gate I couldn't open. I felt like I spent the whole day in my car and was wondering if Montana was a lost cause. And then I ended up at a campsite on East Rosebud Creek with the views below. Montana and I are back on good terms. I don't plan on leaving the Beartooths anytime soon. I haven't been hiking because of the rain, and also because I've been bingeing on romance novels. Reall

I have a new hobby. It is, perhaps, a bit dorky. And old lady-ish. But I've never claimed to be cool. And it's not technically bird-watching if I'm not actually looking at the birds, right? I don't have binoculars or anything; I just listen for them. One day I was listening to the song "January Wedding" by the Avett Brothers, and this line jumped out at me: "She knows which birds are singing, and the names of the trees where they're performing." And I thought, I want to know the names of the birds that are singing. The first one I learned was the canyon wren. That one's easy because you don't see a lot of birds in the canyons. When I was hanging out in my parents' backyard, I heard SO many bird songs. How had I never noticed this before? I did some research and learned the robin, blue jay, cardinal, and grackle. It made me so happy to sit there with my bare feet in the green grass and listen to the robins sing. And now I&#

I don't believe in redemptive violence. This is something I had to repeatedly remind myself at Custer Battlefield. I also have to remember that Custer wasn't the only bad guy; he was just following orders. There was a whole system of oppression, not just one guy. But it was still somewhat satisfying to hear that, when Custer's body was recovered, he was naked and missing several fingers and an arrow had been shoved through part of his male anatomy. The Native Americans believed that the afterlife is a continuation of this life, and you will meet your enemies there, too. So it's best to put them at a bit of a disadvantage. I really enjoyed the ranger tour I went on at this site and highly recommend it. Most of the people on the tour were older guys who asked a lot of intelligent questions, so I felt like I learned a lot. My next stop was Little Bighorn NRA, which was not very exciting. I think I missed the more scenic part. But at least I got my stamp. Today I hi

I spent Tuesday night in Minneapolis, which meant I got to hang out with my pen pal Kelly. She lives in this fabulous neighborhood called Uptown, and we enjoyed dinner and drinks at a rooftop restaurant. She is dating a wonderful boy who makes her so happy that I had to send him a thank you note. I spent Wednesday driving across North Dakota, which was just like driving across Nebraska. I stopped at the Knife River Indian Village to get a stamp. I explored the Earthlodge and learned about Buffalo Bird Woman. It wasn't all that exciting in the moment, but it made the things I saw the next day even sadder when I considered the Native Americans' connection to that land and how it's being lost. I camped in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP. The next morning, I went exploring. The badlands here are different than the ones in South Dakota; they're more green. At one of the overlooks I chatted briefly with a nice older man. He's a retiree and vagabonding just lik

I spent ten days in Chicago with all of my favorite Chicago people. I meant to take pictures with everyone I hung out with, but I am forgetful. So here is a summary of who I saw and what I did. (The Blogger app won't let me type in between pictures.) Melissa just happened to be in Naperville for a triathlon, so she stopped by my parents' house. I had brunch with Anne, Liz, Sonal, and Rupal. I've known some if them since kindergarten. I made dinner for my family one night- quinoa salad and Neiman Marcus cake. I asked them to make a face that reflected how they felt about the cake after their first bite. The pictures below are the result of that request. I had lunch with Andy and his girlfriend at Flat Top Grill. We found ourselves sitting next to his kindergarten teacher. I went hiking with Nina and Dave at Matthiessen State Park. I has brunch with my friend April, one of the best teachers I know. She was wearing a shirt that said "All Aboard the Hot Mess Ex