Iowa Trip Thursday

All along the way so far there’s a lot of history. It amazes me the transformations the land and people have gone through. I’ve always said that I would like to see a speeded-up version of the things that have gone on in the last million years. I know, it’s asking a lot isn’t it? Everything returns to the earth to start the cycle over again. I believe that what we refer as God is really a master scientist allowing humans to have choices. I believe that Earth is a grand series of successive experiments of free choice. The fossil record certainly suggests something has gone on before the Biblical history of around 6,000 years.

We drove to Little Bighorn National Monument and happened to be there on the anniversary of when it really happened. I am very impressed to what extent the Park Service preserves the historical, cultural, and natural resources. It is better to error on the side of conservatism than to have rules that are too lax.

A portrayal such as Little Bighorn is especially poignant because it is a human experience, and in all human experiences there are always differing points of view. I would imagine that it took many hours of careful negotiations on the correct explanations as to what went into the pamphlets, signage, and talks. No matter the outcome of the battle, ultimately, there were no winners.It was a powerful place, much like Gettysburg.

We then drove as far as Mt. Rushmore and stayed in the small city of KOA Central. On the way we went by Devil’s Postpile. It was a landmark that people on wagon trains would use as a progress monitor. If they reached this point before June 1 they had a good chance of getting across the Great Plains and over the Rocky Mountains before the first snows of fall. I actually felt kind of guilty since we could cover the same distance in about 8 hours…but I got over it.