South Dakota Wildflowers

I've never tried to write this story down before.  I've told it more than a few times, but for some reason trying to put it into the written word was really hard.  Maybe because there are no pictures for me to fall back on.

On the last night we stayed at Custer National Park campground, Kelly and I got a little bored (we were unable to start a fire between the four of us), so Kelly, being the more more adventurous one, convinced me to walk around and see if there was anything interesting going on.  We came across a group of teenagers who had a great fire going, and (can I say it again?  Kelly, being the more adventurous one) walked right up and introduced herself.  Turns out it was a group of junior high kids from an indian reservation, and their - wait for it - very cute, very charming chaperone.

[Kelly and I have talked about what we remember him looking like - I remember him as a shorter version of Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins) from Friday Night Lights.  With longer hair and his baseball on backwards as was the  hallmark of cool back in the day.  She remembers him pretty much the exact opposite.  Hey, this was a long time ago.]

We were invited to share in the fire, and chatted with him and the boys for a long while, I remember one of the kids cracking jokes, throwing pop cans in the fire, and when the kid next to him didn't laugh, he took a red hot stick from the fire, pointed it at him and said deadpan "Laugh." Looking back, the grown up in me now would lecture him on fire safety, but at the time it was hysterical.

He asked where we were staying, we pointed toward our tent, and we tried to make plans to come hang out at their fire again the next night, but alas, they were on the way out the next morning and we probably wouldn't see them again.

We packed up early to head out to Mount Rushmore and had a great day.  When we returned, we set our stuff down, chatted for a bit, then headed to the tent.  I opened the flap, and saw the most beautiful thing.

Our entire tent was filled with wildflowers.  Laying on the pillow, hanging from the poles, in bunches around the side, there must of been dozens and dozens of them.  Yellow, white, green, it was really beautiful.

We were thrilled, it was so gorgeous, so unexpected, to think someone took the time to go through all this trouble.  They guys were a bit less charmed, complaining "Oh my god, they went in your tent???".  We didn't care, it was lovely.  And I can't believe I didn't take a picture.

Tim Riggins-ish dude, wherever you are.  Thank you.  This still is one of the best memories from a trip I've ever had.