Journeys: SEND IT - August 10th - Pierre, SD/Ohio

We had a big day of driving ahead of us since we left Devil's Tower so late the evening before. I hoped to make it from South Dakota to Ohio, roughly 1,000 miles of driving, before we stopped to sleep again. From Ohio it would only be eight or so hours back to Baltimore. We drove and drove and drove and drove. Back through Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana we went. The sun again sank below the horizon and we were hurtling down a dark highway. Everything was a blur. My mind was numb. We had covered so much ground, climbed so much, had returned to the wilderness. It had been epic, awesome, it had rocked. And now it was all over. Our bodies now adjusted to waking to the sun warming our faces would have to readjust to dark bedrooms and alarm clocks. Instead of eight hours of climbing each day we would do eight hours of studying or eight hours of "work". A big part of me did not want to go home, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Just give it some time Charlie, then you can move out west for good. Ah, that thought will be the light at the end of the tunnel. To one day move to a place where so much outdoor satisfaction can be had is truly inspiring. I cannot wait. Finally, Ohio. At 0030 we pulled into a rest stop between Dayton and Columbus and were soon fast asleep in the truck.