Happy Orange Gremlin Cat
truman - October 26, 2020
Almost Home
On our way back through Illinois Carrie and I stopped to stretch our legs (and eat leftover BBQ sandwiches -- thanks again Lee Ann & Bob!) at the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie. They have lots of grasses, and even a few bison (which we got to see!). It was a nice stop, but I was ready to be home.
Home
We arrived back in Chicago around 4pm on Saturday, October 24th. Carrie is already planning at least our next two backpacking trips, but I was quite ready to unpack, pet our small orange cat gremlin, and relax. And that's about what I did until now, Monday evening, when I'm finally getting around to back-writing the remaining journal posts. We also did some photo organization and will be posting that album soon!
Final Stats
Animals Spotted
Snakes: 1
Bears: 1
Horses (wild): 3
Horses (wild only in their hearts): many
Cows: a ton
Long-horned cows: a ton (by weight)
Prairie Dogs: some, but not enough
Elk: 6-10
Bighorn Sheep: 4
Chipmunks (gold-bellied and otherwise): 10+
Ringtailed Cat: 1 (eyes and a brief tail glimpse only)
Mule Deer: a bunch
Burrows: many trail-worthy (+2 amorously calling in Death Valley)
Birds (all shapes, but mostly Ravens): too many
Scorpions: 0 (but they were out there, watching)
Natural Features
Trees: at least one
Rocks (large and small): 50+
Desolate Texas-panhandled plain: endless
Other
500 Miles call-and-response "da duh lah da"s: 10+
Jay O'Callahan "Oh I did it oh I did it" ditties: each time we accomplished something after listening to Little Dragon
That's it
Thank you for your support. Thank you for helping make our trip possible. Thank you for all of the kind and funny words that you sent along. Thank you for your time and for your attention following our journal. This was an incredible, astounding trip for Carrie and for me; we would not be where we are, or who we are, without you. Thank you.
Love,
Truman (and Carrie)