Quiet Moments
In late August, Adrian finally got a departure date of mid-September. We moved our stuff into storage, flew to Maryland to visit his father, then took a few quiet days in Western Wyoming together, replacing Denver traffic with some bovine friends.
Hitting the Road
Back in Denver, Adrian packed the big bag on the right and headed to Saudi Arabia. I dropped him at the airport, then headed out on a 2000 mile road trip.
The Badlands, Crazy Horse & Bear’s Tipi
This was my first trip to this part of the United States. The Badlands were awe-inspiring. (The photo at the very top of this email was taken there).
Crazy Horse is very much still in progress. The museum of Native American art and history was wonderful.
It was wonderful to see my friend Ellen, and celebrate 35 years of friendship! She enticed me with visions of the Badlands, and a visit to Bear’s Tipi (which the European’s dubbed “Devil’s Tower”), the first National Monument in the U.S.
Canada
Those who know of my epic road trips will not be surprised to hear that once I was in South Dakota, I figured it wasn’t that far to “pop in” to Canada to see a few friends and the fall foliage.
Impressive Exhibits
I was grateful to be able to visit the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, which was fittingly the site of a march that morning, to commemorate Canada’s new annual National Day for Truth & Reconciliation (for atrocities committed by the Europeans against First Nations people). The focus this year was on the kidnapping and murders of children in residential schools (the last of which closed only 23 years ago). I highly recommend a visit to the museum, and reading the reports and actions, which the U.S. must soon follow with its own versions.
On the way home, I couldn’t resit the lure of the Corn Palace, with a giant corn husk mural on the side that is changed up annually. And on my way out the door, I took in Denver’s new Meow Wolf exhibit which was amaaaaazing!
Covid Testing Bonanza
Turns out a global pandemic adds a layer of stress and complexity to travel!
To get into Canada, I needed to produce a NAAD or PCR test. I took it as practice for getting into Saudi Arabia, which requires a PCR test taken within 72 hours of your final flight into the Kingdom.
In all, I ended up taking 4 Covid tests in 2 weeks, as the test results from Walgreens, which was accepted in Canada, did not include the letters “PCR,” which after hours of research I concluded was the only test considered acceptable to enter Saudi Arabia. Knowing I was negative, I coughed up (so to speak) $250 at a rapid test site in Dulles airport to make sure I had a piece of paper I knew KSA customs and immigration would accept, thanks to Adrian’s intel from 3 weeks before.
More soon…
I know many of you are anxious to hear all about what it’s like in Saudi Arabia, but I wanted to catch you up to this point first! Soon, I’ll share what life has been like On the Other Side of the World.
This brilliant sign welcomed me to my stop-over in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, just over two years after I arrived there to begin my incredible travels in 2019. It felt portentous indeed!
