Spent all morning and part of the afternoon exploring the Badlands National Park. At the Visitor’s Center we learned that when we last visited in 1973 that this area was a national monument and that the emphasis was on the scenery. Since then it has been designated by Congress as a national park and now there is a greater emphasis on the history and the science of the area. We got up close and personal by hiking the Window and the Door trails to some incredible scenes. We took the fossil walk and saw a few specimens that had been uncovered in the area. After finishing the loop drive we stopped for refreshment and amusement at Wall Drug before driving west and finding a campsite near Hill City, South Dakota. There we broke out the big tent and set up camp for a four night stay!
By deliberate choice we were in Medina for all the winter holiday festivities from Candlelight Walk in the days before Thanksgiving through A Christmas Carol and A Celtic Christmas as well as an Alex Bevan Concert and a historic house tour all the way through Medina’s 31st Ice Festival but perhaps the highlight was the town hosting hundreds of folks whose homes and lives were devasted by Hurricane Helene at the A Promise of Christmas Event the middle of January. It’s an honor to be a part of this amazing community!
The warmth we anticipated when we headed to the Caribbean in mid-January didn’t really materialize but the fun we had with our dancing friends and the great crew of the Margaritaville at Sea Islander more than made up for the not so favorable weather.
Aboard Jewel of the Seas, a favorite ship of ours, we enjoyed a foray into the history and geology of Canada’s Atlantic coast while enjoying the joys of friendships, longtime and new. Now we’re looking forward to returning to the same ship for further adventures!
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