Day 3 - Oh Yes! Wyoming!

Well we woke up at 4:30 AM to see the sunrise, but it was overcast and grey, and the Badlands looked grey. But we trusted that the Lord had planned this trip for us, and would give us the weather he wanted for us all along the way. The day before, there were many tourists out climbing rocks and taking pictures. But that morning, since it was so early and cloudy, there was no one else to be seen. The clouds hung low and settled around the mounds and towers in an eerie mist. Everything was still and silent, as though it had an enchantment over it. And we stood silent too, breathing deep and worshiping the God of All of This.

"There was a silence in the Badlands... the whole universe was stilled by the whisper of a prayer..."

After we left the Badlands, we were surprised to find out how closely we would be driving by Mount Rushmore, so we took a 30-minute detour, and went to see those famous men in the mountains... and the American history corner of my brain started going crazy, remembering facts about these guys that made their names great and our nation great too.

The land flattened out and turned a rich prairie green, and the sky cleared and grew big before and around us, and that's when we came into Wyoming! And it was more beautiful than any of us anticipated.

"And I hear the prairies calling out Your name..."

 We saw huge mountains in the distance to the south, and realized they were the Colorado Rockies! And then a row of mountains showed up closer to us - our first glimpse at the Grand Tetons!

As the sun set and we got closer to our cabin (yep, we slept in a cabin in Grand Tetons National Park!), we saw a herd of bison! We stopped on the side of the road to get pictures... and we got closer, and closer, and closer... until one made eye contact with Brie, another got a little excited at the clumsy sound of my chair on the prairie, and another decided to pose for a close-up shot with Hannah. "I think now is a really good time to leave," Brie said with wide eyes. "Like, leave NOW!" Hearts pounding we all raced back to the van.

"I can feel the earth tremble beneath the rumbling of the buffalo hooves...
And it tells me the Lord is in his temple and there is still a faith that can make mountains move."

Our cabin was cozy, and we looked forward to the next day and all it would bring. But our sweet-dream thoughts were, "We saw bison in Wyoming!"