Grace Notes

We started the final leg of our outbound journey with an early morning breakfast in the basement of First Lutheran Church of Bozeman.

Some say carpets make a difference in how well one rests, some thought that perhaps exhaustion was what made the difference, and one or two lucky travelers actually slept on a sofa. Regardless of the environment there was general agreement that all slept better than the night before. The author notes that we set a pretty low bar the night before.

Worship in the morning was a special service for Independence Day. The congregation was very welcoming, and we were also surprised meet up with a church from Prior Lake, MN also on their way to Shoshone. After some mingling and coffee, we started our mountain drive into Idaho. Some stomachs in our group are more acclimated to driving in the plains and prairies and felt a little queasy.

As the mountain driving increased, so did our anticipation for the upcoming week. Leaving I-90 after many miles, we started our trek up to Shoshone Base Camp. Pulling into camp, we were greeted by a familiar face, Andrew Wingren, who is working in Idaho and was able to join us for the week. After checking in and completing registration, we had some chill time to check out our surroundings and lodgings. All campers stayed in Big Creek. One side of the building was designated for guys and the other for girls and both had comfy bunk beds.

Soon the whole group was assembled. Campers from New Mexico, Washington, and three groups from Minnesota comprised our group of sixty-one. We congregated in the quad of camp to meet our counselors and learn about our week. We met our servant teams for the week, and got to know them better during our evening meal. The service teams designated each member with a leadership role – “chow hounds” fixed meals for their team each day, “quartermasters” rounded up tools needed for each day, “fire starters” led devotions and prayers, the “guidebook” made sure the group arrived at the correct destination, and the “chronicler” took pictures to record the work being done.

We had an abbreviated campfire discussion that night so that those who were interested could watch the fireworks in Murray, a small town a few miles down the road. Watching the fireworks in north Idaho was definitely a new experience for our youth. Yes, we were at the town dump, and there was that one firework that veered a little off course, but we ooohed and aaahed and enjoyed the evening. It was a festive end to a long day!

Sunrise over Rapid City

Day 2 of the Summer Servant Trip 2011 started with an early breakfast at Zion Lutheran in Rapid City. We dined on cereal, fruit, and granola bars. We are thankful for the shelter and hospitality the church provided for our night’s sleep. Although the tiles were not as soft as some might have liked, other chaperones remained cheerfully optimistic, and pointed out that there were no roots or rocks under our sleeping bags.

We made our way south out of Rapid City to enjoy one of the local tourist spots – Rushmore Cave. Some members showed their aptitude for spelunking, while others demonstrated their genetic propensity towards claustrophobia.

In the depths of the earth....

Yet, in the end, all triumphed over the cave before piling once again into our trusty, well-decorated GYM van for the long haul to Billings, MT. In Billings we picked up the final member of our group, who had been calmly reading for the past hours awaiting our arrival.

The impressive scenery of mountains – still covered with lots of snow – helped the time to Bozeman pass quickly. We arrived at First Lutheran around 5:30, and ended the evening with a Chinese dinner, a Bible study, and some time for relaxing. All were happily surprised by the showers that have been recently installed here.

A welcome change of scenery

We’re thankful for another day of safe travels and the hospitality of the church here in Bozeman. We’ll be worshipping with them in the morning before making the final leg of our trek to Idaho.

When they say 12 passengers, they don't mean with luggage....

Sometimes you do the best you can with the tools at hand....

South Dakota highways seemingly stretch out forever...

Long miles of highway unfold before us and stretch out behind us as we make our way across Minnesota and South Dakota today. The heat and humidity were too much for the van A/C such that it stopped the cold air from blowing into the cabin. After a short while traveling with the windows open we started making phone calls. After brief discussions with the rental agency and mechanics, we made an appointment to have it checked at the Ford dealer in Mitchell, SD, home of the greatly exaggerated Corn Palace, which is nether made of corn, nor a palace. We might have such a thing in Minnesota, but you wouldn’t catch us bragging it up like that.
It turns out the problem with the A/C was the high humidity making an ice plug in the vents and thus stopping the flow of air… We were all quite relieved that extensive repairs weren’t necessary.
As we fueled the van, a storm blew through with torrential rain, lasting just long enough to douse us as we darted from the van to the sandwich shop for lunch. the storm had dissipated by the time we finished lunch and the streets were dry by the time we finished our impromptu ice cream run and the stand across the street.

Sometimes one needs a little perspective to see which way to go.

Although it was very poorly advertised, we managed to stumble upon Wall Drug. The fascinating sites of jack-a-lope, gorillas playing the piano, and roaring dinosaurs didn’t hold our attention for long and we were back in the van soon for the last short leg of the day’s journey.
After arriving in Rapid City, we found our host church for the evening, which is situated high upon a hill providing beautiful views of the valley below. We ventured out again for supper and supplies for tomorrow before relaxing and unwinding for the evening. Despite some warnings about rattlesnakes, the youth were unable to confirm or deny their existence in the area.
Tomorrow will be an early morning departure and another long day in the van. We will be picking up Chris in Billings, and spending the night in Bozeman.
We are all hoping that the tile floors are more comfortable than they look. And so, good night from Rapid City, SD.

Zion Lutheran Church at sunset