October, 2016
If the pictures look familiar it is because the Idiots were in the Badlands just last May and only recently posted those pictures in the last episode of Idiots without Borders. They found their way back in early October to the same campsite.
The seasonal contrasts were striking. Gone were the verdant greens and prairie flowers of spring. The mountain sheep had moved away from the roads. The grasses were brown and sere after a summer of brutal desert heat. The cottonwood trees were turning yellow, and their drying leaves produced an eerie clacking background music to the main chorus of ever-shifting winds. The uncertain weather of autumn presented continuous changes as the clouds and rain alternated with patches of blue sky and piercing sun to paint the landscape.
In the morning, they had extra cups of coffee… and played backgammon… and took walks… and pretty soon it just didn’t seem like they would be going anywhere. They decided to spend a day watching the weather parade.
Idiot He was determined to get a picture of a frenetic bluebird that haunted the campground. He wasn’t sure if the little guy was shy, or just ornery – but he sure wouldn’t pose. Sometimes the best one can do is an exit butt-shot. On the other hand, the local sparrow was extremely cocky. Think De Niro in Taxi Driver… “You lookin’ at… ME?!”
The following morning it was time to pack up and head south. But first the Badlands provided another excellent sunrise…
Idiot He tried perhaps half a hundred times to grab the camera quickly enough to get a shot of the resident magpies. They always seemed to be on their way to somewhere else. The only shot he got was an extreme telephoto against the dawn orange sky.
Breakfast was extended to ride out yet another squall… this time the rain coming was almost horizontal as the prevailing westerly wind swept in a 180 degree circle and pelted them from east. A few minutes later… the storm-clouded sky, the purple of old bruises, opened just a small gap to allow the lowering half-moon to say goodbye to the rising sun. Nature once more reminded the Idiots why they find themselves returning so often to this special spot.
