Day 14 - Following the pioneers

Throughout this journey,  I have often asked myself what the original inhabitants of the country think about all of this. Ancestors, who were at best driven out of their land and were driven as animals into reserves, away from their familiar environment: cattle replaced the bison, cornfields replaced the prairies and cars replaced the horses. No respect for their belongings or sanctuaries. In many cases, no respect for life itself. So many needless killings and executions of Native Americans, you get sick of it.

But also respect for the settlers themselves. Packing up your stuff and taking your wife and children into a carriage without knowing where you will end up. Respect also for the gold diggers, who became rich in a wild adventure. And also for the harsh existence of the trappers.

But especially the beautiful and powerful nature will stay with me. The power of geysers and hot springs, of arches and canyons, of high mountains and low valleys, of the seemingly endless prairie, of the timeless beauty of the Badlands.

But also the man-made majestic heads of the American presidents and the even more intriguing head of Crazy Horse.

These were the Rockies. This was the real wild west, where civilization ended and adventure and lawlessness began.