Set Higher Standards by YogiRavi

Day 3. 580 miles driving from West Des Moines, Iowa to The Badlands, South Dakota (technically Wall, South Dakota). 1900 miles in total so far.

Driving from Des Moines, the scenery went from rolling and lush green – to flat and lush green – to really flat and parched.

Right after we crossed into South Dakota, we headed into Sioux Falls for lunch. We were able to find a place with tons of vegetarian options, and they made me a great vegan sandwich as well. We also checked out the falls which bear the city’s name. It was a nice spot….but the falls were not nearly big as they were in previous years; with the river having been dammed up to make way for city development.

We crossed the Missouri River halfway across South Dakota….and it was quite a spectical. After hour after hour of flatness (we could have put the car in cruise and taken a nap if we wanted to), the road took a big dive down a very large hill, and the river wass right ahead.

Our first real “destination” for the day was Badlands National Park, about 4 hours drive due west from Sioux Falls. Along the way, there were a half-dozen little attractions along the highway. We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell (where the ice cream place actually had soy ice cream!) but passed by the Reptile Museum, the 1800′s touirist town, Car Museum (with the Dukes of Hazrd’s General Lee on display) and several other little sights. Time was short and we wanted to see the Badlands before it got dark.

Badlands National Park was totally different from what I expected (in a good way). We arrived in the evening, and were able to see the park at sunset. We droke through the park, taking the 30 mile scenic route off of I90. The rock formations are insane. If you have ever been to Red Rocks (near Vegas)…image that times 100. The place is huge and there is a lot of wildlife in the park. During out drive, we saw about 12 deer within 20 feet of our car, over three different sightings (several Bucks as well).

As we were cruising around the park, the sun began to set (and we saw a really cool lighting storm on the horizon). Instead of driving the 140 miles to Rapid City, we decided to just get a room in Wall, South Dakota; which is where we are now.

Tomorrow, we will head to Mt. Rushmore, and then to Cody, WY; about an hour east of Yellowstone.

—some pics—

The Sioux Falls, in Sioux Falls!

A vegan meal in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Crossing the Missouri River, in South Dakota. The river really suprises you, after hours of complete flatness.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Stretching out

Sunset in The Badlands

Day 2 featured a trip from South Bend, Indiana to Des Moines, Iowa…via Fairfield, Iowa and Vedic City, Iowa (yes, a real place). Just 600 miles or so today. About 1300 total miles so far.

In other news….we cross the Mississippi today!

We sped right through Illinois, and I was pleasantly surprised with Iowa. It was really bright green, with lots of lush trees and rolling hills. I was expecting parched barren land, outside of the irrigated cornfields, but this was not at all the case. South Central Iowa was particularly pristine and lush, like a much less populated version of Pennsylvania, with smaller hills.

We made a detour in Iowa, to visit Fairfiel, Iowa, home of Mararishi Mahesh Yogi’s “Maharishi School of Management.” I was intrigues with the fact of such a school (there are high school and elementary schools run by the same organize) that teaches yoga and meditation as an important part of the curriculum.

The campus was pretty empty, since school wasn’t yet in session. There were two massive gold domes on the campus, where 2,000 students gather twice a day for meditation. Unforunately, they do not let people who are not practitioners of Maharishi’s “TM” technique (Transcendental Meditation) into the domes.

We headed north to the Vedic City, which is supposed to be an ideal model city and home to many TM practioners and a large Ayurvedic clinic.

Due to the Univeristy and the nearby Vedic City, Fairfield is home to several vegetarian and healthy food stores and restaurants. It was a pleasant surprise to see such vegan choices available in a small midwestern town!

After having our fill of Fairfield, we drove a very scenic rode for a few hours to Des Moines. Tomorrow, we head to Rapid City and Badlands National Park. Depending on time, we will either see Mt. Rushmore tomorrow or Wednesday on our way to Cody, Wyoming.

—-Some Pics —–

Indiana Soybeans (I think).

Crossing the Mississippi.

World’s largest truckstop. Off I-80 in Iowa.

One of the dozen or so vegetarian friendly restaurants in Fairfield, Iowa.

The main square in Fairfield.

Who says you can’t find good vegan food in the midwest?

One of the golden domes, where thousands of Siddhas come to meditate every day.

Some houses in the Vedic City.

The Observatory at Vedic City. This is one of the dozen different instruments.

Capital of the Global Country of World Peace (aka Vedic City).

this is the home of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s School of Management, and adjacent to his organization’s Vedic City. This place is supposedly entirely vegetarian, the whole town stops to meditate twice daily and practice yogic flying (really) and the streets are laid out according to Vastu (ancient Indian principles….akin to fueng shui in Oriental traditions).

We are making good time driving….and will probably stay in Fairfield for the night…depending on how interesting this place is.

Finished day 1. 780 miles to South Bend, Indiana via Saylorsburg (PA), Cleveland (OH) and Toledo (OH). No sightseeing….just driving.

I fogot how green the rolling hills of PA are in the summer. A start contrast to utter flatness of Ohio and Indiana.

Tommorow we’ll head to Fairfield, Iowa.

At Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, PA.

Technicolor green from I80 in Western PA.

Utter flatness of Indiana at 80mph.

Vegan meal in Toledo, Ohio…..Thai to the rescue!

Makes the long and boring trek across ohio that much more tolerable. 516 miles in…..3100 to go.

Drove to Saylorsburg (2.5 hrs) to receive blessings from Swamiji and say bye to our parents before starting the drive west. Now we are driving on I80 Through central PA on our way to Toledo, OH. no plans to see maor sights today.

So it begins! 8 days, 3600 miles, 2 people, 1 car, 12 <or so> national parks!

I fly home tomorrow and the adventure will begin from Sayre, PA. My brother is going to grad school in Riverside, CA and this will be a round-about way of getting his stuff there.

If all goes as planned, we’ll arrive in LA by next Sunday. I’m really looking forward to Yellowstone National Park, but we’ll be hitting up several other great ones along the way (Big Horn, Zion, Grand Canyon, Rushmore, etc.).

I’ll be updating this blog from the road.  If you know something incredibly cool to see along our route….let me know! Outside of the general route, nothing else has been planned. I’m expecting to make a bunch of detours as we go.

I wasn’t in the mood to workout this evening, but seeing  my UPS package had arrived with my new kettlebell provided me all the kick I needed.

I went down to Myrtle Edwards park and did  40 minutes worth of “throws, cleans, jerks and pulls.” As well as some standard push-ups….and of course the hardest part of the workout….lugging this 16Kg hunk of iron the 1/3 mile to the park. My forearms are dying. I think I’ll stop typing now.

I’ve had an on-again off-again relationship with Yoga.  You don’t have to do convince me about how valuable it is for getting super-fit inside and out, but it seems that after about 3 months of steady practice, some other form of exercise catches my eye.

Last weekend, after a helping to lead great yoga workout on the Oregon Coast, I got motivation to get my practice rolling again.

This time, I’m committed to not just doing my own practice, but also getting on track to actually lead my own classes. I’ve found that I actually enjoy teaching, and figure it would be a good way to deepen my own practice as well.

First step will be a one-day intensive class later in September. After regular practice on my own, and a few other “teacher training” workshops, I should be ready to start assisting with classes <location TBD> and eventually progress to leading my own classes.

If you are a yoga teacher and have any tips on how to best make the leap from student to teacher, drop me a line.

I ordered a 36lb kettlebell and instructional DVD from Dragondoor. Should be here in a week. Can’t wait!