After the completion of my first draft of Wind~In~The~Grasses~Dancing, Bruce and I headed for Montana in September to do some research and to get a feel for the land. When we reached the Black Hills was video taping and suddenly began to cry to the point that I was forced to set aside the camera. I was not prepared for the flood of emotion that would grip my soul ... Of coming home. Of joy. Of laughter. Regret. Bitterness. Anger. Loss. It was all there, and it would not come to light until I embarked on My Vision Quest in October of 2002.

I was to remember later that evening that it had been the anniversary of Crazy Horse's death. 

We had gone to a restaurant in Custer that evening for dinner and had learned that they were actually filming a movie of the life of "Crazy Horse" starring Michael Greyeyes. I have found in my research that the movie is extremely accurate, and I highly recommend it. There were a few discrepancies however, one being that Crazy Horse, to my knowledge, had never spoken English. This would explain the problem in the translation concerning the fight with the Nez Perce, which later led to Crazy Horse's death.  

We began our trip by flying into Chicago and renting a car. From there we headed for the Dakota's. My research began at the Rosebud Reservation where we were fortunate enough to stay with Wayne Foster, who at that time was a doctor for the Reservation. Wayne took us to several points of interest, one of which was a little museum where I got to see Crazy Horse's Eagle Bone War Whistle. I believe it was there that my heart first truly wept for the Lakota.