Western Adventures: Buffalo Bill Highway

June 5th: My heart started racing as I began the fifty-two mile drive west from Cody to Yellowstone’s East Entrance. Yellowstone holds a piece of my heart. I fell in love with the land in 2002 when I first moved to Montana to attend Montana State. A car accident forced me to return to NC […]

WEstern Adventure: Cody – the Wildest in the West

6/4-6/5 2022: I rolled into Cody Wyoming on Saturday as the last gasp of dusk lit up the sky before night fell over the canyons. I enjoyed a delicious meal at Bubba’s BBQ before checking into The Holiday Inn. Cody has a ton of great hotels – from national chains to local historic hotels like […]

Western Adventure: Crossing The Bighorns

June 4th 2022: If you are looking for raw, rugged beauty that echoes Eden look know further than The Bighorn Mountains. Often overlooked by Yellowstone to the west and Mt. Rushmore to the east, The Bighorns and Bighorn Canyon is one of the most fascinating and gorgeous stretches of wilderness in the American west. A […]

Western Adventures: Buffalo WYoming

6/4/22 Heading west in Wyoming from South Dakota, I drove several hours through wide open high prairie towards the Bighorn Mountains peering out on the horizon like distant blue sapphires. Buttes and Mesas rise from the grassland like cities of stone. Some ranchers put cool wrought iron work on top of the mesas that appear […]

Western Adventures: Across the Wyoming Line

June 4th 2022: Crossing into Wonderful Wyoming – The Cowboy State One of my favorite sets of scenic drives in the USA is the road from the edge of Western South Dakota onward to Yellowstone via I-90 to Highway 16/14. Before I continue my travelogue from June 2022, I wanted to give you a window […]

Western Adventures: The Road to Deadwood and Spearfish

6/4/2022 My alarm buzzed me to life early on Saturday morning. After packing my car, I headed to the State Lodge Dining Room for a hearty breakfast. I savored the hot cup of coffee and buffet of homefries and bacon. The staff at the Game Lodge was exceptional. The waitress asked for a copy of […]

Western Adventures: Dusk in Custer State Park

June 3rd 2022: After enjoying my early evening stroll through Custer City, I drove back into the boundaries Custer State. As you enter the western park entrance you’ll see signs for Stockade Lake. Stockade Lake is one of the prettiest places to find solitude and recreation in the park. The largest of Custer’s five lakes, […]

Western Adventure: Custer SD – Gold Dust and Ice Cream

(June 3rd, 2022) Custer SD is a charming western town thatis arguably the center of the tourism for The Black Hills. I love the cultural heartbeat of downtown Custer with it’s quirky galleries and shops, outdoor apparel and guides, dozens of local restaurants and a handful of museums. My mom and I spend three weeks […]

Western Adventure: Crazy Horse Monument

Located halfway between Mt. Rushmore and Custer, SD off scenic Highway 16, Crazy Horse is a monutment to honor the culture and traditions of Native Americans, including the Oglala Lakota peple. Background: To the Lakota the Black Hills is the center of the universe. It is their ancestral home and a place sacred to their […]

Western Adventure: Sylvan Lake -Custer State park

June 3rd, 2022 Tucked in the northwest corner of Custer State Park you’ll discover tranquil Sylvan Lake. Coined the ‘crown jewel of Custer’ –Sylvan Lake lies in the shadow of Black Elk Peak and the towering monoliths stone needles. Each of Custer’s five lakes offers beautiful vistas, but Sylvan has a mystical essence as it […]