We took an impromptu camping trip last weekend to southern Colorado. We drove up through Taos and further north rather than take the interstate. Of the two main ways to get to Taos from Santa Fe, we typically take the Low Road, which is more direct. The scenery is gorgeous, especially along the Rio Grande Gorge. But we had not taken the High Road since we visited New…
We left the beautiful Custer State Park and made our way over the state line into Wyoming to cross another item off our bucket lists: Devil’s Tower. It is also known by other names given to it by the Native Americans, such as Bear’s Tipi, Home of the Bears, Bear’s Lodge, and a few others. The bear-related names arise from one legend that a giant bear clawed grooves into the mountainside…
Truth be told, we had never heard of Custer State Park before researching areas in South Dakota near Mount Rushmore. But we have to say it is now one of our favorite state parks anywhere, even rivaling Valley of Fire in Nevada and Dead Horse Point in Utah. Set in the Black Hills, it features scenic drives among spectacular granite spires, beautiful lakes and open-range wildlife on all…
Our visit to Mount Rushmore — long a bucket list item for us both — was cut short due to the large crowds of mostly non mask-wearing bikers visiting from nearby Sturgis. Since Koda wasn’t allowed up in the Memorial area anyway, we each took a turn going up to snap a few photos but then we quickly left. There was no way we were going to hang out in a large crowd even though…