One might think that the tallest sand dunes on the continent would be in some exotic beach location that few people visit such as the Bering Strait of Alaska, or along the hurricane-ravaged southeastern coasts of the United States. I was surprised to learn that they are located hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean in, of all places, southern Colorado. President Herbert Hoover declared the Great Sand Dunes a National Monument in 1932…
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…