The last part of my road trip is spent exploring the Great Lakes area in northern Michigan, including the Porcupine Mountains, affectionately named the Porkies. Early in the morning I roll out of my tent in the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park and plan to hike the forests around the beautifully named Lake of the […]
Minnesota on a Stick: The State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is a big deal. It runs for 10 days, prior to and including the US Labor Day Weekend. Nearly 2 million people attend the fair and I want to be one of them, experiencing this typical American extravaganza. For many people, it has to do with nostalgia of the old days […]
South Dakota’s Astounding Badlands…and Wall Drug
I can’t complain about the weather. Although there have been some storms, many of them have been timed perfectly – I’ve either been enjoying the slashing and tearing of the heavens from the safety of my car, or while I’ve been nestled into my cozy sleeping bag, my thirteen year-old tent doing a marvellous job […]
Adventure outside of Custer State Park – Jewel and Wind Cave
It is easy to fill your days with adventure and wonder in Custer State Park, but when you feel like you know the park well enough, venture out. West of the park is Jewel Cave National Monument and I am interested in spending some time wandering underground where it is cool and dark. I arrive […]
Adventure in the Black Hills and Custer State Park, South Dakota
I like driving as long as its not in the city: the roads in and around Custer State Park perfectly satisfy my amateur driving needs. The seventeen mile Iron Mountain Road runs from Keystone to Custer SP and is full of hairpin bends, horseshoe turns and tunnels carved through rock, which conveniently, and beautifully, frame […]
The Sacred Devil’s Tower
Seven young girls are playing outside when suddenly, spotting his dinner, a vicious bear starts sprinting towards them. Everyone knows it’s silly to try and outrun a bear! The girls find a rock on which they huddle, praying to the rock’s spirit, asking for protection. The rock does offer it. It grows taller and taller, […]
The purr of Harleys in Deadwood and Sturgis
The famous Western town of Deadwood is nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s famous to me because I’m a fan of Deadwood, the TV series. I imagine wooden houses, wooden boardwalks, mud and business owners who swear an awful will populate the town. Wood is no longer the building product of choice, […]
The Medicine Wheel
From Bighorn Canyon it’s only a short drive to the Bighorn Mountains. Short, but very steep. The road clings to the side of the mountains as it ascends, hugs the mountain tightly as it sharply curves this way and that. The road does an excellent job of keeping me alert. Of course, I’m also gasping […]