Road Trip to South Dakota

Jackie and I drove to South Dakota and back to California in 9 days. We managed to drive through Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Colorado. We rented a Ford Escape SUV, packed our sleeping bags, a tent, food supplies, and firewood. We didn't make any reservations and decided to drive wherever the day would take us. We camped out under a million stars and explored the National Parks and Monuments: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Little Bighorn, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, and Arches National Park. The highlight of the trip was the many wildlife roaming in Yellowstone: Buffalo, deer, elk, moose and pronghorn. Other highlights: A highway with no one on it (U2). Dodging birds that might fly into the truck's grill on the drive from Montana to South Dakota. Rolling hills and endless dusty roads leading to no where. A word of advice: You should never plan a road trip around the time of the Sturgis bike rally if you don't have reservations two years in advance. The town of Sturgis in South Dakota has a population of about 5,000. The rally held once a year draws in about 25,000 bikers! More...