The Adventure Begins!

Thank you for joining me on this journey! It has been a long time coming. I’ve always loved traveling, even when I was young and joined my family on vacations to the beach or camping. When our parents asked who wanted to go on a trip with them, I was the one who said, “Me!” For so many years, though, life got in the way of travel. I was working, raising my kids, dealing with medical concerns, helping our dear parents. But now is the time to, as they say, “seize the day!”

I’ll share a few of my experiences along the way through words and photos. I may get behind, when I don’t have internet or extra time, but I’ll catch up when I can.

The first few days:

Day 1: Wed. August 14. I finished loading the last few items in my Subaru Outback and left our summer nest along the Allegheny River in Applewold, PA by 9:30 a.m. on my way to South Bend, Indiana. The drive was about 400 miles. I was entertained by listing to the audiobook, “Miss Benson’s Beetle,” by Rachel Joyce, on Audible. It was great and really helped the drive go more quickly. At a gas station along the way, I gave a young man who said he was stranded a $20 to help him get home. Was he? Who knows, but I’m glad I gave him the money. I checked in to the La Quinta Inn near Notre Dame by mid afternoon. I stopped at the Boehm Park Courts and played pickleball with 4 nice gentlemen, Gary, Dan, Jeff, and Mark, before having a burger for dinner at Culvers. Here are a few pics from my day.

Day 2: Thurs. August 15. I drove from South Bend, IN to Austin, MN, I had a one-hour slowdown going through Chicago and a bit of rain, but finally made it to the AmeriInn in Austin by mid-afternoon, helped by a one-hour time gain. After checking in to my hotel, I went downtown and toured the Spam Museum before stopping to get a beer and chat with the locals at a nearby bar. I drove to the nearby town of Albert Lea to play some pickleball with a great group of people before driving back to Austin and grabbing dinner at a Culver’s again before crashing for the night.

Day 3: Fri. August 16. I drove from Austin, MN to the Circle View Ranch in Interior, SD. Along the way, I stopped at the Corn Palace, which I had heard about and was reminded of by the billboard. It was a fun stop. The lady staffing the entry desk at the Corn Palace told me to stop at the highway rest stop along the way to see the Dignity Statue, which I did. It was beautiful! When I got to Wall, SD, I made a brief stop at Wall Drug before driving through the Badlands to get to my next stay. What a beautiful loop — I was awestruck by the beauty. I arrived at the Circle View Ranch around 7:30 p.m., just before dark. I stayed in a bedroom at the bunkhouse. The bed was comfortable and the room was decorated cutely. There were names on each bedroom door, and we each had keys to lock our doors. The bathroom, kitchen, and living rooms were shared. Oh my, the breakfasts cooked and served up by our hostess, Amy, were sooooo delicious. They fortified me for my day.

Day 4: Sat. August 17. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, potatoes, yogurt, fruit, and homemade granola, I made my way to Culver State Park to hike Black Elk Peak, The hike was 3.5 miles up to the peak, and 3.5 miles back down. It was a tough but beautiful hike. It took a little over 4 hours. I made a brief stop at Mount Rushmore to grab a photo, before driving to Rapid City to eat at Tally’s Silver Spoon, as recommended by Marsha from a visit there. I got the bison marsala, which she also recommended, which was delicious! Rapid City has statues of presidents on many of its street corners. After dinner, I drove back to the ranch and slept well.

Day 5: Sun. August 18. After another delicious breakfast, I headed to see the Crazy Horse mountain sculpture that is under development. The Indian Museum at Crazy Horse was amazing. I also loved the Indian dancers that performed for us. After leaving Crazy Horse, I drove to Park CIty, MT to stay in a little Airbnb cottage. Another great day.

Next up: Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, followed by Glacier National Park. I have a friend joining me in Glacier, which is so exciting! My posts will depend on when I can connect to the internet. More to come!