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[Shaniko / Mitchell, OR, Oct 17-19, 2025] With October weather continuing to hold steady, I took my second last-minute trip of the month to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Just like with the golden larches, we booked this trip just the week before when we realized the weather will cooperate. I was excited because John Day had been on my list for a while. When to Visit John Day is located… Read More
[Devil’s Tower National Monument, Jun 21, 2025] Somewhere along the way of planning this trip, I realized that we would be just a couple of hours way from Devil’s Tower, an impressive collection of columns rising almost 900 ft into the sky. The town of Sheridan, WY, was another 1.5 hours west. It was a good place to spend the night because it put us within a coupe of hours of Billings… Read More
[Sturgis / Mt Rushmore / Custer, SD, Jun 17, 2025] Our only objective for the day was to drive down 4.5 hours to Custer, SD, our home base for the next 4 nights. But since we got an early start to our drive, I decided to throw in a couple of noteworthy places on the way. The first 3.5 hours were really boring though. There was nothing but rolling grasslands and farms…. Read More
[Four Corners Region, CO, Sep 6, 2023] Due to the cliff dwelling tour schedule and the closure of the Wetherhill Mesa section at Mesa Verde National Park, we found ourselves with a full free day in the remote southwest corner of Colorado. What to do? I had already done the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. Although the weather wasn’t that great when I did it, I still figured there must… Read More
[Mount St Helens National Monument, July 20, 2018] On the agenda for that day was a long drive (3+ hours) from Lake Quinault to Mt. Rainier National Park. We enjoyed our breakfast in the Lake Quinault lodge restaurant as much as last night’s dinner. I had the sweet potato pancakes, which were amazing. We realized that we would be passing by Mount St Helens on our way to Rainier. We couldn’t resist… Read More
