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20250618 – Minuteman Museum and the drive north

I started out the day helping Riley with some yard maintenance; mowing the lawn, edging the front sidewalks, and raking the leaves. We ended up filling his garbage bin with yard waste. Kathy packed up the truck, I took a quick shower, and we headed off to find some Bagels. There are two Einstein Bagel places in Tapid City but one was closed for the summer and the other was closed due to lack of staff. We gave up and headed to Riley and Lizzy’s place. She had a cool little place that is constructed for gardening and small farm animals. Thy have planted a huge number of crops in the containers and boxes around the home. They even have 6 chickens. It’s a really cool place and this will be their first full summer with the gardens.

Since we didn’t get breakfast, we had lunch with them at a local Irish restaurant. Another great visit and good food. We said our goodbyes and headed out of town toward the minuteman middle monument. It is about 1 hour east of Rapid City, just past Ellsworth AFB and we were amazed at how many missiles the world still has. A different time than when our parents grew up.

We turned Howie northward and spent the next 3 hours crossing the vast grasslands of central and eastern South Dakota. We did pass the 45th parallel are are officially halfway between the equator and the top of the earth. Again, the lack of public lands makes it hard to find camping so we drove until about 7PM and got a rather expensive spot at a Shadehill State park, which charges out of staters more for the same campsite. It’s beautiful, and a nice lady helped us reserve a spot with her app. $40 for the night, although it does have an electrical hookup and showers.

Chicken and rice for dinner and we finally settled down about 11:30.

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20250617 – Badlands NP and Rapid City, SD

The night was cool and a nice thunderstorm rolled through about midnight. The Trick Camper rocked around a bit but the wind map only showed 10-20mph gusts. It felt like more, but nothing to worry about.

We had a shorter drive today ( 165 miles by the end of the day) that started first with a scenic drive through Badlands National Park. We stopped by the visitors center to look at the exhibits and grab stamps and postcards. Just after the visitors center we stopped for a photo of the view and Kathy spotted a momma deer and her baby. We watched the die and fawn ad they wandered around the edge of a bluff. Last night the coyotes were howling pretty good so I’m sure the doe was glad for the peaceful morning.

The drive took us through the Badlands and again Kathy spotted wildlife, our first buffalo sighting. A lone beast sitting in one of the canyons. Further up, and upon just exiting the park, a small herd posed alongside the road.

Our Friends in Greeley noted that we should stop by Wall Drug, in Wall SD, so we did just that. The business had been consistently open for 90+ years and is a sight to see. It takes up a whole city block and contains a cafe with 5 cent coffee, trinkets, a chapel, a historic pharmacy, and just about everything else. We putted around for about an hour, walked the pups, and then headed into Rapid City to meet my son, Riley and his girlfriend Lizzy for lunch.

Lunch was ended by a thunderstorm so we ran some errands, mailed packages, fueled up, and headed towards Mt. Rushmore to complete a long quest Kathy had at Horsethief reservoir. We stopped in Keystone, a small western mountain town and walked in the cool rain and browsed the shops and displays. It’s interesting how just 20 minutes from Rapid City the Black Hills are cool with an alpine feel at only 4600 feet. I’ve always liked this area. We headed back down to the city and finished the night parked at my son’s house.

here are some photos for the day.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250617-badlands-np

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20250616 – CO, WY, NE, SD

Today was a pretty long drive. The tracker said 331 miles and 8:28 hours. It was long, but finding camping in this part of the country is difficult. No BLM or forest service land, plus an Indian Reservation. We ended up at a pay campground just outside of Badlands NP around 8 PM.

We left Greeley, CO a bit late (11AM) and headed north. We first crossed into Wyoming south of Cheyenne, and then headed northeastward into Nebraska. We made it to Scott’s Bluff National Monument around 1:30 and took in the sites. It was 87 degrees and hot out for the pups. There was a drive to the top of the bluff but there was a limit of 11ft 7in for vehicles. I pulled out the tape measure and measured 11’ 5” for the truck. Two inches to spare. The sides were only 10’4” with the AC adding about 12”. Needless to say we took the drive.

After leaving the monument we managed to find the grave of Rebecca Winters, a Mormon settler that caught cholera and was buried along the trail. Her burial was unique in that someone scribed her name and tribute on a wagon wheel iron tread and left it with her. Most were buried in the road with little memorial.

After Scott’s Bluff we continued north and east until we needed to stop for diesel. Diesel was found in Alliance, NE, and just after filling up we ran across a roadside attraction called Carhenge. Apparently a gentleman named Jim Reinders has some time on his hands and a few spare junk cars and he recreated Stonehenge with cars on a hill in Nebraska. It was an interesting find and a tribute to people with time and creativity in their toolboxes.

We continued northward and east a bit and tried to find a place to camp. Unfortunately in this part of the country all land is private, a sad state, and we could not find a pullout to camp. We crossed into the Lakota Sioux reservation and drove another hour into South Dakota and took the Badlands. We did get to see the Battle of Wounded Knee memorial site along the way.

It was a long day of driving through miles and miles of beautiful green grasslands (and happy cows). Tomorrow will be a visit to the Badlands NP and then on to visit Riley in Rapid City.

here is a link to some more photos.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250616-scotts-bluff-np-to-badlands

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20250614-15 – Visiting Friends

Saturday morning we headed north on I-25 to visit some of or super cool friends Benjamin and Karrie. On the way there I found out that Buc-ee’s has a stop along the 25 just south of Loveland. Kathy has not been, so I had to stop. Buc-eee’s is an experience (thanks Carl).

Benjamin and Karrie had a quick change of plans as their daughter was getting a proposal and Trey invited us to the winery to help celebrate. Congrats to the newly engaged couple, Jayden and Kaylei. Ben and Karrie are two of my oldest friends. I met Benjamin in 4th or 5th grade and we’ve been friends ever since. I was even his best man at their wedding and I still think they are two of the greatest people I know. They raised three great kids and it’s really neat to see how the family is so close and hangs out together, laughs together, parties together. They opened their home and let us stay a couple of nights. Even on Sunday, Father’s Day, they included us with their kids for NASCAR and a burger grill. Love them tons.

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20250612-13 – Moab, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

We hung out at the Sun Outdoors RV park on the 12th, soaked in the pool, and went downtown and browsed through the Moab shops. Some cool stuff and after a couple of hours we were thirsty so we found a restaurant called the Spoke, and we enjoyed some beverages, a burger and a sandwich. The rest of the day we sat under the shade canopy, read some books and finished the evening with a little television.

The next day we packed up camp and drove across Utah and down the scenic drive through Montrose, Gunnison, Monarch Pass,, and then across the high valley into Woodland Park and down to Colorado Springs.

We stopped at a couple of National Parks along the way including the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area (Blue Mesa Reservoir).

We met Peyton for dinner at The Edelweiss, a German restaurant, and had a great reunion. Peyton is making and selling handmade soap and us works wonderfully and smells great so we added a couple of bars to our shower kits.

we did our first parking lot camp night at the Bass Pro Shop in Colorado Springs. Somewhat quiet other than the dance club to the south. We slept well.

here are some photos along the way. https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250612-13-drive-to-cos

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20250611 – Canyonlands and Arches NPs

We dismounted the camper for the couple days while we’re here. There’s a power hook up so we can turn the air conditioner on and leave the pups here. Remember that the national parks are not pet friendly, so there’s really no allowing them off of pavement or concrete, and at 95 to 100° here that gets too hot for the dogs. The campground is nice and shaded, though, and they sleep most of the day anyway.

Kathy and I went to Canyonlands first thing in the morning. This is one of my favorite parks, if not my favorite park. It’s not necessarily from the Mesa where the tourists drive, but it’s because of the White Rim Trail that traverse is down to where the Colorado and the Green rivers nearly converge. That is one of the best camping/overlanding routes. I’ve done it three times, and although we’re not taking Howie down there, it still is a wonderful place to visit. This is actually the first time that I made it up onto the Mesa and drove all the roads and looked at all the vistas.

The way national parks are now you have to have a reservation order to drive in, and Arches National Park is no different. I got on the website when we arrived here and the only times that were available were afternoon times on any of the three days that were here. So I paid the two dollars reserved at 3 PM slot for today. You can enter the park before 7 AM, or after 6 PM without an You can enter the park before 7 AM, or after 6 PM without a reservation, beginning, moving out early in the morning is its own feat. After coming back from Canyonlands, we had a nice nap, some lunch, and then headed up to Arches.

Arches National Park is one of those kind of surreal places with a very dynamic landscape. It’s a great place for hiking, especially if you’re here in the spring or fall or if you’re out early in the morning. It’s also a great place for stargazing and night hikes. While we were there at 3:30 in the afternoon, and it was about 95°, we did a little hiking, but mainly spent the time driving. There are a couple of roads in Arches National Park that require four-wheel-drive and display some additional places in the park. We took one of those roads, turned at the “beware four-wheel-drive road”, and proceeded up a fairly technical, 4/10 type of trail. Now I’m not in my FJ cruiser, but rather this 3500 Ram 1-ton truck, so I’m still getting used to four wheeling this thing. It did exceptionally well. They’re only a couple of spots that I had to get out and look for a line, and I only scraped the tail pipe once. I did have to remove the camper tie-downs because they stuck out just a little too far.

Overall the drive took us to Whales eye arch as well as near tower arch, where we saw the marching men. It was about a 2 1/2 hour side trip, but we did get a little hiking and had some fun.

Here is a photo album for today.

https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250611-arches-and-canyonlands-nps

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20250610 – Capitol Reef to Moab

We got off around 9 am from a little Forest Service corner plot off of Highway 24 where we spent the night. We were a few miles from the Capitol reef park HQ so we got in as it started to get busy. It turned out the visitors center parking lot was being paved as was the scenic drive past the Grand Wash. So we stopped at the picnic area where the temporary Ranger station was set up, got a few maps got a few stamp, and then proceeded over to the historic cabin, where they sell, pies, jams, etc.

We continue up the road to the ground wash and took the side road to the Hiking trail for the narrows. It was a little warm for the pups so Sean took the trail up to the narrows to get some photos. The hike turned out to be around 3 1/2 miles. There are some beautiful canyon scenes and tons of hikers.

We headed back towards the park entrance, stopped to see some petroglyphs, and continued on to Moab. We have made reservations in a campground in Moab so we could drop the camper and do a few of the roads around the area. The drive along Highway 24 was beautiful. There is a desolate desert, split up by the Fremont River Valley that is green with fields and Cottonwood trees, and then as you cross this area called goblin Valley is a bunch of random hoodoos just sticking up out of the sand. And the geology in the area is absolutely fascinating. We stopped in Green River for some fairly expensive fuel, and then headed to the campground in Moab.

The campground has some great facilities and we’ve met some nice people. We even jumped into the pool for a short time. Just around the corner is a grocery store and we stopped in for some supplies.

One one of the difficult things for me with national parks, is there just too many people. It’s beautiful seeing these areas but summertime is always a challenge. I checked the arches national Park website, because usually they have a queue to get in. It turns out now you have to have reservations. Even to drive in. So I look for tomorrow the next day and Friday morning, so if we went up there, we could do it in the cool air. But there was nothing except afternoon slots. And it cost two dollars to reserve a slot. I reserve the first one for Wednesday, and we’re just gonna go to canyonlands during the day.

here is a link to today’s photos. https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250610-capitol-reef

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20250609 – Bryce Canyon NP, Utah

We left the campground this morning and headed to Bryce Canyon national Park. We got there pretty early, so we just drove all the way to rainbow point to avoid the rush of people. The drive is pretty, and probably 9000 feet or so, but it wasn’t quite as lush as the north rim we thought. At Rainbow Point we got out and took in the beautiful views, walked the dogs and then Sean took a hike for about and hour and was about 2 1/2 miles. The trails, Bristlecone and Below the Rim provided some great views and photos.

We continued back, stopped at the numerous vistas, and then hit the Visitors Center. And that’s where the people were. LOL. We bought a few trinkets, Kathy got her book stamped, and we headed back on the road after several hours visit.

The next part of the drive in Utah’s Highway 12 is breathtaking. It began the day at Red Canyon, continued across Pine forests, and then dropped down into cedar and juniper sections. Then the road narrowed and the sandstone valleys opened up. There were beautiful canyons, formations, and twisty slow roads across sone sketchy ridges. The road continued up into the Dixie Forest up to 9500 feet in the first and aspens.

We took a little side road and stopped for lunch. There was a spring listed on the map, so we investigated and saw a buried cistern that collects the water. There was a cool stream running behind the lunch site and Maggie was all in for a splash. She continued by rolling in the sand and ended up a filthy mess. Such a dirty girl.

We stopped right outside the NP for the night in the National Forest for some boon docking. Today was 8 hours of driving and 168 total miles.

Here’s a link to today’s photos:

https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250609-bryce-canyon-and-highway-12

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20250608 – Zero travel day in Red Canyon

We started the day off with a beautiful hike up the Buckhorn trail that leaves the campsite. About a mile up it meets the Golden Wall trail and then meanders up and down and around the ridges. We took Zuzu on the hike since her longer legs are better for the hike.

The trail all the way around was almost 5 miles and meandered through the tan and red sandstone formations, cedar trees, and scattered forest shrubs. The morning was about 50 degrees when we started and ended at almost 70.

We decided to stay another night here and enjoy this peaceful and non-busy campground. We pulled out the pantry contents and made a list of items and then a menu. We have to eat all of this frozen meat and get a handle on our supplies. In the quick pack we put most of our pantry and freezer in the camper and are not sure what’s all there. We have a plan now for the next two-three weeks.

Here’s a link to days photos:

https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250608-red-canyon-campground

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Gooseberry Mesa, Zion, and Red Canyon

The campsite on Gooseberry Mesa outside of Apple Valley Utah was incredibly quiet all night long. This morning when I got up, I heard some coyotes in the distance and a bunch of birds that sounded a little bit like quail. We got everything packed up on route around 10 in the morning. We drove to Hurricane, Utah, filled up the thirsty beast, and stopped by grocery store for a few supplies. And then we are off to Zion national Park.

And then there were people. They were probably 10,000 cars in the parking lot, but a nice family flagged us down and told us to wait a few minutes to give us their spot. Kathy went into the visitor center while I walked the pups. There were people everywhere, but that is to be expected on a Saturday in a national park when the weather is warm and there’s water in the desert. There’s so many people, and with the restrictions on dogs, we decided to just do a drive through the park.

The drive included a $15 fee because our vehicle was large and would require a one-way traffic pattern through the tunnel. Since it was several hours back the way we came, the $15 was probably less than we’d spend on the first hours worth of gas. It was a beautiful drive though especially after the tunnel, with the road was so windy up through the sandstone formations it was beautiful.

We decided to quit the road today at 3 PM as we found a nice campground in red Canyon just before Bryce Canyon national Park. The campground was $30 for the night, but it also has showers. This would be a great place to have electric bikes, because there is a bike path that runs all the way down to the town below and into Bryce Canyon. I can picture Oscar now with a set of riding goggles.
Here’s one picture from today, see the album for the rest.

https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250607-zion-np