Dustin, a fifth-generation South Dakotan, grew up exploring the forested gulches of the Black Hills. While studying at Oxford University, Dustin discovered the amazing combination of student discounts and the European rail system, and set off to see the continent. Eleven countries, five trains, a Greek fishing boat and several pubs later, Dustin realized a deep affinity for travel. Although he’s journeyed across three continents since then, the Black Hills remain one of his favorite places to explore. Now a member of the Western Writers of America, Dustin has penned several travel guides on the Black Hills, Badlands, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming for publishers including Fodor’s and Globe Pequot.
All right. It's no secret that the airline industry is about as healthy as Mr. Creosote. But you wouldn't necessarily know it by looking at the Black Hills.
Just last week, Rapid City Regional Airport announced that its advance bookings are double what they were last year. There are five airlines flying to six major hubs - Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. And thanks to discount carriers Frontier and Allegiant, fares are as low as they've ever been.
Credit goes to Kim in Rapid City for pointing out this interesting story. According to the Chicago Tribune, a mountain lion was found by police in a neighborhood on the city's north side earlier this month. That's pretty amazing all by itself, but here's the really remarkable part: wildlife officials think the big cat may have journeyed there from the Black Hills.
That's about a 1,000 mile trip, give or take. Aside from the sheer distance, consider the kinds of obstacles between Chicago and western South Dakota. Like, oh, let's say the Missouri River. And the Mississippi River. And Interstates 29, 35 and 39. Those are some pretty significant barriers for any size animal.
All right, admit it: at some point in your life, you wanted to be an archaeologist. You were probably 11 and had just seen Indiana Jones for the first time. Then again, maybe you were 35 and had just seen Indiana Jones. It doesn't matter. Since the days of Heinrich Schliemann, Arthur Evans and Howard Carter, archeology has been a dream job for most people - somewhere between astronaut and fireman.
Deadwood's Adams Museum knows that, so they've teamed up with the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission to organize an archeology camp for 20 children for one week in Deadwood this summer, from June 23 through June 27. Alas, the camp is only open to kids ages nine through twelve (between the third and seventh grades), so if you're just a kid at heart, you'll have to settle for sending your children and experiencing it vicariously. Either that or do a lot of shrinking.
Most baseball fans spend their energies cheering for their team, but lately, the hoots and hollers from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. have been a little... different. "Go George Dub-ya!" "Abe Lincoln, you're a cheater!" "Run Tom, run!" "For crying out loud, let Teddy Roosevelt win!"
To spice things up at Washington Nationals games, the team started a game in 2005 called the Presidents Race. During the middle of the fourth inning of every home game, out walk four men dressed in costumes that represent the four presidents on Mount Rushmore: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.
The Travel Channel is featuring America's national parks this week, and it's kicking off the series tonight with Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills, which mostly focuses on the parks, monuments and scenic byways in western South Dakota.
The hour-long program is filled with some epic, sweeping video of Rushmore, Custer State Park, the Norbeck Scenic Byway and Wind Cave National Park, including some great wildlife shots. I thought the elk bugling was really impressive, and it's always neat to see close-ups of buffalo, the largest land animals on the continent. The program spends a little bit of time in Deadwood, tying the gold rush of 1876 in with the history of the Lakota Sioux and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and then to the modern construction of Crazy Horse Memorial near Custer.
Dustin, a fifth-generation South Dakotan, grew up exploring the forested gulches of the Black Hills. While studying at Oxford University, Dustin discovered the amazing combination of student discounts and the European rail system, and set off to see the continent. Eleven countries, five trains, a Greek fishing boat and several pubs later, Dustin realized a deep affinity for travel. Although he’s journeyed across three continents since then, the Black Hills remain one of his favorite places to explore. Now a member of the Western Writers of America, Dustin has penned several travel guides on the Black Hills, Badlands, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming for publishers including Fodor’s and Globe Pequot.
