When you think of national parks in the United States, Yellowstone is probably one of the first parks to come to mind. And why wouldn’t it? Yellowstone is America’s first national park. Established March 1, 1872, this park has been dazzling visitors with its beauty and wonders for generations. It’s only natural that our family, lovers of the American road trip, would hop in our car and make that pilgrimage like so many before us and see what the American West is all about. Planning Our Yellowstone Trip As we began planning our road trip, we weren’t sure how much time to spend at Yellowstone. Initially, we planned for two days at Yellowstone and one at Grand Teton National Park. Later, we second-guessed this. By the time we decided to add days to our trip, our lodging choices were limited. At about a year out, we’d reserved two nights at…
When people think about places to see bison, or buffalo as I called them growing up, they often think about Yellowstone or maybe South Dakota. If you live in the Midwest, you probably know that bison can be found in various locations that don’t require a huge road trip to access them. Don’t get me wrong; you should definitely see Yellowstone or the Black Hills. But sometimes it’s cool to take a day trip to experience these animals. Woolaroc near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is one such place. Why is this place called Woolaroc? In 1925, Phillips Petroleum founder Frank Phillips established a ranch in the Osage Hills of Oklahoma. He named the place Woolaroc for the area’s best features–woods, lakes, and rocks. Woolaroc. Located just outside of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the ranch served as a country home for the Phillips family during Frank’s lifetime. They often hosted parties with diverse attendees. In…
When you visit the Black Hills of South Dakota, there are so many opportunities to get back to nature. During our trip, we knew we had to make a day of visiting Custer State Park. Our party of three made Keystone our home base for three days. For Jeff, Kristin and me, it was the perfect little place to call home. But before we could get to Custer State Park, we drove through the Black Hills National Forest. Our pictures show the cloudy, overcast weather we had during our trip. It misted rain or poured during our entire trip, but we don’t let the weather get us down! Black Hills National Forest This scenic roadway in Black Hills National Forest has some great scenic views and interesting rock formations. There are also some great tunnels to drive through. Custer State Park After winding around for awhile, we came to…