A Badlands Pivot

 The best-laid schemes o' Bison an' Rock Wren / Gang aft agley (with apologies to Bobby Burns).

The view at civil twilight: decidedly wet and rainy.

The Faces of the Black Hills

The iconic view down the Avenue of Flags.

A Moment of Peace at Horse Thief Lake

 After a few hours on the winding roads of the Black Hills, you start looking for a good place to pull over and just breathe. Horse Thief Lake is one of those perfect spots.

A peaceful scene with a hint of autumn color.

A Vision Carved in Stone

The massive carving rising above the Black Hills forest.

 It's hard to believe it has been over twenty years since I was last in the Black Hills, and my last visit to the Crazy Horse Memorial. While the progress on the mountain itself is a deliberate and generational process, the scope of the entire project is what truly resonates.

Wind Cave National Park: A Surface-Level Visit

 

The landscape transforms upon entering the Black Hills.

From the Plains to the Hills

 The miles roll by easily on the plains. After crossing from Colorado into Wyoming, the landscape opens up into a vast expanse that stretches to every horizon.

The Road Less Taken

 The leisurely pace continues as we press on through northern Colorado. One of the best decisions for a weekend trip is choosing the right route, and this morning it’s paying off. Instead of the often-congested mountain corridors, we're enjoying wide-open roads with hardly any traffic.

A nice surprise for an early Saturday morning:
a hot air balloon enjoying the calm air.

A Leisurely Start Towards the Black Hills

 There's a certain quiet satisfaction to the start of a road trip, especially one that begins at a leisurely pace. We're not trying to break any land speed records on this journey; the compass is simply pointed toward Rapid City, South Dakota.

An Autumn Mountain Drive

​The recipe for our annual late-September drive is different every year, but the goal is always the same: get up into the mountains and see what the changing season has to offer.

The Joy of the Unexpected Visitor

You don’t always need a plane ticket for a moment of genuine discovery. Sometimes, you just need to fill the bird bath and pay attention.

A Bittersweet Departure

Airports are places of transition, caught between where you’ve been and where you’re going. This trip to Memphis was exactly that—a journey caught between the sadness of saying goodbye to a dear friend and mentor, and the warmth of reconnecting with the people and places he brought into my life.

A Celebration of a Life

 This was the reason for the trip to Memphis: to gather with friends and family to honor the life of Helen Coop, a dear friend and a formidable mentor.

Helen Dortch Coop (1938 - 2025).
A friend and mentor who will be deeply missed.

My Old Stomping Grounds

 The day before the memorial was for reconnecting with the Memphis I used to know. With a heavy heart but a full tank of gas, I took a long, quiet drive through my old stomping grounds to see what had changed and what had endured.

An Unexpected Sunset at DEN

Every seasoned traveler knows the feeling: that sinking realization that your meticulously planned schedule is about to be undone. My trip to Memphis began with just that—a delay.