During this time, AJ and I went on our first No Destination trip. We left Texas and headed north to South Dakota. We didn’t have anything on the agenda except to see National Parks, and the only plan we had was the date we needed to be back home.
The first couple of days were spent traveling from Texas to South Dakota. Our first stop was Badlands National Park. Looking back, I don’t think we gave it enough time, so I plan to go back one of these years to really explore it more. We did take a helicopter tour over the park, and that gave us a sense of its size—it is massive. At first, I did not realize just how big it was, especially since we only found two trailheads from the road.
From there, we headed to Piedmont, South Dakota. We tried to go to Wind Cave, but it was closed and there were no tours available, so we went on to Mount Rushmore. We ended up taking another helicopter tour around it and were able to see everything from the air. After that, we went to Custer State Park, which turned out to be one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. I wish I had taken more pictures there.
We spent a few days in the area with one of AJ’s friends, KH, before driving out to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. Instead of waiting two hours to park, we stopped at the base and hiked up. That hike was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking. The different views along the way gave us an experience you would never get by just parking in the lot.
From there, we drove to Colorado, went on the zip line over the Royal Gorge, and then made our way back home.
It was such an amazing trip that AJ and I promised each other we would continue this tradition every year.
Drifted Notes 