When we moved to Arizona I told Greg I wanted to see the west. I’ve only lived out west once … just before going into kindergarten, so I don’t remember anything about the American West.
We’ve spent a lot of time exploring California. Since Greg grew up in the San Fernando Valley and spent a lot of time in the Golden State, it was more him showing me all the places he’d been in his youth. It’s a beautiful state, but a small percentage of what I wanted to see.
Last fall we set out on an epic Pacific Northwest road trip. We went up through Nevada and California, through Oregon and across Idaho to Montana before turning south and crossing through Wyoming and Colorado before spending a night in Santa Fe before driving the final leg home. It was amazing and as I looked at the map, I wondered how we’d get to the rest of the west.
That was the dilemma I faced as we discussed the need to take Enzo on a “test flight” before our next quarterly trip to the East Coast. Ah HA! I had the answer. A two hour flight to Rapid City, South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills. Packing for and with a young puppy is a lot like packing for a baby, but we managed to get everything into our luggage. We’d been introducing Enzo to his carrier for weeks, now it was time to put it to the test.
He didn’t much like take-off, but by the time we landed he was a seasoned pro, sleeping peacefully in his carrier. He perked up a bit and I managed to snap a pic in front of the airport wall mural before we settled into the rental car.
The first afternoon was magnificent! We drove the Wildlife Viewing Loop through Custer State Park including a stop at one of this nation’s most iconic national monuments – Mt. Rushmore!
We’ve got a few more days of exploring on tap – Deadwood, a short drive into Wyoming to see Devil’s Tower and perhaps another jaunt eastward to check out Wall Drug and a drive along the Badlands Loop. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime…
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Pack up your fur baby and see something amazing.
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