End of the Road (trip, that is!)

3,200 miles, too many burgers, no flat tires and a yen to keep traveling

Biking and walking trail in Park City, Utah.

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

When I wake up in my own bed after a month on the road, I’m not quite sure where I am. Ah yes, home. I’m happy to be back, but there’s another part of me that is already missing that addictive thrill of moving on to the next destination.

But all good things come to an end—and so do vacations, and road trips. We’ve been away for 30 days and covered more than 3,200 miles in nine U.S. states. I was a reluctant participant in this trip, but I ended by falling in love with the road—again. Perhaps summer road trips are in my DNA, beginning with annual family vacations in the Sierras when we were kids.

After four “Postcards from the Road” (You can find them here: Postcards #1, #2, #3, #4), here are a few final photo highlights. My favorites are either wildlife or scenery. None of the many hamburgers we consumed make the cut.

We waited for over an hour in a parking lot near a spot in Grand Teton National Park where we’d heard moose would come to cool off in the river, only to discover that we were in the wrong place. A short drive up the road we found them.

The sculptures wrought by nature were often more impressive than those created by man. Here are a few examples:

Balanced Rock, Arches National Park

Some of the famous “monuments” of Monument Valley at sunset, seen from The View Hotel.

Starry night sky in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, shot on an iPhone in night mode.

We did visit a few monuments sculpted by human hands, including the quartet of American presidents that constitute the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota.

Workers atop George Washington at Mount Rushmore (some folks actually thought it was us!); the four presidents: Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Before visiting the monument, my strongest association with it was the Alfred Hitchcock film, "North by Northwest."

Just a few miles away is Crazy Horse Memorial, the Native American answer to Mount Rushmore, a huge carving of a famous member of the Oglala Lakota, Crazy Horse or Tasunke Witco, who helped turn the tide at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 (also known as Custer’s Last Stand) and then was killed by U.S. troops the next year. The monument, begun in 1948, is a work in progress, but, like Mount Rushmore, it’s a magnet for tourists. It also includes the Indian Museum of North America, a fascinating repository of art and culture, plus a gift shop and a restaurant that looked inviting but was so popular we opted to go elsewhere.

The likeness of Lakota leader Crazy Horse is carved into the granite of Thunderhead Mountain in the South Dakota Black Hills. Work began in 1948 and is ongoing.

We heard that bears prized the huckleberries we enjoyed so much in pies, ice cream and shakes (see last week’s piece on the subject here), but we didn’t run into any—and I was grateful for that. From a respectful distance, we did enjoy other creatures (or critters, as they’re sometimes called), including longhorn cattle, cows and bison, which everyone called buffalo, though they are a different species. One night we drove on what was called a wildlife loop near Custer, SD, and came across one just clopping leisurely down the road seemly oblivious of the phalanx of cars following along behind him.

Bison—often called buffalo—are roadside attractions in South Dakota. Sometimes they wander into the road.

Boulder, CO

We visited family in Boulder, Colorado, for a few days, and it provided a nice respite from the road in a beautiful city. Boulder has a vibrant and historic downtown area along Pearl Street, with many places to eat and shop. The population seems inspired by the nearby Rocky Mountains to make physical fitness a priority. There were bikers, hikers and joggers wherever we went and, I imagine, once the first snow flies, skiers galore will be trekking off to nearby resorts like Vail and Breckenridge. Of course we had to do our bit and get out into nature. Our favorite nearby hike was at Chautauqua Park, which sits in the shadow of a picturesque mountain range, the Flatirons, most likely named for their resemblance to old-fashioned irons.

Hiking toward the Flatirons in Chautauqua Park.

Chautauqua Park is part of The Colorado Chautauqua, a national historic landmark that grew out of the Chautauqua movement of the late 19th century and began as a summer home for teachers. A locus of all things cultural and educational, it includes a restaurant, general store, cute cottages for rent, countless recreational trails; folk, rock and pop concerts; films and the Colorado Music Festival, offering world-class classical music concerts in summer. As we wandered by the 125-year-old auditorium, we overheard singers and players rehearsing for a performance of a new opera.

Schedule, Chautauqua Auditorium, 2023

We ate well in the Victorian-style Dining Hall at Chautauqua. The menu noted that the eating establishment’s commitment to fresh, locally sourced natural ingredients led it to purchase a nearby farm and that its chefs work closely with the farmers. My breakfast burrito—a mix of scrambled eggs, chorizo, potato, white cheddar, roasted pepper and onion, pork green chili in a flour tortilla—was really good. I started to quibble about the pork, which I usually don’t eat, but mixed into the green chili, it really spiked the flavor of the dish.

Interior and porch at the Dining Hall at Chautauqua, Boulder; the breakfast burrito.

Speaking of food, a couple of our favorite meals were provided by Felix Feiger, soon to be a University of Colorado Boulder freshman. Felix,the grandson of my cousin Alan Feiger, took good care of us while his parents, Josh and Jennie, were on a weeklong backpack trip along the west coast of Vancouver Island.

He works at a popular local sandwich shop, Snarf’s, and made us an excellent turkey and cheese sandwich to share during his shift. Then, later, demonstrating real culinary chops, he served up some French toast using techniques he learned from his Great Uncle Hal, Alan’s brother and another of my many cousins. (Frying the toast in both butter and oil seemed to be one smart idea, and using sliced brioche dipped in a batter of egg and almond milk was another. Served with some homemade apricot jam, it was pretty special!

Final thoughts

We often fly rather than drive. Driving takes too long, we think; our cars, our attention span and our butts might not be up to the task. But guess what? You see a lot more when you drive. Cherries and berries for sale at the side of the road. Bison grazing. Sunsets or sunrises setting fire to the tops of sandstone mountains. Cows beating the heat by soaking in a stream. Clouds shedding rain on land miles away. Giant jackalopes in the middle of town.

A jackalope in Wall, South Dakota, near Wall Drug, a popular Midwestern roadside attraction with an almost theme park vibe that attracts some 2 million visitors annually.

America shouldn’t just be flyover country. We had the best time getting to know a few of our fellow countrymen and women. People were invariably hospitable and kind. We ate very well—and a lot of it was produced in-house or nearby with great care by people who work hard and don’t take their good fortune for granted. We may not agree on everything—we probably don’t—but we do live in the same nation. And, I hope, we all want the best for it and for each other.

As I said in a previous episode, some of our best memories and meals happened at Circle View Guest Ranch in South Dakota. Here’s a charming video Jeff made about the place, its people and some of its resident animals.

This concludes the road trip postcard series. I read and value your comments, suggestions and likes. I’m particularly grateful to new subscribers, but equally appreciative of others who have continued to “tune in.”

Stay well and cool—if you can.

Ruth