Charming Adventures

Apache Junction, AZ: Desert Downtime in Lost Dutchman State Park!

Some RV trips are all attractions and sightseeing and going and doing, and some are just the opposite … downtime, relaxation, lots of sighing and oohing and aahing over nature’s bounty.  A visit to Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, AZ, is just that … an oasis of desert beauty just 30 minutes from Phoenix, where visitors can kick back...

Estes Park, CO: Thin Air (gasp!) and Thin Skin (brrrr!) (Days 24-28 of 42)

News Flash: the search party for the missing Millers should begin in Estes Park, because we may stay here forever!  It has everything you’d imagine Colorado to be:  cool temperatures, soaring snow-capped mountain peaks, tall ultra-green trees, wildlife galore, friendly relaxed people, extensive recreational opportunities, and gasp-worthy scenes like this...

Mt. Rushmore/Custer, SD: 4 Days, 4 Presidents, 400 Bison (Days 20-23 of 42)

The Lucky Charm took a spin through the Rapid City, SD Airport and grabbed daughter Kelsey for the Mt. Rushmore and Custer portion of our trip.  Custer is home to around 1,500 bison (American buffalo) and I was excited to see them up close and personal … but didn’t expect them to be this ferocious! The town of Custer is extremely proud of their bison...

Sturgis/Deadwood/Spearfish, SD: A Biker Bar Isn’t For Bicyclists? (Days 16-19 of 42)

My road-biker husband was super-excited to learn I had planned a visit to a biker bar, until he realized it wasn’t for bicyclists.  But Sturgis, SD is famous for its annual Biker Rally, as well as a reality show centered around the place AND the culture, so how could we miss seeing it in person, even if we don’t wear leather (at least not in public)...