Carhenge of Alliance, NE is one of those strange places that begs the question, “Why?” It makes you wonder who, when, and why a structure of old automobiles was erected into a circle out in the middle of empty Nebraska farmland. Was it a boy scout troop looking to earn badges? Was it aliens...
Scotts Bluff National Monument came into significance during the 1800s, when Americans travelling west followed the Oregon Trail from Illinois to the Oregon Coast. The trail passed through Nebraska, going through a narrow passage between two ridges known as “Scott’s Bluff”. The significance of Scott’s Bluff is that it was a landmark travelers used...
Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is one of those stunningly beautiful places that few people care to go to, unless you live nearby. As it is, travelers moving between Las Vegas, NV and St. George, UT are content to remain on the I-15, believing that seeing the majestic red rock formations is...
Riding up Arizona Highway 386, a twisty mountain road that takes you up Kitt Peak, a mountain just west of Tucson, AZ, I felt a sense of isolation and spirituality. Located inside the the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, it’s a short 12 miles of easy to moderate turns that gains 3,600 feet in elevation...
Much is written about the saga of the Old West. From Deadwood, SD to Dodge City, KS, to Tombstone, AZ, scores of books, movies, and television shows detail the legends of such likes as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane. But you rarely hear about the prisons...
About 16.5 miles south west of Mt. Rushmore, deep in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is the Crazy Horse Monument. The memorial was commissioned by Lakota Indian elder, Henry Standing Bear, who wanted a monument similar to Mt. Rushmore to honor what he felt was the greatest American Indian. Henry Standing Bear offered...
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is perhaps the most famous landmarks in the United States. Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, there are myriad of roads you can take to get there. Many motorcyclists we’ve met, however, don’t seemed interested in paying the $11.00 per vehicle parking fee to get inside. In fact,...
When corn is your life, when it’s supports your community, provides your sustenance, and is why your mom and dad ever found a reason to get together and give birth to you, it makes sense to erect a palace made of corn. Mitchell Corn Palace is not exactly made of corn, it’s just layered...
Just off the I-90 in Blue Earth, MN, stands a 55 1/2 foot tall statue of the “Jolly Green Giant”, the corporate symbol of Green Giant brand of frozen and canned foods. It was actually a Facebook friend of mine, Stephen Johnson, a fellow craft beer aficionado (who happens to share my name), that...
What is exactly in SPAM? Is it bad for you? Is it good for you? How is it made? When was it invented? All these questions and more are found in none other than… …The SPAM Museum! Located in the tiny town of Austin, MN, just a hop-skip-jump away from the factory where SPAM...