We enjoyed a 10 day road trip from Northern Minnesota to Colorado Springs. We toured northern and western Nebraska on the way out and through the Black Hills and North Dakota Badlands on our return trip. Thanks to Tess for her help on the Nebraska section!

My photos are available in four sections.
Nebraska http://www.worldisround.com/articles/213166/index.html
Colorado Springs
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/213529/index.html
South Dakota
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/213591/index.html
North Dakota
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/213619/index.html

We drove about 600 miles the first day to get to the north central border of Nebraska. Stayed at the Rosebud Reservation's Casino Hotel. http://www.rosebudcasino.com/hotel_dining/

Ate at a steakhouse in Valentine Neb that evening, surrounded by cattle ranchers (I think) and great prime rib!
http://www.peppermillsteakhouse.com/

The next morning before heading to the west panhandle of Nebraska we stopped at the Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge, situated on the site of a frontier fort. The refuge had a great interpretive center and the refuge had herds of buffalo ,wild horses and elk. We saw prarie dogs and a small burrowing owl. There is a great trail down to the river through a cool leafy path along a bubbling stream with a waterfall. It was great.
http://fortniobrara.fws.gov/

This area of Nebraska is called the Sandhills. Really sand hills covered with a thin soil to grow prarie grass and not much else. Luckily this year there was rain and so it was green with wildflowers. The are has been in a drought for the past few years.

We stayed two nights in Chadron Nebraska at the Olde Main Inn. It's an old hotel, on the National Register. It isn't really "cutified" and the innkeeper is very nice.
http://www.chadron.com/oldemain

We spent one day near Chadron checking out Fort Robinson, now a state park but with a long life as a military facility. Crazy Horse was murdered there, it was a POW camp for German soldiers and had the first canine corps.
http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/gu...asp?Area_No=77

The next day we saw the Museum of the Fur Trade, simply fascinating. It had info and exhibits about fur trade from around the world.
http://www.furtrade.org/

Then we drove all day through Aliance, Sydney and Scottsbluff. Car Henge (think Stonehenge made of cars)... silly and my photos did not turn out!

Ate great Mexican food at Mi Ranchita and saw rock formations that are surrounded by the migration trails of the western expansion. Oregon Trail, Pony Express routes etc.

We bought wines from Nebraska vinyards one in Crawford and one in Mitchell. They use grapes that have been developed to stand the cold winters and hot summers. Pretty good stuff Maynard!

We stayed three nights with our in Colorado Springs, CO. Walked in the mountains, hung out with their teenagers and a peach-faced lovebird. We could look at Pike's Peak out the back window and they were more than relieved that we didn't want to go UP the peak, whether by car or cog train. Ate great Mexican food there as well! Casa Fiesta in Monument, CO.

One night in Custer South Dakota in the Black Hills. We got up to see the Crazy Horse Monument and it's Indian cultural and historic holdings... just wonderful. We heard the booming of dynamite and only got outside in time to see the smoke and dust on the mountain. It is a work in progress.
http://www.crazyhorse.org/

Last two nights in Dickinson ND. We love this area. We have been to the Harfiel Inn B&B this time we got the suite! http://www.hartfielinn.com/

Also our second visit to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Even though it was verrry hot and windy, it was wonderful. Badlands, wild horses, buffalos and unseen rattlesnakes. It's really one of my favorite places.
http://www.nps.gov/thro/

It was great to be gone. We enjoyed being off our diet, eating wonderful things like takeout chinese and cheetos. It is good to be home!

Thanks for the report, Danna.

I think it is very cool that you went to Carhenge! I've been to Omaha a number of times but never got out to Carhenge. Thanks for the report.

As a native Nebraskan, I always tell people to go to the Museum of the Fur Trade but no one does, so I was glad to see you did. I thought it was fascinating--I learned so much that was new about the trade with the native American people. It's definitely worth a visit!

Wow, sounds like a great trip and I'm thrilled that you enjoyed my 'neck of the woods.' You're right--Carhenge is silly! We ate at Mi Ranchito just this past Friday night--yum.

There's something magical about travel, but at the end of the day, it's always good to get home!