I had always wanted to see this and also knew it would be tough to convince anyone to drive 2ish hours north of Salt Lake City with me to see a pile of rocks. I was in Wyoming for a wedding a few summers ago and that was my chance for a solo trip. Rented a car and drove in the middle of July in the hot hot desert. I had the place to myself. Highly rec solo trips in general because it removes worrying about if other people are enjoying it. Some people might think this was lame as hell and a dusty bumpy car ride but I cried tears of joy!
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Last post about this, I promise! I just would've never visited South Dakota had my friends not invited me along on this random lil trip, so I want to share what I've learned with you.
You can fly into Rapid City and visit the otherworldly national park Badlands, the Black Hills, colossal monuments like Mount Rushmore + the Crazy Horse Memorial, huge mountains + thousands of bison in Custer State Park, tiny casinos in the old cowboy town of Deadwood, and you can even cross over into Wyoming to see Devil's Tower.
None of these places are more than an hour-ish drive from each other! And you'll see a lot of variety in terrain along the way.
We visited during the April shoulder season and basically had it all to ourselves. The days before and after our trip were a nice 65-70 degrees & sunny, but as soon as we arrived temps dipped into the low 40s...oh well, it's better than the summer when it all gets crazy hot & crowded. Hotels are cheap & pretty nice. Go somewhere else if you're a food motivated traveler, you'll be mostly eating burgers cooked by the bartender.
Anyways, highly recommend visiting this special place.
I'll be sharing some film shots from the trip on this IG account.
Apr 24, 2024
West Texas, on the Mexico border. Super out there– rented a wrangler in El Paso and made a road trip out of it through marfa. Stayed in a boutique hotel 10 min outside the park (willow house) bc I’m not a camper 👑 did a couple hikes, drove around listening to ldr and drinking lone stars. Saw a lot of roadrunners. Truly looks like Jurassic park in there – nothing like the rest of texas
Apr 23, 2024
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theres something so alien, otherworldly, and charming about West Texas
the Chinati Foundation was the highlight - on a flat desert plain you can see 15 of Donald Judd’s impressive slabs of minimalist concrete art.
something about this place is semi religious or ritually tinged, walking up to the site and being greeted at the gates and being driven down to the site of the gallery in a golf cart. immersive is an understatement here, you literally are in a gallery surrounded by elk, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and wild boar. there’s an emergency number to call if anything goes awry.
Mar 19, 2024
Top Recs from @cw
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Stop thinking about germs so much. Touch the subway pole. Touch your mouth after (by accident). Boost your immune system. Live forever.
Jan 24, 2024
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call a friend out of the blue no plan no warning no texting before just let it rip (ring). an absolute thrill when they pick up!!! what are the odds!!!
Jan 31, 2024
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You don’t need a nap but you still need to lay for a bit. That’s feet up time.
Feb 13, 2024