One of my favorite parts of vacation was our visit to Ft. Collins, Colorado, which coincided with our two-year wedding anniversary. The college town is full of great breweries and restaurants, so it was the perfect way for us to celebrate. We planned to exchange anniversary gifts, but when we found out the traditional gift for year two is cotton we decided we would buy each other brewery t-shirts from our trip instead.

We had plans to visit just a couple of the nearly two-dozen breweries in town and started with afternoon beers at Odell Brewing. We don’t get Odell in Indiana, so it was my first time trying any of their brews and I quickly became a fan. I got the local flight, which included pale ales, IPAs and a porter. My favorite of the bunch was actually the Drumroll APA, which is a delicious, unfiltered, hoppy beer.

After enjoying a round of beers at Odell, we headed over to New Belgium for a tour. You can book a tour up to two months in advance, which is highly recommended. They’re extremely popular and fill up quickly!

The tour takes you behind the scenes of New Belgium’s brewing operations, which started in a local couple’s basement. The brewery’s since grown to more than 800 employees and expanded with a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina. It was interesting to hear more about New Belgium’s back story and the philosophy that’s guided it as it’s expanded nationwide. Even with all of its successes, New Belgium remains 100% employee owned. Along the tour we got to sample several beers and learn more about the brewing process. The tour ends with an opportunity to slide down the famous metal slide that was installed for employees to use at the end of the day. It helped to illustrate the philosophy of fun that remains central to the brewery’s mission. If you’re a craft beer fan, you can’t miss this tour!

James and I grabbed a beer in the tap room after the tour and couldn’t stop talking about how much fun we had. We ended up making two trips to New Belgium during our stay and I ordered a beer from the pilot brewery each time. They’re experimental beers only available on tap at New Belgium and their fate remains uncertain, so I felt like I had to try them in case I didn’t have another chance! We could have easily spent all day hanging out at the brewery because of the large outdoor space and the long list of amazing beers on tap. But, we decided to head back downtown for an anniversary dinner at Bisetti’s Italian restaurant before turning in for the night.

We woke up early on our second day in Ft. Collins so we could head to Rocky Mountain National Park for some great hiking. The park is about an hour away. We didn’t get to spend as much time there as we wanted, thanks to the rain. But we had just enough time to get a short hike around Bear Lake in, which is one of the most popular spots in the park for good reason. The views are breathtaking and the hike is easy. Although it was about 70 degrees out, there was still quite a bit of snow on the paths, which made the hike even more fun.

We also walked around an Elk preserve on our way out of the park, which offered more great views. We spent a little bit of time popping into shops in Estes Park and visiting the famous Stanley Hotel that inspired The Shining before heading back to Ft. Collins. We met up with a friend of mine from college for a bit and ended the night with appetizers and beers at Ace Gillett’s, a jazz bar in the basement of our hotel. The bar had an impressive offering of local craft beers on tap and great food.

I was sad to leave Ft. Collins because I fell in love with the town during our short stay. I have a feeling we’ll be making a return trip for the beer alone. There are so many breweries we didn’t make it to! But, for now, it’s back to the grind.

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We arrived in Custer too late on our first night to take in any of the sights. It was also almost too late to grab a bite to eat, too. Most restaurants close at 8 on the weekends and many aren’t open at all, so plan ahead if you need a later meal. We had luck at The Custer Wolf and The Buglin’ Bull.

We woke up early Sunday morning so we could hit all of the highlights in the area. Our day started with a visit to Mt. Rushmore. Although the national memorial is steeped in controversy, it’s worth a visit. I suggest reading up on the history of the memorial and the American Indian tribes in the area before you visit, because you won’t find any information about them at the memorial. It’s an important part of our history to acknowledge and learn from. Get to Mt. Rushmore early to beat the crowds. We walked along the Presidential Trail to see the mountain from multiple angles, browsed through the museum and watched the video about how Mt. Rushmore was carved into its current form. After about an hour, we decided to head to our next stop: Wind Cave National Park.

Wind Cave was absolutely amazing. I hadn’t been inside a cave since I was a kid and I forgot how magical it feels. We bought tickets for a guided tour of the cave, which took just over an hour. It’s not recommended for anyone who’s claustrophobic, and I can understand why. There were several places where we had to crouch down or walk sideways because the cave got so tight. The tour starts by descending 100+ stairs. From the bottom of the stairs through the rest of the tour, you’re walking through the cave’s natural tunnels, just with a paved floor. Wind Cave is the sixth largest cave in the world, with 147 miles of tunnels. And, there’s likely more to be discovered. As we made our way through the cave, our guide told us about its history and some of the research being done at the site. If you’re in the Black Hills, don’t miss Wind Cave. It was one of the highlights of our day. It seems especially great for kids, but keep in mind there’s a lot of stairs to walk up and down and you’re not allowed to touch the cave. I was extremely impressed by the mother who carried her baby during the entire tour because baby carriers aren’t allowed.

We were really hungry by the time we got out of the cave, so we stopped back in Custer for a late lunch, followed by pie. Guys, you HAVE to stop by the Purple Pie Place if you’re in town. We got slices of bumbleberry and strawberry rhubarb pie and they were both delicious. You can’t beat homemade pie!

With our bellies full, we drove to Crazy Horse, which has such an interesting history. The project receives no federal funding and is instead made possible through visitor fees and donations. The late sculptor, Korczak, spent the first five years chiseling away at the mountain himself, walking up hundreds of stairs several times everyday. Now his children help supervise the project, which has a much larger crew these days. They’re focusing on shaping Crazy Horse’s hand and the horse’s head. It’s amazing to see how much progress has been made just since 1998, which is when Crazy Horse’s head was unveiled. We walked through the museum and took in the memorial from the deck out back. You can pay extra to take a bus that gets you a mile closer, but we opted not to.

As storm clouds started to roll in, we decided to drive toward Custer State Park, which my friend Zach recommended. We drove the scenic Needles Highway, stopping to take in some of the views. I had to close my eyes at some points because the switchbacks made me so nervous! But it was so worth it because it was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve been on. We then made our way to the Wildlife Loop, where we passed antelope, donkeys and lots of bison.

We also walked around gorgeous Sylvan Lake, where you can rent kayaks and canoes. Next time we come to South Dakota, I want to camp at Custer State Park. It was my favorite stop of the day.

After a full day, we scarfed down dinner and went to bed pretty early. We stayed at the Bavarian Inn, which was a great little hotel. I’m very picky about hotels because I’m a clean freak, and this one held up. Our room was simple but comfortable and the friendly staff was attentive and helpful. I think this would be a great place to stay with kids because there is both an indoor and outdoor pool, as well as a breakfast pancake bar with any topping you could imagine. I have a feeling that’s what made James choose the hotel! I would highly recommend the Bavarian Inn if you’re looking for a place in Custer. The lodges and cabins at Custer State Park also looked great.

Now we’ve got about seven hours in the car until we reach our next destination. Thank goodness for podcasts!

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The drive from Illinois was supposed to be 14 hours, but we ended up taking an unexpected detour that made our trip a bit longer, but so much better.

We decided to stop at Badlands National Park along the way because neither of us had been before. Much of our road trip is centered around visiting as many National Parks as possible, so we figured this was the perfect way to breakup the drive and officially kick off our vacation.

We purchased an annual National Parks pass at the gate for $80. It’s good for one year and gets you into any National Park, which is a real bargain if you visit more than one in a year. And, the money goes back to helping preserve the parks.

We were absolutely blown away by the Badlands. The combination of stunning rock formations and lush prairie made us turn off at several scenic outlooks. And, after being in the car driving through nonstop rain for hours, we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a couple of shorter hikes along the way.

I’ve only really spent time in Colorado when I’ve visited the west before, so the Badlands gave me a totally different perspective of the landscape. We stood there in awe of nature’s ability to shape the land into such unique formations.

As we weaved our way through the park we came across mountain rams, bison and hundreds of prairie dogs. We only spent about 1.5 hours at the Badlands because we still had a couple of hours on the road before reaching our final destination. We barely scratched the surface of what the park had to offer. But, I’m so glad we stopped. Road trips are just as much about the detours as the destinations.

I’m excited to spend more time exploring the region and catching up with the many friends who’ve migrated this way over the years. We’ll be spending time in South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado over the next two weeks, so if you have any recommendations for great hikes, detours or eats, send them my way!

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