Wednesday Near Wyoming - April 25, 2018

Do you enjoy stepping back into history? Does clean mountain air appeal to you?  Can you deal with high altitude? If you answered "yes" to those questions, you'd probably enjoy a visit to the last of this month's outside-of-Wyoming destinations.

South Park City (no connection to the TV show) is a fascinating -- at least to me -- restored gold mining town in Fairplay, Colorado. All of the more than thirty buildings are filled with period artifacts and are original buildings from Fairplay and other mining towns in the area.

If you visit, you'll have the opportunity to see a blacksmith's shop, the courthouse, a dentist's office, a saloon, a miner's home and much, much more.

One caveat: Since Fairplay is located at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, you'll want to walk slowly and drink lots of water as you tour this remarkable town.

For more information, visit their website.

Wednesday Near Wyoming -- April 18, 2018

When you think of South Dakota, you probably think of Mount Rushmore, but did you know that there's a jewel of a state park close by it?

Custer State Park is famous for its bison herd (more than 1,000 of them roam the park), and other wildlife, including one of my favorites: prairie dogs. But for me and many other visitors, the highlights are the scenic drives, including the 14-mile Needles Highway.

The twisting road through the forest provides  views of the granite spires that rise like needles into the sky. Magnificent; simply magnificent.

For more information, visit the park's website. And, if you're traveling to the Black Hills area, don't miss Custer and the Needles Highway.

Wednesday Near Wyoming -- April 11, 2018

Did you notice that today's post has a different name? That's because I thought you might like a bit of a change, so this month I'm going to feature special places near  but not in Wyoming.

Today's destination is just outside of Alliance, Nebraska. If you don't have a map at hand, let me tell you that Alliance is in the northwestern part of the state, what is commonly referred to as the Panhandle.

What is it? Carhenge. You read that right: Carhenge. Yes, this is a replica of the famous Stonehenge, only it's made of old cars, all spray painted gray. And, like the British monument that inspired it, the summer solstice played a part in its history. Carhenge was dedicated on the summer solstice in June 1987.

As their website says, it's FUN, and don't we all need more fun in our lives?

Destination Guest Posts

Several weeks ago when I mentioned to a friend that I'd been a guest blogger on a number of sites, she asked why I hadn't mentioned them in my own blog. The simple answer is that it never occurred to me to do that, but the more I thought about it, the better I liked the idea. So, thanks to Kathy F's suggestion, I'm going to blog occasionally about my guest posts.

Since the title of my latest book is A Borrowed Dream, you'd be correct in surmising that dreams play a role in it. They do. My heroine Catherine dreams of going to Paris, so when I blogged for Fresh Fiction, I created an eclectic virtual tour of Paris -- ten spots I recommend you add to your list when you visit the City of Light.

No trip would be complete without a sight of the Notre Dame cathedral, but if you're interested in pictures and descriptions of the other nine spots I recommended, here's the link to the full post.

Closer to home is Fort Robinson, one of Nebraska's state parks. Not only is the setting scenic, but the fort itself has a remarkable history.

I talk about that and more in my post for Petticoats & Pistols.

If you're interested in either Paris or an historic fort, click over to the posts.