Section 2 · The journal

Daily Journal

Seven days, day by day. Each entry has its own page with hero, route, photo gallery, and the day's context. Click any card below to dive into that day.

  1. Day 1 · Sat, Apr 18

    Boston to Denver

    Travel day — bus to Logan, two-leg United via Newark, late-night arrival at the Avid Hotel.

    ~30 ground + ~1,800 air mi Slept: Avid Hotel, Denver

  2. Day 2 · Sun, Apr 19

    Boulder & the long drive north

    Turo handoff at the Avid, then west to Boulder for a walk around Mat's old town, then ~430 miles north to Moorcroft, WY.

    ~430 mi Slept: The Lodge at Moorcroft, WY

  3. Day 3 · Mon, Apr 20

    Devils Tower & Deadwood

    Sunrise at Devils Tower, the Spearfish Canyon detour with a Redwater Kitchen lunch, an Old West afternoon in Deadwood, and into Mary Jo's Place for three nights.

    ~220 mi Slept: Mary Jo's Place, Rapid City

  4. Day 4 · Tue, Apr 21

    Black Hills scenic byways

    Mt Rushmore, Iron Mountain Road's pigtail bridges and tunnels, Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop, and Crazy Horse Memorial — back to Mary Jo's for the night.

    ~140 mi Slept: Mary Jo's Place, Rapid City

  5. Day 5 · Wed, Apr 22

    Cold War, Badlands, Wall Drug

    Badlands Loop Road and the Door Trail, then Minuteman Missile NHS — a Cold War sandwich between geology and a Wall Drug stop.

    ~185 mi Slept: Mary Jo's Place, Rapid City

  6. Day 6 · Thu, Apr 23

    Underground at Wind Cave

    South via SD-79, the Wind Cave cave tour, lunch in Hot Springs, then west across Wyoming to Cheyenne for the (eventually-comped) Little America stay.

    ~315 mi Slept: Little America, Cheyenne

  7. Day 7 · Fri, Apr 24

    Stone Mountain Lodge & RMNP

    South-then-northwest via US-36 to a 20-minute stop at Stone Mountain Lodge (where Mat & Jacqui got married), then up to RMNP, then back to DEN for the redeye home.

    ~190 mi Slept: Redeye flight