Impressions from a recent road trip...

Needed a break, took out the Jimmy just in case we'd come across some dirt ... Omaha, NE into South Dakota and on west, to Badlands National Park, to Devil's Tower in northeastern Wyoming, back through the Black Hills, south into Nebraska and back to Omaha ...

4 days, 1665 miles, mileage at 9.75 mpg, average speed around 70 mph on the highway, truck loaded w/ all camping gear, boonie box and luggage ... A/C on all the time, and a 15mph (or so) cross/headwind for all but 250 miles ... yup, wind had changed direction on the way back, just our luck ... w/ the rebuilt carb w/ spacer the truck pulls a lot better now on long grades ...

A few dirt roads in the Badlands, but dramatic and beautiful landscape, some buffalo, and prairie dogs ... did the one tough (acc. to the park ranger!?) trail in 2 WD (duh!) ... found the one mud puddle on Sheep Mountain Table ... the AT's became packed and slick rather quickly ... note to self: next tires - MT's ...

Tried to assist the Fords along the way: a guy in a pickup needed a jump, two gals in a Bronco II had tire trouble, and couldn't help the overheated F250 near the top of a highway pass in the Black Hills ... no GM vehicles in distress!

We did about 50 miles of (mostly graded) backcountry dirt road in the western part of Black Hills, great country ... saw a few nice wheeling rigs in some of the towns there ... no fourwheeling this time, just to check things out ... too bad it's back to work, should've taken more time! Anyway, enjoy the pictures, and no, I didn't slip in anything from Carrizo or Borrego Badlands!