Beech Tree News Network

Recently, I was blessed to visit some states a little farther west. The terrain was as beautiful as I expected. As we traveled, I was watchful and tried to recall things I had read or heard about each area. Not wanting to miss a thing, I stayed alert – no napping.

The trip took me to South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas as well as some states closer to home. These five states had commonalities like Kentucky and Tennessee have commonalities, as well as differences. Based on my short stay, the winds in the west are higher than the normal in our region. When we drove through prairies, I could frequently see for great distances due to the terrain. The hills in the prairie often have unique shapes and some appear to be of rock. In many areas, the prairie appears scarcely populated. As we traveled east, buildings became more numerous.

Three sights stood out: the Rocky Mountains, Mount Rushmore, and the Black Hills. The Rocky Mountains are awesome, having jagged, rocky landscape. The rocks have a variety of hues, even including pinks. Mount Rushmore is exactly as I expected, but cleaner. The stone presidential faces are works of art. The Black Hills are also pretty. I had not researched and did not know that the hills were given their name because of the evergreen trees that look black from a distance. 

My daughter’s home for the past few months was in Rapid City, South Dakota. So, our journey began there. When we left, we traveled in a southward direction, then turned east. One tiny spot that I thought was particularly pretty was a park in Estes Park, Colorado. Although the park was not large, the view of a small lake with sand and rocks surrounding it was beautiful – right in the middle of town. We stopped there for a break. A friend in Tennessee said she and her family had stopped there as well. Another interesting sight along the highways were snow breaks near roads and homes. Some were made of wooden fencing and others simply used nature: rows of bushes or trees. Interestingly, the only bad smells we encountered were near a large Midwestern city.

I enjoyed seeing parts of these states. I definitely have a better understanding of the phrases wide-open spaces and the prairie. I enjoy traveling with my daughter; she’s good company. Would I like to see more? Sure! I have always enjoyed travel, and I have always appreciated coming back home.