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Screencaps readers stepped up for Adam D. in a big way...now the guy can use this intel to plan the perfect western trip
Today is all about helping Adam D. who asked for help planning a trip to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and some "off-the-radar fun activities for kids ages 14,12, and 9 in South Dakota and Wyoming.
So here we go.
• Mike T. in Idaho's advice:
Don’t know too many out-of-the-way places in Wyoming and South Dakota areas, we have mainly seen the tourist areas. I would suggest that Adam and his family visit Mt. Rushmore and possibly see if there is going to be a concert there while they’re visiting. The amphitheater is amazing. Wall, South Dakota is well worth a stop for the Wall Drug Store original site. The kids would probably have fun in there.
The Badlands National Park is also worth a stop with hiking possibilities. We also enjoyed Custer State Park and the Wildlife Loop Road. You’re almost guaranteed to see wild Buffalo there and Prairie Dog Towns. The towns of Deadwood and Sturgis are very cool as well.
Also, in Southeastern Montana (not far from the Wyoming border) is Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument. This is where the battle of Custer’s Last Stand was. The Park rangers do a great presentation outside there. Very interesting.
As far as Yellowstone and Wyoming, Jackson Hole is a fantastic place to visit. It can be kind of spendy, so you might want to do some research. Yellowstone National Park is a terrific place. I would suggest using TripAdvisor to help you decide what you’d like to do. A note of caution on Yellowstone, it is crazy busy in the summer. If you’re interested in going, do your research now, book early, and prepare for big crowds. Also, the Grand Tetons National Park is amazing.
• Tim B. writes:
Our family took an RV trip the summer of 2020 right after the start of this plandemic from Seattle to Mt Rushmore and then back through Yellowstone. Never had done the RV thing before but we were sick of all the mask rules and whiney Karens so we decided to skip the hotels. One of the best vacations we’ve ever taken. Kids were 12, 10, 7, 5. Our trip was centered around the RV so someone in a car staying in a hotel or VRBO might need to adjust. Couple of items for Adam regardless of how they do their trip:
-Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch- They have ATV rentals and it is an absolute must to do the Needles Highway on an ATV. Can’t stress this enough.
-There are hot springs located just to the West of the Tetons in Idaho called Heise Hot Springs. It is completely off the beaten path. They have a gigantic outdoor swimming pool for the kids with a waterslide and diving board plus a few other pools ranging in temperatures for everyone. They also have a zipline, which was amazing, small golf course with a pizza restaurant, and an off-road bike park. Once done here we simply drove up north a couple of hours and entered Yellowstone.
-The Grand Tetons are incredible when viewing from the Southeast. We live in the Seattle area and are surrounded by amazing mountains but this was one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen.
-Devils Tower was kind of out of the way but worth seeing.
• Geoff R. writes:
For Adam D., tell him to check out Linn Canyon Ranch just thru the mountain pass from Jackson Hole near Drake, Idaho. Take the sunset horseback ride with the family and do the dinner afterwards. Phenomenal scenery and horses can handle kids of all ages. The place was founded by some folks from NYC, two of which were former highly ranked chefs. Dinner is fantastic (I highly recommend the lamb chops....) and is followed by a campfire, roasted marshmallows, and music/stories from one of the owners there. Can't be beat.....
• Evan A. says:
Took my family with kids essentially the same age that way this summer and they loved it. Depending on where he’s coming from, I would highly recommend stopping at the Badlands while en route to Rushmore. There is a route called the Badlands loop that takes you through a very scenic drive through the park. Very easy to do in the same day.
If he wants off the beaten path, I can’t recommend Big Horn Canyon highly enough, not to mention the drive from Rushmore to Big Horn took us through the Black Hills, which was fantastic. Big Horn has spectacular views and is not very busy at all. There are two areas, North and South. South is busier from what I understand and has more trails for hiking. We stayed north and rented a pontoon boat for half a day and boated down the Big Horn River and stopped to swim multiple times. It’s not hot springs, but kids didn’t care. Even saw a black bear on the shore!
North is also great for fly fishing if they’re into that. Look at these views in the pics attached. I think my kids liked this place the best out of all we did. (Badlands, Devils Tower, Yellowstone, and Teton)Feel free to share my email with him if he wants.
• Indy Daryl has advice:
As for Adam D’s request for what to do in that area of the country, Grand Teton National Park is absolutely stunning. Every single hike would be well worth it. I am not sure of the fitness level of all the kids, but if Adam thinks they can handle somewhere around 12-15 miles (a tough ask to be sure) the Cascade Canyon out and back is stunning. Being able to see each of the Tetons from the backside is well worth the effort. Included is a map of the park with a mark on where to shoot for from a “best view” standpoint. And a picture from what is possible!
• Harold in Skokie thinks Adam can get off the beaten path to these spots:
Adam D. needs to include some of these sites on his list in the Mt. Rushmore area: Badlands National Park (east of Rapid City), Wind Cave National Park (south of Rapid City), and Devil's Tower National Monument (northwest of Rapid City). All are worth a visit if he has the time. A much longer detour south to Alliance, Nebraska, will lead to Carhenge, which is worth the drive because it is so unique. If Adam is approaching Mt. Rushmore from someplace to the south, he should definitely pass through Alliance and Carhenge on his way north.
• Wynn writes:
Hot Springs recommendation for Adam: it’s a little south of Wyoming but Strawberry Hot Springs north of Steamboat, CO is off the beaten path and a great place for families.
• Moving along, this video has been passed around quite a bit since Saturday and it got me thinking of any other odd ways people have figured out how to gamble at parties. I need to hear more stories and videos like this one.
Step up, Screencaps readers: joekinsey@gmail.com
• LaMont, who typically contacts me on IG DMs, writes:
So I’m on the search for a PS5 for my son (thanks to current admin and Covid it’s really difficult to find one “Let’s Go Brandon:) But this search has got me to thinking back to when I was a kid. Remember when Nintendo came out and parents would brawl at toy stores trying to secure one for their kids?? Or how about the great Cabbage Patch craze of the 80’s?? What was one gift you wanted for Christmas that was tough for your parents to get? Would also love to know what the rest of the Screencaps crew wanted for Christmas as kids but it was a tough get.
Merry Christmas!
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This one is pretty easy. It wasn't that it was hard to get at the time, but the year my brother and I wanted a first-generation Nintendo system, my dad goes to some store and starts asking the clerk about Sega vs. Nintendo. Long story short, the clerk talks my dad into buying the first-generation Sega over the Nintendo and the rest is history. Original Sega wasn't great. All my friends got hooked on Zelda and I quickly lost interest in the video game world.
That could be the reason why to this day I don't get much enjoyment out of the Switch or any Xbox or Playstation system. Looking back, it was probably a blessing in disguise when dad bought that Sega.
• Daniel G. in Fairbanks, Alaska writes:
Hi Joe, I hope this finds you well. It's -36F in Fairbanks presently. There's been a lack of excitement related to bears lately, possibly due to hibernation, but I came across this video out of California and thought of you and the community. It brings up a question for the group about inflatable decorations: would you put one of those ugly things in the yard? Thanks for the entertainment you provide.
• Thank you to Daniel for bringing up a hot-button topic that has been quite a subject in my text group. Inflatables are driving my buddy Diesel absolutely crazy. He's completely triggered over Christmas inflatables and frankly, I'm starting to worry the guy might start attacking them like this little bear.
Look, I have to agree with the anti-inflatable stance. A few weeks ago, I was at a neighborhood fire pit event having a few Busch Lights when a neighbor's wife walks over and hands me something that I thought was a Halloween costume that her kids were done wearing. It turns out it was a Chase from Paw Patrol Christmas inflatable.
Caught off guard, I took it. The wife knows that my 4-year-old is a Paw Patrol fan and so she thought he would enjoy it as a decoration. It turns out, he thought it was cool for like one night and now he couldn't care less.
And with that, I think our experiment with the inflatables is over. I'm out. It's best to leave the inflatables to the experts in this field who LOVE inflatables and are willing to fill their yards with blowup Santas. Some people are wired for it. Not me.
• Steve B., whose wife enters all sorts of giveaway contests, shares some of the more memorable moments from her contest wins:
My wife has won so many strange things, it's hard to remember, but here are some notables:
A full adult male onesie - the kind your three-old old would wear - only this was from Miller Lite. (No, I didn't wear it).
One Hershey's Kiss. The regular size. (Don't ask me why they would spend $10 shipping one Kiss).
A Modelo beer koozie - with instructions. (I think I know how to operate a beer koozie).
A six-pack of Pepsi Crystal Light that has been discontinued since the early 1990's. She won this just a couple of years ago. We flipped it on Ebay for $100. That's right, a six-pack of pop for a C-note.
A thermos full of hot coffee shipped to Colorado from the East Coast. The company wanted to prove the thermos would keep it warm overnight.
Lastly, she won a trucker's hat from a Denver sausage company that just simply has the word, "SAUSAGE" on the front. Needless to say, she doesn't wear this around town. In fact, it's never been worn, so if you, or any Screencaps reader wants it, we'll ship it to you for free.
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I'm waiting to see a photo of this SAUSAGE hat before committing to such a piece of fashion. There's a good chance I have Steve send me that hat so I can wear it on the 2022 guys' golf trip.
• And with that, I think we'll stop for the morning. There's more than enough for you guys to ponder in this edition. Start building your 2022 western trips. Also, keep the emails rolling in. I know many of you are counting down the hours until your winter vacations where you'll be watching football and hitting refresh on OutKick impatiently waiting for the latest edition of Screencaps and I want to have plenty of emails to get us through the next two weeks.
Have a great Tuesday and don't forget those shipping deadlines are quickly approaching. You don't want your wife's Christmas gift to be stuck in a FedEx facility on December 25. Fair warning.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com