I’ve recovered from my long flight home from South Dakota and from being on vacation with lovely people who adore books and history and horses – oh, wait, I’ll never stop missing being near those people! Sending a big THANK YOU to everyone who made my trip absolutely fabulous.

And now for some photos…to prove I was actually there because bucket-list trips often feel like a dream.

Elisabeth Burke, me, and the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology

Every day (at the 2018 Wild Deadwood Reads event & during a road trip to see the sights) I had great fun hanging out with amazing author and friend Elisabeth Burke. We met while finalists in the 2010 RWA® Golden Heart® award, and I’ve now had the honor of joining Elisabeth in three multi-author writing projects: Passion Prize, the 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides, and this year’s Wild Deadwood Tales anthology

Me (and the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology) at Wall Drug

“We must find the big bunny with the antlers,” I told Elisabeth. Wall Drug Store (located in the small town of Wall near Rapid City) had many interesting things to see, but after seeing other people’s photos of the Giant Jackalope, I had to have my picture taken with him…or her?

Me (and the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology) at Mount Rushmore

When thinking about sights to see in South Dakota, Mount Rushmore was the first that came to mind. Alfred Hitchcock and his movie North by Northwest are responsible for this!

Me riding the trail on Andy’s Trail Rides

I haven’t ridden more than a handful of times since I was a kid growing up on a farm in northern Alberta – so I was thrilled to have the chance to ride in the hills outside Deadwood. Sorry, no posing with the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology in my hand. I had to concentrate on riding 😊

Fellow Wild Deadwood Tales author Teresa Keefer, our trail guides, and me.

It was a hot day but the riding was fabulous and so were our trail guides, Jill and McKenzie. Two very talented horsewomen who agreed to pose for a picture with Teresa Keefer and me and a copy of the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology. If you’re near Deadwood, I highly recommend booking a ride with Andy’s Trail Rides.

Me and fellow Wild Deadwood Tales authors Angi Morgan, Lizbeth Selvig & Amanda McIntyre

At the Deadwood Rodeo, we dressed up to support the Western Sports Foundation with t-shirts, buttons and of course our cowgirl hats! Angi Morgan and Lizbeth Selvig are also fellow 2010 Golden Heart award finalists, and Amanda McIntyre is my 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides and Brides of Noelle series writing buddy.

I didn’t complete my mission to find the perfect pair of cowboy boots, but I did find the perfect hat at the Devils Tower gift shop in the northeast corner of Wyoming. It helped me look the part of a Western author 🤠

To read about Tatanka, the Story of the Bison (another South Dakota gem) CLICK HERE

Got a favorite place to visit? I’d love to hear about it! Hope you’ll share your must-see, bucket-list, dream vacations spots.