> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://andilgregory.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Journeying Through Middle Earth (America) - URL: https://andilgregory.com/adventuring-through-life/journeying-through-middle-earth-america/ - Published: 2025-08-29T20:31:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-10T01:50:34.000Z - Author: Andi Gregory - Tags: Adventures, National Parks Bucket List, Adventuring Through Life, Adventuring Friends, Anglers' Basecamp, Camp Buffalo Bill, fly fishing, fishing, camping, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone2025, Adventures2025, Volunteering, wildlife, vistas, Rocky Mountain National Park, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, Devils Tower National Monument, Jewel Cave National Monument, #Migrated-1787683573322, #sqs, #Import 2026-08-25 14:46, All Adventures, blog I’m finally home from **an epic three-week trip through several states** alongside some volunteering, meeting absolutely amazing people, and learning new skills. *It’s been such a fun but travel-heavy summer,* and I am glad to be back home—though I’ve definitely been bitten by the travel bug again. 😁 Along the way **I visited several national parks, preserves, and monuments**: - Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas) - Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado) - Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming) - Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming) - Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota) - Mt. Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota) - Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota) - Badlands National Park (South Dakota) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Tallgrass-Prairie-National-Preserve-Sign.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Rocky-Mountain-NP-Alpine-Visitor-Center-Sign.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Mount-Rushmore-National-Memorial-Sign.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Jewel-Cave-National-Monument-Sign.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Wind-Cave-NP-Sign.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Badlands-NP-Sign.JPG) Visiting the national areas bookended my reason for traveling in the first place—volunteering at the Anglers’ Basecamp held at Camp Buffalo Bill near Cody, WY. It’s for adventurers and fly fishermen & women, and it’s absolutely tons of fun. I heard about it through my sister, who does lots of fly fishing and has been to the camp several years, both as a camper and as a volunteer. It’s about an hour from Yellowstone, so when she asked me to volunteer this year, I didn’t hesitate to say “yes!”. 😂 I spent a week and a half at the camp, and I loved getting to know the other volunteers and simply exploring the area. It’s definitely something I plan on volunteering for again next year. And (surprise, surprise) I learned to fly fish while I was there! I don’t enjoy regular spin-reel fishing, but I love how active fly fishing is. I’m definitely hooked (pun intended) and plan to learn more about this sport (and catch more fish). I also learned how to tie flys while at the camp, and found I absolutely enjoy it! So that’s another thing I’ll be spending the next year learning more about and perfecting my technique. 🎣 In addition to learning to fish, I went on several hikes with different volunteers, and general we had an amazing time together. They’re all such wonderful people, and they’re a big part of the reason I’m planning to go back next year. Another reason is the beauty of the area. The sweeping vistas, and the *mountains*. I often feel like Bilbo in J.R.R. Tolkien’s *The Fellowship of the Ring:* *“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains . . .”* I love Indiana (where I live), but the lack of mountains is the only drawback. So planning to see mountains again next year? Yes, please. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Angler-s-Basecamp-Logo.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Angler-s-Basecamp.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Fishing-Brookie.PNG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Fishing-Rainbow-Trout.PNG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Cody-Hike-Alina-Heather.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-Cass-Alina-Heather-Bridge.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-Cass-Heather-Alina.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-Hike-Cass-Alina-.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-Lake-Heather-Cass-Alina.jpg) Over my entire trip, I saw many amazing sweeping vistas and mountains and beautiful details. Things that fill up my creative well, make me stand in awe, and inspire new bits and pieces for the worlds within which my story characters reside. I definitely got several ideas throughout this trip, and I’ve stored them away where they’ll wait until the stories they’re part of are ready to come forth. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Dead-Indian-Hill-Summit.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Rocky-Mountain-NP-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Rocky-Mountain-NP.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Tallgrass-Prairie-National-Preserve-Lake.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Cody-Hike.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Cody-Wyoming-Canyons.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Lake-Sunset.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Lake.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-Lake-Moonlit.JPG) I also saw so much wildlife! Some there at the camp, some during my many adventuring travels, but probably my favorite encounter was camping with the prairie dogs at the primitive campground in Badlands National Park. It was so weird to set up a tent 2 feet from a prairie dog hole and just to see them running around nearby. They weren’t too friendly with people (good!), but they also didn’t mind that we were there, as long as we didn’t get too close. (And they are also ridiculously adorable.) Other animals I saw (some pictured, some not): - Yellow-bellied marmot - Elk (so many elk) - Moose (I’ve been wanting to see this one for years!) - Grizzly bear (a few times—and we almost hit one with one of the camp vans! 😳) - Wolves - Sage grouse - White-tailed deer - Mule deer - Sandhill crane - American white pelican - Trumpeter swan - Ground squirrel - Osprey - Bald Eagle - Red-headed woodpecker - Big-horned sheep (another I’ve been wanting to see for a long time!) - Coyotes (more heard than saw, but they were definitely around.) - American three-toed woodpecker ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Dead-Indian-Hill-Summit-Chipmunk.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Devil-s-Tower-NM-Prairie-Dogs.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Rocky-Mountain-Moose.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Wolves-eating-dead-Bison.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Woodpecker.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Badlands-NP-Bighorn-Sheep.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Angler-s-Camp-Deer.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Angler-s-Basecamp-Bear.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Angler-s-Basecamp-Grouse.jpg) Lastly, I want to share some of the photos of monuments and hikes and other things from my trip. It was definitely a lot of fun camping in several national parks/monuments, and it was just fun to be able to travel and explore so much this summer. I’m definitely continuing to check places off of my National Parks Bucket List. (Also, I hope you enjoy the fun sign I found. 🐧) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/at-Rocky-Mountain-NP.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Rocky-Mountain-NP-Alpine-Summit.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Hike.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/with-Mount-Rushmore.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/at-Devil-s-Tower-National-Monument.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/at-Jewel-Cave-National-Monument.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/at-Badlands-NP.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Old-Faithful-Full-Moon.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Yellowstone-NP-Old-Faithful-Full-Moon-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Mount-Rushmore-National-Memorial.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Jewel-Cave-Bacon.JPG.webp) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Wind-Cave-NP.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/05/5005b841-a6a9-4902-ad65-ff17b958f53d/content/images/2026/09/Outside-Rocky-Mountain-Caution-Penguin-Sign.JPG) Overall, I had an epically fun summer and I’d do it all over again (and very well might 😂). Aside from making new friends and learning new things, I needed the trip to refill my creative well and just get me back into loving writing again. I wrote several pages on one project, and put some words in on another, all while new ideas were bursting in my mind for other stories and worlds. Adventures fuel life and creativity—and I’ll always stand by that. So tell me—have you been to any of these parks? What adventures have you found this summer?