South Dakota dreaming: a cross-country trip to the wilds of America

Rushmore, bison, and life on the prairie are all highlights of this trip

Close up landscape of the Mount Rushmore National Monument in the Black Hills region, South Dakota, USA. Weekend Travel Tom Breathnach

I was setting off across South Dakota on a bang. As 4th of July celebrations cascaded through the skies of Minneapolis, even fireworks and the sound of Celine Dion’s God Bless America couldn't out-drama the journey I was about to undertake. Having arrived in the Midwest that week on Aer Lingus’ new route to the Twin Cities, I’d left the land of lakes, Prince and the Mall of America to experience one of my all-time travel dreams: to make a break for the wilds of South Dakota and visit the land where the buffalo roam.

My end destination would be Custer State Park — one of America’s most epic wildlife havens which sits 600 miles, or ten hours west, of Minneapolis. And so, with my rental Cherokee and backpacked tent from home, I hit the mighty I-90 highway for my American road-trip dream. 600 miles mean a lot of road — and lonely road — in South Dakota.