In June, two dozen Drexel graduates and guests journeyed to South Dakota and Wyoming to explore national parks and monuments as part of the Drexel University Alumni Travel program. The trip was brimming with scenery, wildlife, outdoor adventures and celebrations of the area’s rich and unique history.
Friday, June 14
The group began its journey in the early hours of June 14, leaving Rapid City to travel to the nearby Badlands National Park. The Badlands are a natural wonder with massive buttes, hills and spires shooting from the earth for miles on end. The park’s 244,000-acre landscape is also home to the largest mixed-grass prairie in North America where animals such as bison, bighorn sheep and black-footed ferrets roam.
“We witnessed so much wildlife in its natural habitat,” said Joyce Otto ’94, who came to South Dakota with her husband Mike from their home in East Windsor, N.J.
After spending the first part of the day at the Badlands, the group arrived at the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park. Built in 1920 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the lodge served as the “Summer White House” for President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.
In the evening, the whole group piled into jeeps and set off on a safari where they came up close and personal with more pronghorns and hundreds of bison.
“Our tour guide on the safari was a bona fide cowboy named Roger who has spent his entire life living in South Dakota and working on his family’s cattle ranch,” said Matt Geragi ’09. “It was incredible how much he knew about the land, the wildlife and the history of Custer State Park.”
After the safari, everyone gathered in a grassy clearing in the park where they enjoyed a chuck wagon cookout and live music.
“Looking back on the trip, I’d have to say that that was my favorite part of the trip,” said Geragi. “It was a great night spent in the company of new friends.”
Sunday, June 16
On the schedule this day was a visit to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The monument, which features 60-foot sculptures of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, attracts nearly 3 million visitors a year. Tom Harnden, one of the guides accompanying the group for the entire trip, had spent several years working at Mount Rushmore and he educated the group on the story behind the monument and answered questions along the way.
“Tom was one of the highlights of the trip,” said Otto. “Drawing on his 37 years as a park ranger, he was an amazing fountain of knowledge. His contributions to the trip definitely enriched our experience. We would follow Tom anywhere!”
After touring the monument, many travelers decided to end their visit to Mount Rushmore on a sweet note with an order of TJ’s vanilla ice cream — Thomas Jefferson’s
own personal recipe!
That afternoon they settled into Spearfish Canyon, which is known as one of the most breathtaking canyons in the world. Tom took some group members on a short walk to some waterfalls near the lodge before everyone headed to dinner.
Wednesday, June 19
On Wednesday, the group arrived in the country’s first national park, Yellowstone.
Late that afternoon, the bus arrived at the Old Faithful Inn, which was built in 1904 and is one of the few remaining log hotels in the United States. One of its biggest attractions is the fact that the world famous geyser, Old Faithful, is located just steps from the lobby of the inn.
“The Old Faithful Inn was breathtaking to see as we drove up to the entrance,” said Annette Crotchfelt ’66, who was joined on the trip by her husband Fred ’65, ’66. “It looked like a picture out of a storybook.”
That evening, many guests put on their jackets — it was snowing in June! — and trekked the short distance out to Old Faithful to catch its 9:30 p.m. eruption. Right on schedule, they witnessed the amazing eruption of thousands of gallons of boiling water that reached well over 100 feet.
In the morning, the guide took everyone on a walking tour of Fountain Paint Pots Nature Trail, where he pointed out all four types of geothermal features found in the world: geysers, hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles.
“I was really excited to see the geothermal features because that kind of stuff just really interests me,” said Geragi. “As we were walking around, it felt like we were on a different planet.”
Friday, June 21
Friday was the last day of the trip and it was spent in the quaint town of Jackson, Wyo.
Some travelers, like Crotchfelt, embarked on a two-hour float cruise down the Snake River to take in the scenery and spotted bald eagles and osprey. Others decided to spend the free morning roaming the galleries, shops and restaurants in Jackson.
“A rafting trip is normally the last thing that I would do, but it was so different than what I expected,” said Crotchfelt. “Our guide took us on a tour with beautiful scenery and a lot of bald eagles; it was very relaxing.”
That evening, the group was treated to one last dinner together where they talked about their favorite parts of the trip and made plans to share photos and keep in touch.
As Crotchfelt said, in addition to fantastic tour guides, the group really got along thanks to personalities that meshed well and set the tone for a great experience from the beginning.
“The group was just great,” added Otto. “We were surrounded by genial people who, like us, were looking forward to new adventures. This was our first trip with Drexel’s Alumni Travel Program and would we go again? The answer is yes!”
