AMERICAN MIDWEST ROAD TRIP, 5-15 July, 2021

AMERICAN MIDWEST ROAD TRIP
5-15 JULY, 2021

with Jeremy Woodhouse

Join me on a voyage of discovery through the American heartland. There is nothing I like to do better that jump into the car and drive never really knowing what I am going to see or experience along the way. Of course there is a plan. There is always a plan, but you know what they say about plans…

…it’s not that there is nothing to see but that you can see forever

PAT TIMMONS

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Sunflowers in Bloom, Nebraska

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Oklahoma City Memorial

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Prairie Dogs, Custer State Park

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Devil's Tower, WY

Itinerary

Pretour: Arrive in Dallas
On arrival you will make you way to the hotel from where you will picked up at 9:00AM the following morning. I will arrange rides from the airport for you if you wish.

In the evening we will meet for dinner at one of the many restaurants on the historic downtown square.

The Grand Hotel maintains the level of service expected by the most discerning guest traveling for business or pleasure. The renovated interior maintains the hotel's old world charm with the addition of all of today's modern amenities.

Day 1—July 6: Dallas | Oklahoma City (200 miles)
After a restful night in my home town I will pick you up in our transport at 9:00AM sharp and we will begin our journey with a fairly short drive to Oklahoma City. After we check in to our hotel we will spend the rest of the afternoon seeing some of the sites in town, including the Oklahoma City Memorial. The outdoor symbolic memorial is a place of quiet reflection, honoring victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. It encompasses the now sacred soil where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood, capturing and preserving forever the place and events that changed the world.

Whether you’re visiting for business, leisure, or a little of both, you’ll love our convenient downtown location near Chesapeake Energy Arena, Cox Convention Center, Bricktown Entertainment District, Oklahoma City University and many other OKC attractions.

Day 2—July 7: Oklahoma City | Dodge City, KS (250 miles)
Today we will take our time as we drive across the plains from Oklahoma to Kansas. We will be on the lookout for everything from fields of blooming sunflowers, classic barns and farm scenes, incredible cloudscapes— perhaps the odd vintage car rusting away in a field. Who knows what we will find.

We will check in to our Dodge City hotel and later in the afternoon we will visit Boot Hill, a thoroughly touristy affair. The Boot Hill Museum is a historical museum that provides an exciting and interactive experience. Historical exhibits illustrate the life and times of early Dodge City and its unique characters and thriving economy. Stroll down the boardwalk and peer through the windows into a time long gone by. Plant your feet atop of the original Boot Hill Cemetery located in the heart of modern-day Dodge City.


Day 3—July 8: Dodge City | Keystone, SD (580miles)
This will be the longest section of the road trip. Again we will drive backroads through Kansas and Nebraska before reaching our destination for the next 3 nights, Keystone, South Dakota. We will stop wherever we need to to photograph the great American landscape—we might even catch a supercell!

Stop into our Super 8 Keystone/Mt. Rushmore hotel for comfort and convenience. Located on Highway 16/Iron Mountain Road, our hotel is also near Crazy Horse and Custer State Park.

Day 4—July 9: Keystone | Mt Rushmore | Needles Highway | Crazy Horse | Keystone (74 miles)
Today we have a full day. We will start out early by heading to Mt Rushmore for sunrise. Hopefully we’ll have the place to ourselves but I doubt it. After our sunrise shoot we’ll find a place for breakfast before heading off to drive the Needles Highway. The Needles Highway is a spectacular drive through ponderosa pine and Black Hills spruce forests, meadows surrounded by birch and aspen, and rugged granite mountains.

The road's name comes from the needle-like granite formations, which seem to pierce the horizon along the highway. The roadway was carefully planned by former South Dakota Governor Peter Norbeck, who marked the entire course on foot and by horseback. Construction was completed in 1922. Visitors traveling the highway pass Sylvan Lake and a unique rock formation called the Needle's Eye, named for the opening eroded by wind, rain, freezing, and thawing.

We will then head on to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial which is located in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills at an elevation of 6,532 feet above sea level. Korczak Ziolkowski began work on the sculpture in 1948. Once complete, this tribute to the Lakota leader will be the largest mountain carving in South Dakota and the world. The on-site Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center also provide educational and cultural programming.
Returning to our hotel in the late afternoon we will relax and have dinner before heading out to Mt Rushmore in an attempt to capture the milky way over the mountain.


Day 5—July 10: Keystone | Custer State Park | Needles Highway | Keystone
Starting early we’ll head back to the Needles Highway. With any luck there may be some mist which will be great for our landscape photographs. Moving on into Custer State Park we will photograph American bison in the rolling scenery of the Black Hills. There are several prairie dog “towns” which provide hours of endless enjoyment for patient photographers.


Day 6—July 11: Keystone | Badlands NP | Wall, South Dakota
One last journey around the Needles Highway before heading to Badlands NP. The rugged beauty of the Badlands draws visitors from around the world. These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient horses and rhinos once roamed here. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.

We will pick out some spots for our sunset shoot and we will also pick out some features when we return later in the evening to photograph the Milky Way.


Day 7—July 12: Wall | Devil’s Tower NP (158 miles)
We will do a sunrise shoot in the Badlands (unless you need a lie-in after a night of star-gazing). We’ll return to Wall for breakfast and then pack up and leave for Devil’s Tower National Monument just across the border in Wyoming. We will spend the rest of the day exploring the landscape around the very picturesque Belle Fourche River with expansive views towards Devil’s Tower— think reflections— perhaps we can find a spot where we can have the milky way reflected in the river!

“Belle Fourche” means “beautiful fork” in French; the river was also known as the North Fork of the Cheyenne by many early explorers. The Belle Fourche River has its headwaters to the southwest of Devils Tower, and is an important part of the ecosystems along the north edge of the Black Hills. 
Milky Way shoot at Devil’s Tower National Monument. 

America's National Park Service sites contain many cherished treasures. As darkness falls on Devils Tower, a different kind of light illuminates the night sky. That light comes from objects in deep space, and transforms the night from a place of darkness into a place of wonder. Astronomers and night sky photographers seek out the darkness of parks like Devils Tower National Monument, islands of night in an ever-brighter world.

Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower are just a short drive away from our Hulett hotel

Day 8—July 13: Devil’s Tower | Theodore Roosevelt NP South Unit (222 miles)
Our journey today will take us from Wyoming up the far eastern edge of Montana before we cut across into North Dakota and on to the historic town of Medora, gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We will stop as often as we need to to capture the scenery of this wild land.

Experience all that western North Dakota has to offer with a stay at AmericInn Lodge & Suites Medora. Conveniently located minutes from I-94, our hotel is in the heart of scenic Medora and close to Little Missouri National Grassland and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Day 9—July 14: Theodore Roosevelt NP South Unit
Today we will spend the whole day in the National Park photographing landscapes and wildlife. Conveniently located along Interstate 94, the South Unit is the park's most visited area. Two visitor centres, a scenic drive, hiking trails, and plenty of watchable wildlife will keep us busy with our cameras. The South Unit's small but bustling gateway town, Medora, is an attraction in its own right.

36 Mile Scenic Drive
We will take our time driving around the South Unit's stunning scenic loop drive. The road winds across the rolling, jumbled badlands with fantastic scenery in all directions. Along the way are numerous scenic overlooks and trailheads. We may even stop off and photograph another prairie dog village.


Day 10—July 15: Theodore Roosevelt NP South Unit | Bismark, ND (134 miles)
After a morning shoot in the Park we will pack up and drive to Bismarck where you will catch your flights back home. We will plan to be at the airport by 12:00PM

END OF TOUR

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White Tail Deer Fawn, Custer SP, South Dakota

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Bison, Custer SP, South Dakota

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Devil's Tower, Wyoming

Arrival, Departure

​Arrival & Meeting Place 
You will arrive in Dallas and make your way to the Grand Hotel in McKinney, TX. In the evening we will meet for dinner at one of the many restaurants on the historic downtown square.

Transport
I will be providing group transport. We will use a 12-seater van which will give you plenty of room for camera equipment and luggage.

Everyone will be required to show a Negative Covid-19 PCR test 72 hours before the trip starts. Also, see Covid-19 precautions in the right column.

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​Departure 
Bismark Airport, South Dakota

Weather 

July is expected to start warmer than average in the Midwest. While there will be breaks in the heat, it appears that these breaks will be short-lived, especially in the country’s northern tier due to La Niña which is a cooling of water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean close to South America that often leads to global changes in temperature and precipitation.

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Badlands at Sunset

6 SPOTS OPEN

TOUR COST: $2,500

DEPOSIT: $500 
Group size 6

PAY TOUR FEES
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Tour Price Includes

  • Guiding to locations
  • Breakfasts at most of the hotels. If it does not work out with our photo schedule we will grab breakfast at a local café
  • Transportation We will be travelling together as a group in a large 12-seater van. (You will be expected to limit your luggage to 1 suitcase, a camera bag and a single personal item).
  • Post processing sessions (we will have a post processing session where we sit down together go over workflow and post processing techniques
  • The pleasure of travelling with me.

Tour Price Excludes

  • Travel to Dallas, TX and from Bismarck, ND.
  • Lodging: See below
  • Fees: National Parks and State Park entry fees. If you have A National Parks Pass, please bring it
  • Meals: We will be careful when eating meals with social distance of paramount importance. All meals are the responsibility of the participant.

    Paying by check

    If you would like to pay your deposit and/or balance with a check, please make the check payable to: Pixelchrome, Inc and mail it to:

    Nicole Woodhouse
    Pixelchrome, Inc, 
    605 Rouen Drive, 
    McKinney TX 75072

    Paying by Wire Transfer

    If you would like to pay by Wire Transfer please contact nicole@pixelchrome.com for bank account details.

    Dress for the Weather

    • It will most likely be quite warm in the midwest so dress comfortably in clothing that will provide protection from the sun.
    • As always bring light layers for those cooler evenings
    • Bring waterproof clothing in the case of rain

    Equipment Checklist

    • Bring you own laptop computer and storage media
    • Camera body(s)
    • Lenses, 16-35mm, 24-70mm zoom and 100-400mm zoom or similar lenses are very good
    • Light bag for easy hiking with camera bodies and accessories
    • Cleaning kit for cameras and lenses
    • Rain/dust covers for cameras and lenses
    • Charger for batteries
    • Spare batteries
    • Spare Memory cards
    • Memory card reader
    • USB key to exchange images

    Also good to have

    • Tripod
    • Good quality polarizing filter

    Hotels

    The rates you see below are approximate—they are subject to change

    Pre-tour, July 5: The Grand Hotel, McKinney, TX
    $129

    Day 1, July 6: Hyatt Place Oklahoma City, Bricktown
    $102

    Day 2, July 7: Best Western Plus Country Inn & Suites, Dodge City
    $113

    Day 3, 4 & 5, July 8-11 (3 Nights): Super 8 by Wyndham Keystone/Mt Rushmore
    $381

    Day 6, July 11: Best Western Plains Motel, Wall, SD
    $152

    Day 7, July 12: Best Western Devil’s Tower Inn
    $135

    Day 8 & 9, July 13-15 (2 Nights): AmericInn by Wyndham, Medora
    $405

    Covid-19 Corner

    Covid-19 Precautions

    Instructors will wear masks while teaching at close range

    Clients are encouraged to wear masks whenever they are at close range

    Where possible, we will practice social distancing. Tripods 6ft apart.

    You are encouraged to wash hands frequently and use hand sanitiser. Bring a cloth to wipe down your tripod each day. This will serve 2 purposes. Get rid of any nasty bacteria and remove salt from the ocean spray.

    Covid-19 Travel Hacks from Kayak.com

    Tips for Flying during Covid-19

    Tips for staying in a hotel during Covid-19

    What to know about COVID-19 and rental cars

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    MedJet has added Covid-19 Transport Benefit

    Medjet was the first to implement the air-medical transport membership concept in the United States in 1991 and still today brings the highest level of service and detail to our members in their times of need.

    While transport of hospitalized Covid-19 patients was not possible during the initial phase of the pandemic, we are pleased to inform you that:

    • Medjet is now able to transport a member hospitalized with Covid-19, while traveling in the contiguous 48 United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, to a hospital of their choice at home. We are the only membership program to have added this benefit.
    • We have been working to source enough aircraft with isolation pods, and crews with proper training, to provide our members with the same hospital-to-hospital medical transport benefits that we’ve always provided, at the level of service our members have come to expect.
    • Broader international transport for Covid-19 is not yet available, but all other hospitalization events that Medjet typically transports for remain covered.

    We understand that many of you are looking to travel Internationally, and we continue to monitor the situation closely. When the industry can safely and effectively accommodate our members around the globe, Medjet will look to expand this offering.

    Please review and become familiar with the Specialized Covid-19 Transfer process outlined on the CORONAVIRUS UPDATE page on our website at:  

    ​​​​Medjet.com/COVID

    An updated list of covered locations is also available there. A full set of Rules & Regulations, including the new Covid-19 transport language, is now available on our website at:

    Medjet.com/RULES