Summary

Randy Runtsch is embarking on a journey through the American West, combining family commitments with a passion for wildlife and nature photography, culminating in a challenging bicycle ascent in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Abstract

Photographer Randy Runtsch is set to travel from Minnesota to Colorado, with a route that includes the South Dakota Badlands and the Black Hills. The trip is centered around attending his niece's wedding and visiting family in Fort Collins, Colorado. Runtsch has planned wildlife viewings and a one-day bicycle tour in the Black Hills. Post-wedding, he will camp in Rocky Mountain National Park, where he aims to conquer a fear of heights by cycling up to the park's highest accessible point. The journey will conclude with a visit to the Nebraska State Capitol before returning home. Runtsch plans to share stories and photos from his adventure upon his return.

Opinions

Runtsch anticipates a joyous family gathering for the wedding celebrations.
He expresses excitement about the thrill of exploring the Badlands' lunar-like landscapes and wildlife.
Runtsch is enthusiastic about the challenge of cycling at high altitudes in the Rockies, despite his fear of heights.
He cherishes the opportunity to spend quality time with family and to celebrate with the groom's family.
Runtsch values the natural beauty of the American West, as evidenced by his eagerness to photograph and experience its landscapes and wildlife.
He is open about the possibility of not completing the bicycle climb due to factors like elevation acclimatization or weather conditions, showing a realistic approach to his adventure.

Wildlife, Landscapes, and Nature Photography

To The Badlands and Beyond

Natural wonders, wilderness, and wildlife await in the American West

A coyote hunts in tall grass in Badlands National Park. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

I have been planning a trip to Colorado for months to attend my niece’s wedding and visit my mother. The plans have changed several times for assorted reasons. But I am excited to report that I will depart home tomorrow morning, with my targets on the American West.

An American bison bull stands near the edge of a cliff in Badlands National Park. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

The travel route will take me from home in Southeast Minnesota, west through South Dakota, and then southwest to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. In the Rocky Mountain State, I will rendezvous with my wife Kazumi, who will fly into Denver from Minneapolis, and my oldest son Nick, who will arrive from California. My two older brothers will drive from Minnesota to Colorado, too.

An Audobon’s bighorn sheep ram at rest on a hillside in Badlands National Park. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

Over four days in Fort Collins, we will visit my mom several times, attend the reception dinner, the wedding, and the wedding reception. Knowing the parties involved, at least on the Runtsch side, we will celebrate and enjoy a joyous occasion together.

The Needles rock formation in Custer State Park in the Black Hills. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

I expect to relish the time with spent family, as well as the groom and his family. But I have bookended the family-related hotel section of the trip with days of adventure.

A black-billed magpie flies over a bison as it rests in the snow. Custer State Park in the Black Hills. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

On the way to Colorado, the wildlife and lunar-like landscapes of the South Dakota Badlands will thrill me. From there, I plan to ride a one-day bicycle tour to view the best of the wild animals and scenery of the state’s Black Hills, which are the tallest mountains in North America east of the Rockies.

Gutzon Borglum, his son, and his crew carved these busts of American presidents Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln from the granite of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in the first half of the twentieth century. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

Following the wedding, I will camp above 8,000 feet elevation for three nights in Rocky Mountain National Park. My wife will join me on the first night, taking hikes with me, and sampling S’mores, a favorite confection of American campers, young and old, before she flies home to Minnesota.

Lake Haiyaha, high in the Rocky Mountains in Rocky Mountains National Park. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

The main event in the Rockies will be to climb, by bicycle, from the campground at 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), to the park’s highest point accessible by road, at over 11,000 feet (3,353 meters). I tried to cycle down from that point on a family trip out west in 2001 but aborted the mission because of a fear of heights. Imagine riding a bike on a road with no shoulder, with a three-thousand-foot (914 meters) drop-off just to your right, and one foot (0.1 meters) away from your wheels.

A pica peers from a granite boulder in Rocky Mountains National Park. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

If I abort the cycling mission this time, at least I will have tried again. It is possible that I won’t have acclimated to the elevation, or the cold alpine air, for long enough to make the attempt safely. Who knows, a blizzard could force me to remain at lower elevations.

Mills Lake in Rocky Mountains National Park.

On the 920-mile (1,481 kilometer) drive back to Minnesota, I will camp near Nebraska’s capital city, Lincoln. Last year, I photographed the exterior of its skyscraper-like capitol building while passing through. This time, I plan to tour and photograph what I have heard is a fabulous interior.

The Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.

I plan to share stories and photos from the trip after I return. Until then, I hope you enjoy the photos shared here of the Badlands, the Black Hills, and the Rockies.

Happy trails,

Randy

The author will ride this trusty gravel bike, shown here on an old bridge over the Zumbro River in Olmsted County in Minnesota, in the Black Hills and Rockies. It has carried him 12,475.7 miles since he acquired it in September 2015. © 2023 Randy Runtsch.