Laural A. Bidwell

Hi Everyone! I grew up in New England but left the rolling hills of the east to live in the wide open spaces of the American west. Living first in Colorado Springs, Colorado, moving on to Denver and then migrating north, I found my home in the rolling Black Hills of western South Dakota. I discovered the Black Hills of South Dakota more by accident than on purpose. On one of many rambling road-trips, I pulled into Crawford, Nebraska late in the afternoon. Glancing at the map, it occurred to me that South Dakota was not far, and since I'd never been there, it was an easy decision to make. I aimed my Saturn toward Aardmore, South Dakota to get gas and to find a place to spend the night. Ardmore, South Dakota, had (and still has) a population of 4. There was no gas station. The post office was an empty brick shell, the roof on the floor, the windows long gone. There was no place to stay. The dot on the map was larger than the town. Low on gas, I had to make a choice: return to Nebraska or forge on north to the next town on the map. I hate backtracking so Hot Springs, South Dakota was the only choice. Fingers crossed! The road went from asphalt... to gravel. There was not another car in sight and I was running on fumes. Was I nervous? uh huh. I did make it to Hot Springs though (phew) and the first business I came to was a gas station. I never imagined I'd ever be so happy to see a Texaco sign. I eventually moved and lived and worked (as owner of the Wild Burro Bookstore) in Hot Springs. When the going got too tough for a small town bookstore I moved on. I currently live in Rapid City, South Dakota with my spouse and our two Golden Retrievers, Bella and Jazzy. It's been over 20 years now (yikes!) since that fated trip and I still love calling the Black Hills home. In 2009, I was lucky enough to be chosen to write the first edition of the Moon travel guide to the Black Hills. And now I'm thrilled that the fifth edition of Moon guide, renamed "South Dakota's Black Hills, with Mount Rushmore & Badlands National Park," has recently been published. (Nov. 2022) I am proud of the reviews received by all four previous editions, (which were titled "Mount Rushmore & The Black Hills"). I hope, should you get yourself a copy of the book, that you enjoy reading it and find it useful in your travels. Come to South Dakota, and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you. You can find me on facebook.