Ahhh...nothing quite beats a summer vacation. And when you’re traveling with a good friend like up-and-coming actor Joshua Coleman, even a destination as remote as western South Dakota can offer up a surprising amount of fun activities.

With the dog days of summer rapidly approaching, I took a break from working on Nick’s site and headed for the hills--the Black Hills--with New York’s nicest guy.

Off we went into the land of Custer and the Sioux, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane...a wilderness full of bison, antelope, and whistling prairie dogs.

One of our first stops was the city of Deadwood, where we enjoyed the Days of 76 Parade, chatted with the locals, and even attended a rodeo!

The shot to the right is Josh in the middle of Main Street, shortly after the parade passed by. (You gotta love a Wild West town where the streets are stained with horse manure.)

Click the thumbnails to enlarge:

Joshua proved to be a real sport when it came time to ride twenty-foot jackalopes, flirt with Betty and Wilma, and pose with ceramic prairie dogs.

With all the deer, antelope, and bison playing around, it was hard to avoid contact with South Dakota’s wild side.

So from the plains to the badlands to the hills, we covered it all.

My sisters eventually joined us on our trip, and we headed off to Mt. Rushmore. All in all, it was a fun and memorable trip!