Eating local is nothing new. It’s been the thrumming mantra of “foodies” in this century, and – as such — has arguably lost a bit of its luster and cachet. However, despite its simplicity, its passé patina, and its challenges, there are ever increasing reasons why supporting local food has become more important. One is that by supporting local food producers and purveyors directly, you’re supporting the systems that support them. You’re also keeping your consumer dollars in your community, giving them to people you know and trust.

This isn’t just something to do at home, by the way. Why have the same old boring chain restaurant fare when you can discover great local food? Yes, it takes a bit of effort, but it can be done – even on a five-week camping jaunt to Mt. Rushmore!

Throughout 34 days, five states, three time zones, and 5400+ miles, we didn’t eat at a single national chain establishment – not even an iced tea from SBucks. Yes, we hit up some chain grocery stores, but also tried to support local groceries and co-ops. Was it worth the extra effort of planning beforehand and spending a fair amount of internet time on the road to root out those establishments? Absolutely!

Were there disappointments? Sure, especially that one very underbaked scone, but overall everything else was far better – and far more fun — than the same-old-same-old-same-old slap-dash burgers or tacos from cookie-cutter places. For example, in Jackson, Wyoming, we decided when in “roam,” and sought out a local butcher specializing in buffalo. And, who knew that it’s customary in Sheridan, Wyoming to have a frosted cinnamon roll alongside your bowl of chili because that’s what’s been served in the local school district as long as anyone can remember? (We gave it a try, but took the rest of the roll home for breakfast the next day – shhhh, don’t tell.)

We discovered local products such as mustards and sausages, freshly (and fully) baked pies and pastries, and far more craft brews than I’ll ever admit to. Here are just a few of those culinary gems and highlights, in no particular order …

Punjabi Dhabi in Bakersfield, CA. Not somewhere you’d stumble across, but a NYTimes article thankfully pointed us to some of the most delicious fare and friendliest people we found on the whole trip. As the article suggested, went for the made-to-order veggie parantha (which we ate there while it was still hot) and an order of butter chicken to take to our first campsite.

You don’t expect to find a small food truck run by two graduates of the California Culinary Academy in the middle of nowhere as you’re leaving Great Basin National Park in Nevada, but find it we did!

Found ourselves in the middle of nowhere again heading toward the small town of Greybull, Wyoming. What else does one do in such a situation but hop onto Yelp? That unexpectedly led us to Nam Sweet & Savory, a farm-to-table food truck, duh! Sometimes, one can indeed use Yelp’s powers for good.

Sought out Legerski’s in Sheridan, Wyoming (family-owned since 1963), where we proceeded to buy 10 pounds of chipotle sausage! That was the smallest amount they had available since they only sold in pre-packaged frozen amounts, but we did manage to not waste a link.

Local bakeries are always a must stop. Kohnen’s in Tehachapi, California is usually on the way out of California, and then we always find other tasty spots along the way. It was also in Spearfish, South Dakota that I got to have the first walleye pike I’ve had since I lived in Minnesota as a kid!

Well, though I did have an elk burger on the trip, no elk were harmed in the taking of this picture. This impressive dude was hanging out in the town square (with a bevy of his lady friends) after we had brunch at Claire’s in Estes Park, Colorado (outside Rocky Mountain National Park). I’m more than a little fond of eggs Benedict, typically the traditional kind, but happily decided to branch out with Claire’s Cuban Benedict. I’ll just leave the description right here for you: pulled pork, house chorizo biscuits, pit ham, black beans, poached eggs, chipotle hollandaise, chive, and hand-cut breakfast potatoes. Sigh.

Sometimes, it comes down to location, location, location. While waiting around to see if we could score another night camping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we decided to grab some coffee and a muffin and enjoy the view! (And, we did indeed get to stay another night.)

And this experience will remain with me a long time. Stopping at farmers markets and farm stands are always a must on the road if schedules and seasons permit. Found quite a haul at the Provo, Utah market, and got some wonderful corn at a farm stand near our campground. Got to talking about it with our campground neighbor, who was a veteran on his way out early the next morning for a hunting trip. We offered him a couple of ears of corn, since we could hit up the farm stand again the next day. Even though he left camp at o’dark-thirty, he still took the time to leave us a thank you note. Still touches us – can’t ever go wrong with a little kindness.