A Day of Nature and Monuments

This post has A LOT of pictures…….

We road in this van from 8am to 5pm seeing many sites the area has to offer!

 First Stop:

 Before we checked out the monument, we went to the welcome center and watched the video of the construction.  It was really neat to see how they began constructing it so long ago and the techniques of dynamite and how they get tools up to the site.

 Our tour guide, Tom, told us how the entire Mt. Rushmore monument could fit in Crazy Horse's face.  That helped put its size into perspective.

 At Custer Park we took the Wildlife Loop.  

 Seeing a herd of buffalo was amazing.

 The highlight of the buffalo was watching an old Bull walk right in front of us.  He came alone from the left and crossed right in front of our car.

We took a lunch break at The Game Lodge

 Then, it was off to Lake Sylvan.

We drove through a few tunnels that were positioned perfectly to see Mt. Rushmore through them.

The girls sitting quietly for another construction video was rewarded with ice cream!

 The kiddos and daddies went to the pool before our pizza party dinner. 

 Our friend, Alisha, did a great job of planning easy to make dinners each night.

 An after dinner climb on the rocks and some time at the playground gave the parents some time to play cards.

 Camping isn't complete without S'mores!!

 Whitney went for the deconstructed version!!!

Life is Good with nature and historical monuments.

The South Dakota Adventure Continues

Day 2 started with the door handle coming off the door to the RV.

These 2 tried to figure out how to reattach it, but they couldn't find a quick fix.

 Since the Corn Palace was under construction, we were locked in and we had quite a few miles to drive….we decided not to stop and visit.

 Breakfast was served on the road

 When we did stop, Hannah B. had to go out the back hatch and come around to unlock the door and open it for the rest of us…..Good thing she is flexible and small!

Whitney had been talking about riding a horsey for days, so once we found a stuffed one we had to buy it.  She has become very fond of "Wally." 

 Even better than the free water at Wall Drug was the ice cream!

 Time to get on the road again.

Using the microwave + hot temperatures + hilly roads=  The generator going out and having no rear AC.

Opening the windows helped a little, but it was a still HOT!

 In Rapid City, we went to Cosmos Mystery Area.

They have a great idea to make everyone wait in the gift shop before their tour!!!

 The ground is level, but when they change positions Justin seems to have shrunk.

 Gravity pulls your body in a different direction.

 Gravity pulls her chair back so she doesn't fall.

 The girls loved it….I was not a fan…..It made me feel like I had a hangover, without the memories of a fun night!

Once back a the campsite we went swimming.  At this point in the day, Whitney had a major meltdown because I wouldn't let her in the cloudy, nasty hot tub……She and Daddy had some quality time back at the RV!

 We were right across the road from the pool and showers.  We also had a great climbing hill right behind us.

 The playground kept the kids busy too….

 A few Moscow Mules to end the night:

Day 2 was a bit warm, but a full success.

Life is Good with camping!