Mt. Rushmore Vacation

Who knew that South Dakota would be such an amazing and awesome place to spend a week? Not me, but I'm sure glad I found out. We saw so many cool things and went to some amazing places. It was all so beautiful and green. We went with Grandma and Grandpa Harker, Uncle Matt, and our family of 6. Here is a rundown of what we did each day. Day 1
We stayed in a Flintstones themed campground. We have a tent, so the area we were in was grassy and not dirty! There were bathrooms and showers so we all stayed clean and non-stinky. There was a small pool for the kids, a playground, and a miniature golf course. The boys loved it!

Day 2

Of course the first thing we had to go see was Mt. Rushmore. It was fascinating. I loved learning the history behind it and learning about the sculptor. He was a genius. It took 14 years to do this whole thing (due to money issues) and he died before it was completely finished. But what is there really is amazing. We spent a whole morning and part of the afternoon here while the kids worked on their Jr. Ranger badges.

That same day, we took a LONG drive to the Badlands. You can see in this picture what it looked like. Kind of like an alien planet. We spent quite a bit of time in the Visitor Center so the kids could get their second Jr. Ranger badge of the trip.

Then we drove back to Mt. Rushmore just in time for the evening program where they light up the heads. It was patriotic and touching.

Day 3

South Dakota is home to the second largest cave system in the world called "Wind Cave." They give tours through a 1/2 mile of it that takes about an hour and a half. So cool! I know we have Timponogos cave here, but this one was so different from that and just as amazing. The kids were also able to earn another Jr. Ranger badge here.

(We didn't actually buy the hats, but they did get their badges and a patch)

Next we took another LONG drive along the Needles Highway. We saw a lot of wild life on this drive but the part that everyone stops to see is the "eye of the needle." It's a cool rock formation. The kids (and dad) loved crawling and hiking up all the rocks here.

Day 4

Grandpa treated us to an authentic train ride from Keystone city to Hill City. The ride was about an hour there, then stay for an hour to eat lunch at a yummy little pizza place, then an hour back.

(I love this picture of Mason hanging out the window)

After the train ride, we went to the other famous cave there, "Jewel Cave." I thought it would be like the first one we saw, but it was totally different with different formations and bigger rooms. We went to 380 ft. below the ground which to me is kind of mind boggling to think about. The kids got another Jr. Ranger badge while we were here.

Day 5

The morning was spent going window shopping in the little town and getting souvenirs while Grandma and Grandpa did the Jewel Cave tour. Then it was on to another LONG drive to Devil's Tower back in Wyoming. It took about 2 hours to get there and I was wondering if the drive would be worth it. Was it ever!! This was so cool. Have you ever seen the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind?" Well, this is the mountain made famous from that movie. It just pops out of the ground out of nowhere and it is huge!

We hiked all around the base of it. Every angle around it looks different. One of those, "You just have to see it" places! Another Jr. Ranger badge was earned here.

Day 6

This day was spent in Custer State Park. We had a lovely picnic and toured the visitor center (yep, earning another badge). This park also has a ton of buffalo roaming around everywhere.

Then they did Panning for Gold. South Dakota had a big gold rush back in the day, even though there really isn't that much there. The kids (and me) got to practice what that would have been like to try and find gold (hard).

After that fun adventure, we drove to a lake to swim. This was the only day it was overcast and a little chilly, so Grandma, Grandpa, and I stayed on the shore, but the boys all dived right in.

Day 7

It was time to pack up and go home. The boys were so excited about the 5 badges they had acquired and were proud to show them off.

We drove all the way home in one day, a 12 hour trip. But really it didn't seem that bad. Then when we got home, another amazing surprise was waiting for us there, but that is a whole other blog post!

So, it really was the trip of a lifetime. We did more and saw more than I ever thought possible and loved every minute of it. There is no way we could have done it without Grandma there to help with Miles. I am so grateful to her and for how she loves my kids and wanted to take this adventure with us. Grandpa and Uncle Matt were also troopers for being so patient while the kids did all their Jr. Ranger stuff. It was a wonderful time! We have been home now for 3 days and I only have two more loads of laundry left to do. Back to reality!