roadtrip part 3.1

On Wednesday morning, after we ate our donuts from Wall Drug, we packed up and continued our adventure west.  We arrived in Rapid City before we could check in to the campground, so we unhooked the van at Walmart and went to Dinosaur Park and drove along Skyline Drive.

 There were a lot of stairs, but beautiful views from the top.

Once we checked in at the campground, we went for a swim.  Just so you know, you must shower before you enter the pool, and they mean it.  The weather was perfect, and the rest of our stay was cold and rainy, so I'm glad we had this afternoon to enjoy the pool.

We ate at the campground and tried to get to bed early.  We had a lot on our itinerary the next day.  Bright and early the next morning, we left for Jewel Cave, and got on the second tour of the day.

Did you know it is the National Park Service' 100th birthday?  Did you know this Jr. Ranger has 3 arms?

The cave was big and impressive - well worth the money and time.  My pictures didn't turn out great, but if you close, you can see, the "world's largest strip of bacon".

After Jewel Cave, we went to Custer State Park.  We stopped for a picnic near Sylvan lake before we went on the Wildlife Loop.

 On the Wildlife Loop, we saw some wild donkeys.

And then we saw some wild buffalo.

 (No, we did not pet them.  They ARE wild animals!)

We exited the park on Iron Mountain Highway. It was a pretty drive, but Dad was driving way too fast to take pictures.  Back at the campground, it started to rain, so no pool, but we had an early supper and then went to see Mount Rushmore.

This was a fun night despite the rain.

 Check out THOSE four faces.

The kids got some help worked hard on their Jr. Ranger books and earned their second badge.

We stayed for the lighting ceremony and Brett and I went on the Presidential Trail, which, as it turns out, is not very well lit after dark. 

Stay tuned for the next post "roadtrip part 3.2" to learn all the gory details of Lydia's second mishap.

roadtrip 2016 part 2

After lunch on Monday, we left for the badlands. Traveling in the RV is a little different from traveling in the van. 

We camped stayed just outside the Badlands National Park for two nights.  The campground had a small pool and playground.

Lydia had her first mishap of the trip when her and Reggie were racing back to the RV and she fell on the gravel at full speed.

That night, we had a campfire and made s'mores.  Then it was off to bed!  The next day was going to be full.

(I slept between Lydia and Brett.)

The next morning we went back into Badlands National Park.  We toured the visitor center. The kids participated in the Jr Ranger Program and earned their first Jr Ranger Badge.  We ate lunch at the restaurant in the park.  The Indian taco was delicious, but enough to share.

After lunch, we went further into the park to explore and hike.

Reggie is in this picture because Brett refused.

We saw lots of prairie dogs.  They are so entertaining!  We also saw a long horned sheep, which I did not take a picture of.

 (Behind the scenes shot.)

We kept driving and went to the famous Wall Drug.  The kid's favorite part was the dinosaur that "gets hungry" every 15 minutes.  The splash pad was not there the last time I visited.  We did not get 5 cent coffee, but we did have ice cream cones and buy some homemade donuts to have for breakfast the next day.

After Wall Drug, we went back to the campground for supper.  The kids went swimming, but it was cold.  The next day we would be driving further west.

roadtrip 2016 part 1

Last spring I told my parents I wanted to take the kids to see Mount Rushmore and since they live on the way, would they like to come, too?  And, since they have an RV, would they like to take it?  They agreed, and our adventure grew from there.

We left on Friday around noon and drove about 4 hours west and stopped for the night at one of our favorite hotels.  It has a waterslide!  This would our only night at a hotel for our entire 11 day roadtrip.

Lydia had a tooth hanging by a thread, but she was determined to keep it in until she got to Grandma's.  The tooth fairy pays more at grandparents' house.

On Saturday, we got up, had breakfast and swam, then left for Grandma and Grandpa's.  We got there around noon and went to see the site where they are building their new house.

 Apparently, I parked in the garage.

We spent Saturday and Sunday night there, and their cousin, Audri, was also visiting. On Sunday night, the rest of my brother's family came to drop their high school age kids off at a nearby boarding school.

It is always fun to take pictures on the slide that is still there from when I was a kid.

 Lydia conveniently lost her tooth at Grandma's, to the tune of $3.

On Monday, we packed up, hooked the van to the RV, and headed out to our next destination!

Happy 7th Birthday, Reggie!

Reggie is 7 years old!  He is 52 inches tall and weighs 64 pounds!   He has lost 6 teeth. (Reggie and Brett weigh the same, but Brett is 3 inches taller!)

Reggie loves school!  Math comes naturally for him and he exceeded expectations in reading.  He makes friends easily.  He loves sports but does not particularly enjoy art or writing. 

Reggie’s favorite food is still cheeseburgers.  His favorite candy is starbursts and jolly ranchers.  His favorite things to watch on TV is WWE wrestling and Survivor.  He likes to play with Legos and action figures, swim, go to parks, and ride his bike.

There is no dare Reggie will not accept. He is adventurous, eager, and competitive.  He gives 100% to any challenge and does it with a big smile on his face.  His laugh, hugs, and acrobatic stunts will always bring joy to everyone around. 

(cute pictures of Reggie in no particular order)

I'm so lucky to be his mom.