Minuteman & Badlands NP

Today was a very busy day.  We hit three places today instead of our average two, but they were clustered together east of Mount Rushmore.
We drove for a few hours before we reached the Minuteman Missile Site.  It isn't big or fancy, but Enoch loved it.  We watched a movie about the missiles buried underground, ready to launch, during the Cold War.  It didn't take long, he Enoch completed his Junior Ranger patch and learned a lot!

Back in the motor home for more driving.  We eventually arrived at the windy Badlands National Park.  We weren't too sure the drive would be worth it to see the Badlands, but I am so glad we did it.  We spent some time at the visitor center (the kids got another Junior Ranger patch!) and then we drove and drove.  There are some hikes, but we thought it best to just stop at some viewpoints (the kids were fading at this point).  The drive was relaxing, but the groundhogs we saw popping up everywhere were so adorable.  The kids loved them!
The Badlands are so beautiful!

 The kids had so much exploring, wandering and discovering the Badlands.  It is such a unique place and I'm glad our family was able to see it!

Wall Drug

On our way home from the Badlands, we stopped at Wall Drug.  This is one of those places you have heard of, but don't know exactly what it is or what to expect. 
Yep, I was right.  Not really what we were expecting.
It is a bunch of stores smashed together.  The started with one small store and then just kept adding on.  It's like a maze of retail.  We could hardly find the restaurant to eat dinner.  We finally located it just in time, they were closing soon.  We grabbed some food, ate and then started to explore.
I, of course, left my camera in the motor home because I thought, "Why would I need to take pictures in a store?"  Well, there's a lot more to it than a store.  The kids loved the playground, the mechanical dinosaur and the wagon, but they really loved the jackalope.  Greg snapped a few pictures on his phone.

So much fun!  Corny, touristy places are the best!

Mount Rushmore and The Train

Today was the day!  The entire reason we made the drive to South Dakota - Mount Rushmore!  As we drove through the beautiful Black Hills, the kids got more and more excited to see the mountain.  I wasn't completely paying attention until Guard yelled, "the heads!, the heads!"  I looked up and sure enough, there was Mount Rushmore in the distance.  I know it sounds weird, but it looked smaller than I thought it would be!

 After going through the jungle of parking our huge motor home, we walked through the corridor of flags and found Utah at the end.  By that time, the kids were just too excited to get up close, so we didn't stay too long looking around.  Everybody was excited to get their pictures taken with the heads, except Enoch, who was trying to figure out where the lake was so he could find the treasure!

After getting our fill our pictures, we went on the short hike around the base of the mountain.  It was very fun and informative.  The kids were trying to figure out where National Treasure was filmed and I was just trying to keep track of the kids.

There is a great visitor center at the monument and it was so interesting to learn of the construction of Mount Rushmore.  It was amazing!  The kids loved it and we were all very impressed.
But, once you have seen it, you've seen it.  The kids were excited to get to our next adventure - the train ride!  We booked tickets on the 1880 Train Ride round-trip from Keystone to Hill City and back.  It was a great old steam train.  Guard could hardly contain himself.

We found some seats, got comfy, and half of us fell asleep through the gorgeous scenery.

Once the kids caught a small cat nap, they were up and enjoying the train again.  It was a lot of fun and we traveled through absolutely beautiful country.

We ended the very fun day back at Mount Rushmore for the lightening ceremony.  It was fantastic!  They showed a short movie about America, and then, my favorite part, they invited all current and former military onto the stage.  Every person stated their name and what branch of service they were with.  It was very cool.  Then, they lighted the monument for the night.  It was a great way to end a very great day.

Bear Country & Air Force Museum

We started bright and early this morning.  Maybe too early - we are wearing these kids out!  But, they were all excited to see the animals at Bear Country USA.  I had some misgivings about supporting an establishment that traps and sequesters animals, but...we do have a pass to the zoo that we use frequently and this place is probably more 'wild' than that.  We have never been to a place like this before, so we were curious to see what it was all about.
The kids absolutely loved it!  Kate went crazy over the wolves.  Guard likes the bears and deer.  And Enoch loved it all.

 The bears were very active and came right up to the motor home.  They were not shy at all.  Guard would squeal every time one would walk by his window.  And so many bears!  Dozens of them!  They were very fun to watch, but the bear cubs in the nursery were the best.  They were so cute and playful.  The kids watched them for about 30 minutes.

We had a great time at Bear Country USA!

After Bear Country, we pulled off to the side of the parking lot where there was a grassy area with some picnic tables and we had lunch - grilled cheese and tomato soup.  It was very good on a breezy day.
After lunch we drove to the South Dakota Air Force Base Museum.  Guard was exhausted and fell asleep during the drive, so I stayed in the motor home with him and took a nap too while the rest wandered around the planes.  I think they had fun?!  I know that Enoch scraped up his hand badly after a fall and we stopped at Walgreen's for ointment and band aids on our way home.