Day 20

On the agenda for today...riding in the car.  Then, riding in the car some more.  Last night we did our best to get everything set for the morning.  We knew we would be waking up before the sun rose, so we had to get most of the things packed and clothes laid out.  The kids and I went and got dressed while Brad packed up camp.  We were out of camp and on the road before 6 am.  Brad and I would do 3 hour shifts throughout the day.  We drove all the way through South Dakota, into the tip of Nebraska, Iowa, the tip of Kansas, across Missouri, into St. Louis and finally into Illinois where our hotel was.  990 miles today and we gained another hour.  No pictures today, except for this cute little video clip of the girls singing Taylor Swift songs in the car.  (Sorry, too long to put up on the blog)  The kids did fantastic today.  After leaving the west part of South Dakota, the drive was so boring, but they came up with lots of games, finished their journals and slept quite a bit.  I know this may sound crazy, but they do better on the longer legs of the trip.  I think they just understand that it is going to be sun up to sun down in the car and that's the way it is going to be.  On our 3-5 hour trips they are so eager to get where we are going.  Today the view was simply from inside the car.  Did they sometimes start to drive me crazy.  Absolutely, but it was so worth every minute! 

Day 19

What a fun day we had planned hanging around camp.  Brad took Carsyn hiking in the caves and caverns that surround Mount Rushmore.  They got an early start while the other two kiddos and I slept in a bit.  Around noon we went on an 1 1/2 trail ride.  Both have been on horses, but only in a corral.  They did great and never got scared!  I spend lots of time on horses growing up and I was so excited to do this with the kids. 

When we finished with the trail ride the kids played around camp the rest of the day.  Rock climbing was on that list.  So bummed, but I didn't get Carsyn climbing.  She was awesome at it too!

I think they went down the waterslide 100 times either with all 3 together or on their own.

  A cool story of something that happened tonight while getting everyone ready for bed...I had everyone shower because of our trip tomorrow.  The girls and I are in the bathroom blow drying our hair when a lady walked in a saw my shirt I had on.  (It was my 15 year old ragged shirt from my high school gymnastics team that I wear for jammies.)  She asked me if I was from Portage, MI and then proceeded to tell me that she was a teacher at that high school.  Come to find out, she was a teacher there when I went to school there.  I never had her for history, but my brother did.  Moments like this make you realize how small our world is.  We would love to have stayed here for a week, but we have to move on tomorrow.  Our longest drive yet, so we are off to bed a bit early!

Day 18

The park offered a $3 all you can eat pancake breakfast every morning and we jumped at that.  Family of 5 eating a yummy breakfast for $15, sounds like a good deal.  We left the park for the day and ventured an hour east to the Badlands National Park.  This is another park that you have the opportunity to drive through and stop when you want to take pictures.  Carsyn and Brenna completed the Jr. Ranger program here again as well.  It is Carsyn's favorite thing to do when we go to the different National Parks and Monuments. 

A cool caravan of cars we saw.  Each one a different color.  The last 2 weeks all we have seen are caravans of motorhomes.  Not many fancy cars. 

Brenna and Aidan had to climb one of the mounds.  It looks like soft sand, but it is real hard rock when you walk on it, but when you pick it up you can crumble it in your hands. 

Carsyn and Daddy walking around. 

This was quite different from the Petrified Forest, which is also a type of Badland.  This had these beautiful spots of grasses and flowers right into the rock and sand.  It gets really hot here as you imagine, so to have this much life growing was unusual to see.

My girls at a stop to take pictures.  Looks a little of how you imagine Mars looking.

Then there would be this beautiful grass.

After arriving back at camp, the kids played for hours in and around the pool and waterslide.  As for me, I sat in the cool shade and did nothing.  That was the best part!

Day 17

We said good bye to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and these fellas that have been keeping us company the last few days at our campground.  They loved the kids.  Every morning and evening the would come up to the fence and let the kids pet them.  So sweet. 

Packing up camp. 

Our road through Wyoming to South Dakota. 

After a 6 hour drive today, we arrived at our camp ground about 3 miles from Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.  We are staying at the Mt. Rushmore KOA.  The second largest KOA in the United States behind Disney World.  I would have to say that the kiddos probably thought we were the coolest parents when we pulled into the place.  (Well, if not them, I sure was happy we found such a cool place.  You just never know when you haven't been there and you reserved it online.)  We had horse stables, pools, water slides, rock climbing, trampolines, etc.  Why leave the camp ground when you have all that??  Only to see this amazing National Monument....

We unpacked all our camp and heard that we had to see Mt. Rushmore at night and during the lighting ceremonies.  So we headed down the road to check it out. 

It was a gorgeous night and the ceremony was beautiful, although the pictures did not turn out at night. 

Day 16

We knew it was going to be another beautiful day so we got up and around pretty early.

When leaving our campsite this morning, we were greeted by a this huge herd.

Momma and her baby.

Downtown Jackson there is a great park in the town center that we hung around most of the day.  We did some shopping, ate lunch, let the kids play while Brad and I sat in the grass and shade, got some ice cream, did some more shopping and just enjoyed meeting lots of cool people. 

We had to be at the Bar T-5 Ranch shortly before dinner to go on our covered wagon dinner tour.  This was one of the best things we did the whole trip and I would recommend that you go to this Ranch.  3 generation ranch with all kinds of stuff going on.  We were in a covered wagon with a few other families and we drove up the mountain where they had prepared the most delicious dinner.  They played and entertained us for the next couple hours. 

Some of our entertainment that night...

Our ride home.  Of course it wouldn't be Jackson Hole without a good sunset....especially with horses!

Certainly a day we will never forget!

Day 15

We were so excited for the day ahead, so we go an early start this morning.  The mosquito's around here are like swarms of flys or gnats back home.  It didn't matter if we had just gotten up in the morning, showered and put bug spray on, they bit you anyways.  It was bad in both parks, but the worse place was our campground.  I was happy to have a plan of being gone all day.

Love this shot.

It was a beautiful day which made us more excited about the rafting trip today.  I made this reservation about 6 months ago and the kids were looking so forward to this trip.  We headed into downtown Jackson or what locals call (Jackson Hole).  We wondered what the difference was and why some people call it Jackson and some people call it Jackson Hole.  Jackson Hole is exactly that, a Hole in the valley, a region or area.  Jackson is the actual city.  We road a bus to our dropping point in the snake river and road for about 7 miles.  The kids hung on their bellies watching the rocks pass under the raft.  The water was nearly crystal clear and as cold as ice.  It didn't seem to bother the kids at all.  They were having too much fun!  It was a while before exiting the river and being served a fabulous lunch on the side of the river.  We met lots of cool people including our guide!  The smiles on my kiddos faces never left until they all fell asleep on the bus ride back into town.   

One of the other rafts with us.

The views from the river were breathtaking.

After arriving back in town later that afternoon, we drove back through the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone National Park. 

Checking out some of the beautiful scenery.

My handsome guys!

My sweet babies.

Watching and waiting patiently with the hundreds of other people for Old Faithful to erupt.  It goes off about every 90 minutes. 

Pretty cool when it erupts!

Driving back to camp...

Had to stop at one of the many crossing of the Continental Divide.