RV Adventure :: Day 5

{Hill City, SD to Tensleep, WY :: 262 Miles}

Yesterday morning, Brian was walking around the campsite and saw the horses being brought in to the stable. So he woke up bright and early today so he could photograph them. Amazing. After we left the campground, we went to Deadwood. Which is near Sturgis -- it was absolutely crazy with Harleys. Having so many motorcycles has been fun, but honestly, I'm pretty sick of them getting our way. We did see quite an interesting cast of characters on the street though. Next we drove to Devil's Tower, which was amazing. On the way out, we stopped and checked out the prairie dogs. All of us wanted to take one home with us. Cuties! We decided to keep on trucking, drove through the Little Bighorn Mountains (beautiful) and didn't stop at our campsite (the Ten Broek RV Park) until late tonight. 

RV Adventure :: Day 4

{No Travel Day}

 Felt great to go nowhere. First thing we did was laundry. And a lot of it! I have no idea how that happened in a matter of three days. After that, we played a family game of beach volleyball and went down the little waterslide at the KOA. After lunch, all of us except my parents went on a horseback ride. C rode his own horse for the very first time and loved it. Actually, we all had a blast. My horse's name was Max. Brian rode Carlos, who was quite the lady's man. We had been watching him earlier and he tried to nuzzle up to the other horses the entire time. They didn't like it. I can't remember H's horses name, but C had Lightning, who turns out is the oldest horse there. He was quite slow (and very gentle), of course. After a dip in the pool, all we did was cook and hang out by the campsite. Nice.

RV Adventure :: Day 3

{Interior, SD to Hill City, SD - 99.1 miles}

Woke up bright and early (thank you, Mountain Time), and hit the Badlands National Park. We got out, parked and hiked a bit. Brian was in absolute heaven -- he could have stayed there all day long. After that, we drove to Wall Drug. What a nightmare. Something you need to do, for sure, but for someone who hates shopping (me) it was a bit much after awhile. Still, C picked up a raccoon tail hat and boys got pop guns, so they were very happy campers. After that, we went through Custer State Park. It’s amazing coming from the dry, sandy Badlands, to the green Black Hills. We stumbled upon a beautiful lake where we stopped and collected sparkly rocks. After that, we went to Mount Rushmore. I’ve been before, but it really is pretty amazing. This time we stopped in at the artist’s studio and hiked the Presidential Trail. Finally, we checked into the Mount Rushmore KOA, where we will be camping out for a couple nights. It will feel good to stay put for a couple nights.

RV Adventure :: Day 2

{Fairmont, Minnesota to Interior, South Dakota - 396 miles}

Big driving day. We made it to Mitchell, South Dakota around lunch time and stopped at the world-famous Corn Palace. True, it's decorated in corn and the exterior changes every year. But pretty much it's a giant gift shop. After a brief stop there, we drove some more. South Dakota really makes you realize how small you are. There was nothing for miles. Except for sunflowers and Harleys, that is. The big 72nd Sturgis bike rally is going on this weekend, and there are motorcycles all over the place. We hit Badlands National Park, and drove right through it. Going to back tomorrow -- it was already so late. Our home base is the Badlands/White River KOA. Although, as you can see, there is not much of the White River remaining this year. Again, we lucked out on a great campground. We played volleyball and miniature golf. The kids rode around on bikes (basically, giant rugged Big Wheels). And we got to see the crazy red motor home. Come to find out, it's a German tour company that does a 4-week trip from New York to Los Angeles (called Rotel Tours, I think). 26 people are on the trip and they sleep in 2.5 x 2.5 x 6.5 foot sleeping spaces. I've never seen anything like it.