The first day (Sunday) we spent 8+ hours in the car driving through Wyoming and stopping for the night in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The kids actually did pretty well in the car that day. That night we stopped by one of the only marked graves sites of a pioneer woman.
That night the kids had fun swimming at the hotel. Swimming on this trip was one of the highlights for the kids.
The next morning we went and saw Scotts Bluff, one of the many prominent landmarks we saw as part of the Mormon/Oregon trail.
Next we went to Chimney Rock, another pioneer landmark.
As we headed north towards our next destination we stopped off at Carhenge (cars displayed to look like Stonehenge).
That night we arrived at some quaint cabins where we would be staying the next three nights. The kids loved the big open yard with a tire swing made to look like a horse, a wagon, a pool and hot tub. We just wish we had more time to just play at the cabins, but there was just too much to see and too little time.
We also went to see an evening lighting program at Mt. Rushmore. We were all exhausted and all three kids were asleep by the time we got back to the cabins. Unfortunately Cedric was getting up around 5:30 each morning, so Tom and I were exhausted too.
The next morning we went back to Mt. Rushmore.
Here is a picture of Jefferson, Jefferson, and Jefferson.
Jeff kept pointing to the mountain saying "there's my name". He was so proud to have the same name as one of the "faces".
Unfortunately, our kids are not always the most cooperative when it comes to picture taking. This is the best family picture we got while there.
After Mt. Rushmore we went to Bedrock City, a fun park designed around The Flinstones shows. The kids enjoyed getting a chance to run around and play. The weather was in the low 70's, perfect weather to enjoy the park!
Lily and Jeff with Fred and Barney.
Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
After Bedrock City we went on a tour of the Wind Caves. It gets its name by the wind pressure either blowing in or out of the cave. Here's Lily facing the only known natural entrance into the cave as the wind is blowing out of the hole.
Here's the kids inside the cave. Jeff was so excited for this tour, until we were in the cave, then he complained of being scared the whole time.
Afterwards we took a very scenic route through Custer State Park we saw a lot of wildlife. We even had a buffalo walk right past our car!
Unfortunately a lot of our trip was spent in the car. The kids did relatively well, but they had their moments too.
That night we had a chuckwagon dinner with a live western band.
The next day we went on a tour of Cosmos Mystery Area. A fun tour full of optical illusions.
Next we headed to the Badlands National Park. This gave our kids a good chance to take a little nap while driving through the park.
That afternoon we went to one of the kids favorite stops, Storybook Island. It was a fairyland park with nursery rhyme displays and fun playgrounds. And it was free!
The boys with The Cat in the Hat.
Cedric and Grandma Sherri (we saw a lot of real motorcycles on this trip).
Lily and Ariel.
That night the kids had fun playing games at the cabins. Here's Aunt Aimee teaching the kids the M&M game.
Day five of our trip (Thursday) it was time to leave the Black Hills and start our trek back home. We stopped by another neat National Monument, Devil's Tower.
We stayed the night in Casper, Wyoming, where we ate at a fun restaurant called Sanford's. It's like a kids version of Hard Rock Cafe with cool decor inside and out. It was always a trick to seat all 21 of us together and to try to keep 11 kids under control.
Lily ordered "The Big Dog" off of the kids menu and this is what she got (all the kids meals came with a gummy worm in the apple sauce).
Friday was a tiring day when we stopped off at Independence Rock where you can still see names carved in the rock from explorers and pioneers from the past.
Next we stopped at Martin's Cove where we got to experience pulling real handcarts. The kids were tired and rode in the handcart the whole time. The biggest trick was keeping Cedric from falling out or sticking his hands in the wheel spokes. It was touching to learn more about these pioneers and the sacrifice they went through crossing the plains.
That night we stayed in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The kids got one more night of swimming with their cousins. The next day we drove the last little stretch back home. We saw many monumental sights, we experienced laughter and tears, we grew closer as a family. Now we need a vacation!
4 comments:
Looks like fun!
Did you get chewed out for not being part of the procession at Carhenge?
I can hear someone out my window yelling "Tom" so I'll see if he actually comes.
Wow, it sounds like you had a very busy but fun vacation. Gavin enjoyed looking at all of your pictures.
Nate,
we weren't there on any solstice, so fortunately no. I saw someone sneaking behind a car to take a leak though (can you guess his name, Tami?).
Did he come?
It makes me tired just to re-live the trip. It makes me tired just to THINK about Cedric waking up at 5 a.m.
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