Time for being tourists

Day 46 continued:  We decided to drive home through the Black Hills and go from the Wilderness to being full-fledged tourists.  I knew that it might feel hot after being up in the mountains and 4 days in a tent might be enough for us so I rented a pretty sweet camper cabin at Custer State Park.  Bunk beds, air conditioning, walls and a hot shower close by....yes please.  I seriously hadn't showered for 4 days when we arrived in Custer and I was due.  Here was our homestead for 3 days in the black hills:

Day 47: The forecast was hot while we were in the Black Hills so Craig and I decided to hit the road with the kids early the next morning to beat the heat and the crowds at Mt. Rushmore.  Our goals today were to see Mt. Rushmore and climb on some of the incredible rocks/boulders we were eyeing all around us.    We arrived at Mt. Rushmore at 8:00 a.m. when it opened after we went through a few of these on the way:

We spent a good hour and a half marveling and hiking around Mt Rushmore.  The kids especially like the workmans museum in which in showed the model and the tools the workers used to carve the monument.

Then, of course, we had to find our state flag on the way in!

After Mt. Rushmore we stopped at Sylvan Lake.  I have been here a few times but it always impresses me with the huge boulders around and in the lake.

So we did some climbing around on the rocks.

And more climbing on the rocks:

And more:

And more:

Basically we climbed around on the rocks for and hour and a half and then jumped into the lake to cool off for 15 minutes.  On the way to our cabin we were able to drive the infamous Needles highway.  Cool tunnels, rock formations and, of course, some more rock climbing for us:

A good look at our evening.  We spent a lot of time whittling on this trip.  Whittling is just awesome.  The kids made lots of cool things and whittling kept them busy for hours on the "down time" parts of our trip.   

So Day 47 goals of seeing Rushmore and climbing rocks = met.

Day 48:  Goals:  See Wildlife and hike in a cave.
Started the day on the wildlife loop.  Saw some prairie dogs and a whole lot of nothing until we ran into these guys:

The local burros.  Craig called them something else and then I went a little nuts because the kids couldn't stop saying the word jackasses because unfortunately they are now old enough to know that is a bad word so I kept saying "they are BURROS kids" and they would giggle......ugh.....

Met a lone bull bison out in the field.  Where is the herd?  Saw some pronghorn antelope but no bison herd.

Made a very important stop for Ice cream, left the wildlife loop drive, we were about a mile from our camp when we ran into the herd:

Just hanging around the road.  There must have been hundreds of them.

After some lunch we traveled a south to Wind Cave National Park.  By this time seeing bison was like seeing a squirrel in MN.  "Bison" someone would shout and then we would all go back to what we were looking at, doing, etc.

The afternoon tour was excellent because it was soooo hot this day and the cave was a cool 56 degrees.

This is my kids' second cave.  Our first was in MN and it was more of a "wet" cave and had different features.  This cave was so great because it seemed more adventurous.  The path wasn't quite as easy, the cave was definitely left a little more natural.  I don't know if we like one type of cave over the other...they both were pretty cool and unique.

The Boxwork feature was pretty unique to Wind Cave as well.

The kids and Craig and I enjoyed the tour and then it was time to have our final dinner and so since there was a lodge close to our cabin (yeah civilization!!) it was time for us to eat out and not do dishes, etc...because this is vacation right?  SO we ate at the lodge and Craig and I both had some sort of bison entree....when in Rome......

Vacation is over.......sorry Craig!