We met many members of my family in South Dakota June 23 and from that day forward it has been a whirlwind of excitement and adventure. We stayed at Horsethief Campground in Hill City for almost a week, it was a beautiful place.
Brother (age 8) and Sister (age 3) have had their four cousins to play with ages 11, 9, 8, & 5. It was so much fun to watch them all get along so well, play games, run around outside and explore the sights together. During our travels together we visited five National Parks/Monuments. Quick trivia: what is the difference between a National Park and a National Monument? Monuments are designated by the President, Parks are designated by Congress! So either way they are special sights set aside by the Federal Government for the enjoyment of all and both offer the Junior Ranger badges. With the family we visited Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and the Badlands in South Dakota and then Effigy Mounds in Iowa. Five of the six kids completed the Junior Ranger activities and earned their badges.
We also had a really great time in Hot Springs, SD swimming in the mineral spring. What a great experience. 5,000 gallons of water flow into the facility each minute and there are water slides and a really nice indoor facility. We all loved it and would certainly go again if passing through that region. I wish I would have taken some pictures of the indoor facility, but it is called Evan's Plunge and you can see their website.
Another sight we saw that was not related to the National Park Service was the 1880 train. We took this antique train from Hill City, SD to Keystone, SD. It was an hour each way and we rode on an antique passenger car. The engine was a classic steam engine. It was the coolest train ride I have ever taken.
It was HOT driving to Michigan. We stopped at the Badlands and Effigy National Monument on the way and had a hard time really enjoying either due to the heat. We had escaped the heat until South Dakota, but since we left there we have had to run our air conditioning in the truck and in the Hideout. It is disappointing to be trapped by the heat even in the East. To get to Michigan, we drove approximately 1,200 miles in four days - it was a strenuous haul. Prior to that we had been limiting our driving to no more than 200 miles in a day. On our way home we are going to go back to that limit - it works better for us. All together the Hideout has traveled about 4000 miles this summer!
It's been good to be with my family, we see each other so infrequently. I am glad that this trip allows us to share four weeks with them. I'll have to write future posts about our adventures in MI!
Another sight we saw that was not related to the National Park Service was the 1880 train. We took this antique train from Hill City, SD to Keystone, SD. It was an hour each way and we rode on an antique passenger car. The engine was a classic steam engine. It was the coolest train ride I have ever taken.
It was HOT driving to Michigan. We stopped at the Badlands and Effigy National Monument on the way and had a hard time really enjoying either due to the heat. We had escaped the heat until South Dakota, but since we left there we have had to run our air conditioning in the truck and in the Hideout. It is disappointing to be trapped by the heat even in the East. To get to Michigan, we drove approximately 1,200 miles in four days - it was a strenuous haul. Prior to that we had been limiting our driving to no more than 200 miles in a day. On our way home we are going to go back to that limit - it works better for us. All together the Hideout has traveled about 4000 miles this summer!
It's been good to be with my family, we see each other so infrequently. I am glad that this trip allows us to share four weeks with them. I'll have to write future posts about our adventures in MI!
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