Where We Went (Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center)

Spring Break #6

After we stayed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota we headed home.  Like to our actual home.  We stopped in Sioux City, Iowa at the Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.  Say that 5 times fast.  It's a free little museum right on the river next to a big playground (aka good stopping place).  Neal and I were very impressed with how well put together the museum was and how nice it was- especially for something that is free!

That's one big dog!  His name is Seaman.

Hanging out with the sick guy- the only guy to die on the trip out west.

Medical supplies.  That big silver thing is for enemas.

Lego scene

Creepy robots- one of them you couldn't hear what he was saying but he still moved.

The weather was nice so we ate lunch and the kids played on the playground.  Then we headed home.

Home sweet home!

It was a really fun trip and we were able to see and do a ton of stuff!

Where We Went (Minuteman Missile)

Spring Break #5


We had a ton of fun in the Black Hills, but we needed to start heading home.  The boys had completed their Jr. Ranger badges for the Badlands, but we were too late to turn it in before so we had to head back on the way home.

While there we saw a herd of longhorn sheep off the road and- of course- tons of prairie dogs.  The prairie dogs are all over in the Badlands and the surrounding grasslands- so pretty much most of South Dakota.  It's funny to see them pop in and out of their holes and run around.

While getting their badges at the Badlands, the ranger told us how they could also earn their Jr. Paleontologist badges and that Minuteman Missile had a badge too.  So we got the workbooks for the Jr. Paleontologist badges and headed out of the park.  Surprise!  Minuteman Missile is right at the entrance to the Badlands so we just had to stop.  The boys weren't too happy that we had been too late to do the Devil's Tower Jr. Ranger badge so we thought we could do this one instead.

A building in the middle of nothing

They just barely opened this facility, which means they really didn't have a lot of displays.  But they did have one of the chairs from the original sites.

Earning their Jr. Ranger badges

I didn't even know what this was when we stopped here haha.  During the cold war the US decided to have some nuclear missiles ready and waiting to launch in case Russia attacked us.  So in South Dakota they made these huge underground missile "silos"- I can't remember how many.  You can tour the actual "silo" but we had already passed that site and we wanted to make it to Sioux Falls before it was too late.  We watched their video, earned badges, took pictures then went on our way.  I don't know that the kids quite understood what this really was since you couldn't see the place where the missiles were and they don't know about the cold war.  But it was interesting, and they earned another badge.

Where We Went (Wind Cave & Custer State Park)

Spring Break part 4


For today's journey we headed to Wind Cave National Park.  We did a cave tour- it is a pretty unique cave.  There are no stalagmites or stalactites but what is called "box work" and "popcorn".  And it is fairly long.

The "entrance" to the cave- it breathes sometime the air comes in and sometimes the air blows out

Some crystals- Adam had a fun time with his flashlight trying to find them

"Box work"- fossilized cracks from when this used to be the sea.  They were originally thought to be fossilized spider webs- Ick!

This pregnant lady had quite a time going down all the stairs...

Then to finish their Jr. Ranger badges the boys had to go for a little hike.

On the way back to the hotel we drove through Custer State Park and ran into a herd of these guys...

Luckily this guy moved to the side because he was right in our lane.

Roll over in the nice bath Mr. Bison!

Pretty awesome being so close to these animals!

Where We Went (Mt. Rushmore, Lake Sylvan, Devil's Tower)

Spring Break part 3

Once we made it to Rapid City we were a lot closer to a bunch of other fun stuff in the Black Hills and surrounding area.

Another "must see" I've been dying to go to was Mt. Rushmore:

Thank you Mr. Jefferson for inventing ice cream!!

The boys favorite part of the visitor's center was the explosion simulator! (of course haha).  We thought it would've been way better if they made the floor vibrate when you push down the hammer :)

And they just had to earn another Jr. Ranger badge!  We love the national park/ monument/ history system.

Look!  They've added a 5th head!

And another 5th head!

Everything is awesome!!

Then we stopped for lunch at Lake Sylvan.  Such a pretty lake!  Too bad it was chilly and windy.  And the lake was still frozen.  And the roads were closed.  Good thing we could stop at the front and eat.  The boys then went on a lovely hike around part of the lake.

And to finish the day off we set off for Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  My favoritest state ever.  Because it always has the best weather.  And low and behold, the weather was cold.  And it started to snow.  And the clouds were so low that we couldn't even see the tower from the lookout points until we actually got to the tower.  It is a really neat looking tower though, with hexagon/pentagon columns going up.  Again the boys took a nice hike around it and we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Where We Went (Corn Palace & Badlands)

Spring Break Part 2

We stayed the night in Sioux Falls, SD then headed West for our next stay in Rapid City.  On the way we made a few fun stops:


First we stopped in Mitchell, SD to go to the Corn Palace (World's Only Corn Palace!!).  Contrary to what google maps said, it was not open so we just took some pictures.  Later we found out they are about to change the scenes for the year.

This is for Neal because he thought this was "cool"

This statue is supposed to represent the unifying of man and wind or bird or something like that.  Garett is doing his manly pose.

The pictures are made out of corn cobs... hence Corn Palace

Some castle across the street- Adam is wearing a knight shirt so it fit.  Must be a happin' place when it's not off season.

A creepy mannequin in a closed shop.  The kids were enthralled and terrified of it at the same time.

And then after endless fields of dead prairie, the Badlands National Park:

Earning their Jr. Ranger badges

Exploring the rocks

Fossil Trail

Ryan really wants to slide down the pathway

It was such a beautiful warm and sunny day!!

We didn't make it back to the visitor's center for the boys to get their Jr. Ranger badges, but since this is on the way back we'll get it then.  It was so unusually warm and nice it was perfect for exploring the rocks and trails.

Now to keep going to Rapid City...