The Black Hills, Plains and the Last Great American Waterslide!

When you think of traveling the U.S. with your family you might not think that South Dakota is a place worthy of a weeks stay. We found that a week was not long enough. After leaving the beauty of Montana and Wyoming we were excited about Mount Rushmore and the Badlands but we were pleasantly surprised to fill our days with nature and the artistic mountain carvings of this plains state. Crazy Horse was a huge hit with Erica and I. We found ourselves immersed in the beauty and the sadness of the monument that is being erected just north of Custer, SD and the spirit of the Native American culture. Crazy Horse was a unique leader of his people during a time of much turmoil in our country who against great odds stood his ground against the demands of the US government and ultimately died for his cause. The Indians who lived on the lands here were treated by the American government very inhumanely. How I learned the history of westward expansion after the Louisana purchase and passage of the Homestead Act in school carried so much optimism and opportunity for our growing country. I have always been proud of my country and it's moral and ethical foundation and now I realize more than ever the reality that our government wields power in horrible ways too. We were glad we could take our children to Crazy Horse and The Battle of Little Big Horn monument in Montana to be able to show them the truth of what war and taking land by force does to a person and a culture. You could feel the history in these places. The reinactment by the park ranger at the monument was really expressive and impacted us all. The kids were into the story and this is why we feel great about the education they are getting so far. So many questions flow from their little brains. 

We loved Mount Rushmore too and made sure to see both Rushmore and Crazy Horse lit up at night.  

On the days we stayed home we spent time swimming at the Beaver Lake Campground pool and waterslide and the kids played all day with various friends in the crowded park onsite. I am convinced that the waterslide is one of the last great American waterslides due to the speed and low walls. The slide could only exist in a privately owned campground in rural South Dakota. Both of the kids and Erica couldn't get enough of it but they don't weigh over 200 pounds either. I rode it half a dozen times and then quit because I felt like on the last turn I was gonna launch over the side. I am getting older and more risk adverse every minute. 

Who knew that there is more than one National Park in South Dakota? We didn't! Wind Cave NP is a spelunkers dream. We got there just in time to take the last trip down into the cave. Unlike Carlsbad Caverns where you can enter at anytime, Wind Cave requires you to pay for a ticket to enter during a particular tour timeslot. We payed the fee and it was worth every cent. In the middle of the tour 140ft below the surface the ranger turns out the lights and everyone is silent for 30 seconds. It was so peaceful and powerful for me but Boyd grabbed my arm and gave it an uncomfortable squeeze. He said he didn't like that part so much. Nonetheless we enjoyed this latest goonie adventure! 

After four nights in Custer, we headed East on I-90 to Badlands National Park. Our first stop was the world famous Wall Drug in Wall, SD. It was not what I remembered seeing as a seven year old boy and Erica remembered it a luttle better having originally gone as a teenager. The kids were really antsy in the RV so we spent about three hours there and ate lunch at the cafe. It was a Saturday and the kids blew all of their $20 Friday paycheck on toys. They have the spending money part down pat and are learning the lesson of going five and six days of the week between paychecks being broke! Blythe was wise this past week to only pay herself five dollars and keep the other fifteen in the bank so that she doesn't burn it. We have told them that at the end of this year we will again match all the money they have left in the bank dollar for dollar. She wants to buy her own dog when we settle again into a house. It's good to have that kind of motivation!

We left Wall and headed seven miles south to the Badlands entrance. I don't remember the Badlands from our family trip back in the early eighties so as we rounded the first corner and pulled off to see this sea of sand castles rising from the grassy plain 400 feet below us I was captivated. Erica really wanted to see the sights and compare her own memory of their family trip in the early nineties. We didn't arrive at the Badlands until almost 4:30pm. A massive stormfront followed us through the park providing a dark backdrop against the bright sunlit layers of sandy rock. South Dakota has nature! We stayed for about 3 hours and drove about twenty five miles through the park to catch I-90 further East. We saw a herd of Mountain goats and camped to watch them climb to the rim by our vehicle. Boyd and Erica were photographers and caught some great shots. 

We drove to Mitchell, SD and boondocked at Walmart for the night and then woke to tour the Corn Palace there. Not at all what Erica and I remembered. Of course, they change it every year and this year they are using a military theme. We stayed about two hours and left to head to Fargo, ND. We made it about 100 miles north when we passed a sign for the Ingall's Homestead in De Smet, SD. I told Erica that this would be a possible spot to stretch oir legs and eat a late lunch so we pulled off onto the dirt road and ended at the property when Laura Ingalls Wilder lived from 1880-1885 (age 13-18). It was also the property she referenced in her series of childrens books, most notably “The Long Winter”. This was the coolest find and once again validates our decision to go with the flow and not plan. We liked it so much that we asked to dry camp there and they let us stay for only $10. At the bottom of the parking lot The kids played all afternoon in the barns with all the newborn animals. Kittens, calves, chickens and roosters and even a free roaming new born shetland pony were their toys. We took wagon rides to the school house where the teacher taught the kids the difference between schools in the rural towns of the plains in the late 1800's and the schools of today. We attended the local pageant in the field at the back of the property that is put on during three weekends every July. It was the best of small town theatre. After three days on the road it was nice to be in this setting for 24 hours. The kids were obsessed with cuddling the kittens and paid the price with swollen eyes, runny noses and skin rashes and despite three benadryl and multiple showers they didn't get over it for two days. This was a major highlight for us because it was a surprise stop but mostly due to the owners expectation that the kids and adults feel the freedom to touch and play freely on all parts of the property. Nothing was off limits so you felt the true spirit of living as Laura did on these great plains. 

We packed up around three o'clock and headed out of South Dakota toward Fargo, ND to use our Harvest Host property for the first time at the Fargo Air Museum. 

Peace and Love