Our grand plans of taking a little over 2 days to get home was officially put in the trash when we hit the Missouri River near the middle of South Dakota today. We were supposed to roll into La Crosse on Monday, get Monica settled for her (final) class, catch some fireworks, and the girls • Read More »
Archives: Vacation
Day 7: Big Thunder Gold Mine
July 4, 2011 | By Patrick | No Comments | Filed in: CMS, HKS, MMS, Vacation.For our last day in the greater Rapid City area, Hannah wouldn’t be denied her chance to pan for gold. The other option was Devil’s Tower in far eastern Wyoming, but that choice was voted down. After doing a bit of research on the available choices, we decided on Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone. • Read More »
Day 6: The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD
July 3, 2011 | By Patrick | No Comments | Filed in: CMS, HKS, Vacation.Hot Springs is about an hour south of Rapid City, and its top draw, the Mammoth Site, was on our agenda for the day. In a nutshell, it’s an actual mammoth dig site in a nicely covered building with a museum and gift shop (are you noticing a trend?). On the guided tour they explain • Read More »
Day 5: Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Needles Highway
July 2, 2011 | By Patrick | 1 Comment | Filed in: CMS, HKS, MMS, Vacation.My guess is you’ve heard of and are somewhat familiar with Mount Rushmore. A few things surprised me about our visit: The parking garage, the condition of the visitor center, and the walkways throughout were impeccable. Clearly, they were relatively new but still very well maintained. And the fact that it was only $11/carload (technically, • Read More »
Day 4: Custer and Wind Cave
July 1, 2011 | By Patrick | No Comments | Filed in: CMS, HKS, MMS, Vacation.Knowing it was going to be a hot day, we headed off in the direction of Custer State Park on day 4. “You’ll probably see buffalo” “You may see some deer” “There are animals everywhere” – these were the promises that others made to us prior to our ride through the park. For the uninitiated, • Read More »