Thursday of the reunion weekend, Handy Man and I packed two very eager children in the car. South Dakota bound! While our Brown Eyed Girl and Mr Blue Eyes were bursting at the thought of a family vacation, let me be perfectly honest - I was the most excited! It had been easily 20 years since I had been to the Black Hills. Likely longer than that since I saw Mount Rushmore and all of the tourist attractions that South Dakota has to offer. I couldn't wait to take my kids there - even if they have no idea the amount of history this place holds.
When Handy Man was a little boy, his parents took him on a chartered helicopter ride to see the presidential faces of Mount Rushmore. Having never forgotten that experience as a child, Handy Man surprised us all by making reservations for our very own helicopter ride to see Mount Rushmore.
What a way to kick off our vacation!
Our Brown Eyed Girl was super excited.
Mr Blue Eyes was a little more nervous.
Ladies got to go first.
My Brown Eyed Girl sat co-pilot.
Within 10 seconds, we were high above the tree tops and soaring through the sky. Her giggles and excitement clicking over our headsets made me smile as she answered all of the pilots questions.
Five minutes into our flight and there is was!
Our Founding Fathers.
Boys turn.
All smiles from the boys after they were done.
Thanks Daddy for a wonderful and unique family adventure. Surely a memory the kids will never forget!
Home base for our family vacation was a cute, little, one-room cabin at the Rafter J Bar Ranch in Hill City. It was a perfect location, centrally located to just about every tourist attraction on our schedule. Not to mention, each little cabin was a convenient little stroll away from all of our family and their little cabins.
Night one, the kids leaned how to whittle their very own sticks for smore's making. Watching Grandpop teach my Brown Eyed Girl how to whittle was quite a nostalgic moment for me. I remember him teaching me how to whittle when I was about her age and as I prepared for Girl Scout camp. (I still have my first pocket knife.)
The kids ate a LOT of smore's!
Day two, we knocked out all of the touristy stuff!
Bear Country USA
Reptile Gardens
We had lunch in Rapid City. Then, we drove though Sturgis & Deadwood for a little sight seeing via car (the kids snuck in a much needed nap.) After driving through Deadwood, we took a little detour to Lead, SD for a potty break. It ended up being one of our favorite stops. We stumbled across this huge crater in the middle of these hills. Adjacent to the old mining scar a little research building stood with a little mining museum. I was really cool to see.
One of the old elevator carts.
Our last stop of the day was to take the kids on a cave tour. A bit chilly, but it was very interesting.
Quite the adventure!
Day three, was the actual family reunion. It was so wonderful getting to visit with all of the families on my Grandpa Eveleth's side. Many of whom I hadn't seen since I was a little girl and some I had never met.
After the amazing catered lunch, some of us ventured into Keystone for some ice cream and touristy shopping.
The kids saw what must be the tallest cowboy in the world. A gun-slinger performer who was rough around the edges and wild looking. The kids didn't quite know what to think of him shouting and hollering up and down the street as he advertised the shooting reenactment of Wild Bill Hickock.
So after ice cream, we got suckered into their little gun-slinging performance. It wasn't quite what we expected...
Never the less, it was the cheapest entertainment yet!
Later that evening, we all gathered around Shirley's camper one more time for dinner.
The smore's came back out.
I almost forgot!
If you asked my kids to name their favorite part of the trip, they will both tell you it was meeting their distant cousins, Gianna and Cooper. These four were the same age and became fast friends.
As the sun set, we all agreed that it had been way, way too long since everyone had gotten together. We vowed to get together as we could every two years. I can hardly wait!
What an amazing family vacation!
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