Great Places....Great Faces!

Look at what the future holds!
Do you spy George Washington?
Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.
Do you see any resemblence?
What a memory!

Welcome to the Cosmos!

I really was trying to stand up straight.
So were they.
This place gave us such a headache! I still think it was magical even though Bryce took the wind out of my sails giving all the scientific reasons to why this is a hoax. All I can say is that the trees grew funny, my eyes grew funny, and standing up straight was definitely funny! Check this place out if you ever travel through SD.

Saddle Up!

The boys took their first real trail ride. Breven rode "Dragon." Brad rode "Buck." Mom rode "Curly" (who had a bad case of gas.) Dad rode "Lewis." We ALL loved it. We took a one hour ride through the forest, spotting deer and getting rained on. What fun!

Wind Cave

Breven was a little cold down in the cave so the ranger gave him her jacket. He even helped her on the tour.
It is so amazing to see all the different formations.
This is called "box work" Out of all the box work known of in the world, Wind Cave has 98% of it!

Out on the Prairie

Give us wide open spaces....It's sure to put smiles on our faces!

We're going Pro!

Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. Breven is pointing to the window that he almost broke. Oops! And that's my second "hole in one!"
Hole in one on par 5.
Bryce's hole in one par 11. And for the record, we played mini golf more in one week than in the 13 years we've known each other.

The No Tell-Motel

That's all I have to say about that!

Evan's Plunge

We found this plunge that has been around for 100 years in Hot Springs, SD. It has fresh mineral water pumped in constantly straight from the Hot Springs! It was a little stinky like boiled eggs, but the water was warm, the slides were fast and the alligators didn't bite!

Bryce tried to make it from ring to ring across the pool. He said that wet rings were a bit difficult to cross.

Poo Happens

Anyone for a buffalo chip? Breven found some fur too. The fur made it back, the poo stayed in South Dakota.

Jewel Cave

On the surface of one of the largest caves in the world. Let's head down to check it out.
This cave was HUGE!
Over 700 stairs to climb.
Can anyone see the bacon? That's what this particular formation is called? Now where are the eggs?
Stalactites and Stalagmites

Four-Mile Ghost Town

This place was a hoot! We carried around a tape player, (I didn't realize those were still around) and took a self-guided tour through old barns, graveyards, barber shops and more while listening to the voice on the tape filling us in with all the fun info from the place. This was a great stop on the trip.
Circle the wagons.
Howdy Sheriff!
This place was a ghost town......we were the only ones there.

Only in South Dakota

Nothing "P.C." about it! South Dakotoids tell it like they see it.

Exploring Sylvan Lake

We started with a walk around the lake....which lead to a swim in the lake of course.
We had to drive through a half a dozen of these one car tunnels to get there.
"Quick dad, pull over! We see a cave."
Paddle boats would've been more fun if Bryce and I could've sat in the back seat! Breven needs to grow a few more inches before he can reach the pedals.

Mini Golf and Massive Treats

Why not? We had to golf to burn off the 600 calorie frosty!
Belly up!
This was the home of the greatest banana cherry shake EVER!

Lovin' the Lodge

K Bar S Lodge was great! We stayed here our first night and our last two nights. It was by far our favorite. It was off the beaten path so it didn't feel so "touristy." We enjoyed amazing breakfasts every morning on the deck with waffles that were bigger than our heads!
The boys loved taking the hike from the lodge to the creek! No shirts, no shoes......no problem!
Wild turkeys roam the lodge......no not my boys, REAL wild turkeys.
Always exploring.
Kicking back after the hikes.

Fore!

Yes, another mini golf trip! I think we hit everyone in South Dakota.

Yes, ANOTHER CAVE!

The boys had to see just one more! I opted to stay back at our hotel and read while enjoying beautiful views above ground! You've seen one cave.....you've seen 'em all! The boys loved it though! It was a good adventure for just the boys!