Day 4 of Vacation: South Dakota

What an incredible day! We drove across South Dakota today to Custer, SD, where we will be staying for the next several days. Along the way, we stopped at Sioux Falls Park, the World's Only Corn Palace, the Badlands, Wall Drug, and Mt. Rushmore (including seeing the evening lighting ceremony). So many memories created today, and almost all of them wonderful. ;)

 

Sioux Falls Park - very cool red rocks here, with multi-layered waterfalls. There was a bridge that went across and trails that went all around; for the kids, the ability to scramble all over the rocks and pick up some to take home as souvenirs made it even more enjoyable. 

 

The World's Only Corn Palace - definitely cheesy but worth a stop. It was begun in the late 1890s as a rival to a nearby town's "Grain Palace." It used to be made entirely of corn, but now is a structure with corn murals that are changed every year. The Corn Palace also has a large arena space inside that is used to host basketball games.

The Badlands! I think this was probably my favorite part of the trip today. It was like seeing the Grand Canyon on a shallower but more prolific scale. We had a great time climbing and hiking around the different rocks/trails. There were many more stops that we could have made but thunderstorms were rolling in by then (which was definitely cool to watch). A must see!

Wall Drug - this is absolutely a tourist trap, but again, worth stopping at. We started seeing billboards for this attraction back in Iowa. It is the home of the original Wall Drug Store, home of 5 cent coffee and Free Ice Water, and is like a giant gift shop + cafe + Old West memorabilia + weird outdoor attractions + who knows what.

Mt. Rushmore - I think the kids were the most excited about this because it is "famous" and the best way to build interest is to go to someplace that is Very Famous. ;) But seriously, it was very cool. We got there about 8:15 pm, which was perfect since we had time to get ice cream, check out the flag walk, and then grab seats in the amphitheater for the night lighting ceremony at 9 p.m. This is the perfect time of year to visit, too, since it wasn't crowded at all.

We finally made it to our hotel in Custer about 10:30 pm...and that is mountain time. Whew! We are planning to sleep in tomorrow morning and then visit many of the great nearby attractions...caves, state parks, lakes, etc. What a great trip!

Day 3 of Vacation: South Dakota

Today was our last day in Madison, SD and we enjoyed squeezing in every minute of fun that we could with the Millers. Highlights included the morning of the sleepover, going swimming, multiple meals, and topping it off with a big Girls Night Out trip to...Dairy Queen!

 

The kids, who often have to be pried out of bed at 8:00 a.m. on school day, were up around 6:30 a.m. in the morning from the sleepover. I think that the fact that there were donuts played heavily into this (oh, and that Daniel woke up the girls to tell them the news).  Thanks, Millers, for the sleepover and the pictures! 

 

 

The kids had a lot of fun playing together this morning. The boys played various mechanical and/or destructive games, while the girls barricaded themselves in Addie's closet with pillows to keep out the boys.

 

Baby Rowan enjoyed lots of snuggle time from everyone. He even tolerated me on a few occasions so that I could get my baby fix.

 This afternoon we saw a first for us....the sun in South Dakota!

 

In the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel with the kids and Addie so that we could play in the hotel pool together. I am happy to report that the hot tub is indeed quite hot. (And this trip will need to be a secret from poor Keagan, who was napping during this adventure.)

The whole gang!! When we moved to Manhattan almost three years ago, we had four kids between the three families...now there are six kids who just keep getting bigger and bigger!

 

After a fun trip to McDonalds (which is less than a block from the Millers' house AND has a playplace AND serves ice cream....) it was time for good-byes. VERY SAD. Below is a giant hug with Daniel, Keagan, and Beth.

Of course the kids also had to say good-bye to Val, the much-beloved cat.

While the rest of the families went home to bed, the three moms continued on to party for a GIRLS NIGHT OUT! This is a tradition that we started a few years ago as a "girls day out." The first year, the three of us went to Lawrence for lots of shopping, eating, and pedicures. Last year, we had a tour on the town of Manhattan with again, lots of stops. This year, we drove around Madison and went to Dairy Queen for treats (I broke my 30-day no-sugar experiment...) We learned that every other restaurant in town was closed for Memorial Day, but Dairy Queen was a big hit with lots of stories, laughter, and memories.

Tomorrow morning we are departing early to continue our tour of South Dakota. We are staying in Custer and the plan tomorrow is to visit Wall Drug and the Corn Palace along the way, and to take a detour to see the Badlands. It will be great to see the rest of South Dakota, but we will really miss the Millers and look forward to seeing them again soon for another visit!

Day 2 of Vacation: South Dakota

Our second day of vacation in South Dakota was spent touring the delightful town of Madison, SD, hanging out with the Millers and Thorntons, and best of all, the kids getting a SLEEPOVER!! This is Daniel's first sleepover ever, which is quite the milestone since he begs about 2.7 times a week to his own sleepover since Big Sister is becoming a pro.

 

Baby Greg made the trip with the Thorntons! Will spotted Aunt Julie out running this morning and told the kids. Their eyes got really wide and they asked, "Did she RUN all the way here??!?" Not completely inconceivable when your aunt has a history as an ultramarathoner. :)

 



The kids this morning! The degree of craziness in boys vs. girls in the picture is true to life.

Lunch at El Vaquero, aka The Cowboy! It was quite tasty. The location is also the former home of the Second Street Grill, which has moved and alas, is no longer on Second Street.

That afternoon we went on a walking tour of Madison with Beth and Addie. I really liked the town and it was very peaceful. We got to check out the elementary school, the hospital, several parks (including a cool dog park), Dakota State University, the Methodist church, and get a glimpse of downtown.

After the walk there was much snacking....potato oles from Taco John AND a treat from Dairy Queen! (It would be dangerous if I lived here because you can walk to just about any restaurant very quickly.)

For dinner tonight, we had yummy make-your-own pizzas at the Millers' house. Then came the huge event: THE SLEEPOVER!! Beth was very brave and offered to host the kids for a joint sleepover, meaning that there are five kids in he Miller house tonight with Baby Rowan. :) We had trouble getting consensus of the movie choice, so the girls ended up downstairs watching Mary Poppins while the boys chose Ice Age upstairs.

Those of you who know me are shocked, SHOCKED! that I fell asleep on the couch while trying to lie down with the boys after their movie. Matt and Will meanwhile ventured to Sioux Falls to catch Star Trek in 3D, and I was quite surprised at 1:30 am to realize that not only was I sound asleep, but I had fallen asleep before the kids. :) Thank you, Beth!!

We will see what the weather is like tomorrow and what kind of adventures the day brings!

Day 1 of Vacation: South Dakota

Our first day of vacation is complete, and we have safely made it to Madison, South Dakota, a charming town about 45+ minutes outside of Sioux Falls. We are super excited for this trip and especially for the chance to visit our good friends, the Millers. We are hanging out with them and catching up on lots of lost conversations in the past year since they moved here, and best of all, getting the chance to meet their sweet new baby boy. Then on Tuesday morning we will drive to the other side of South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, and all of the accompanying tourist attractions.

Clearly the most logical (and un-fun) thing to do the day before our big trip would have been to get ready. We instead decided that a much more delightful way to prepare would be to visit Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina with friends to celebrate the end of the kids' school year (while I frantically worked on stuff for work in the car, which was less than delightful, but I am ON VACATION now, woo hoo!).

All of the kids together! There was both a "zoo" and a "museum" component and the kids had great fun at both and really hit it off together.

Another much more fun pre-vacation activity than actual preparation: GOING CAMPING with our church friends! We all camped out at Tuttle Creek together, which was delightful since it was very peaceful and out in the middle of nowhere, yet in actuality, was only a 10-minute drive from home. Our tent has the orange cover below and it was big enough to fit two queen-sized air mattresses. (I stole all of the camping pictures from a friend's post since I left my camera/phone behind to be in touch with nature...)

At breakfast this morning! Where someone else gathered the wood, started the fire, actually cooked the food...yay for camping with friends who know what they are doing. :)

The kids combining two of their favorite activities: (1) throwing rocks and (2) playing with sticks. I never once heard any complaint over the absence of toys or electronics, which is obviously because sticks > any other toy.

We got on the road at about 11:30 am this morning; the route to South Dakota involves driving through many small towns. We got a kick out of many of the accompanying signs, including the one below (we made a detour to check out this historic site).

A big highlight of our drive up was that we had lunch at Valentino's Buffet in Beatrice, NE...AND in Sioux Falls, SD. I am still not sure what is quite so exciting about Valentino's but the kids were in heaven.

 Madison, SD! It is a very charming small town, complete with wide streets (and multiple "first," "second," etc. etc. streets), very cute older homes, and several of our children's favorite fast food options. :) It was awesome to see the Millers and Baby Rowan, although I was negligent and was so busy visiting that I neglected to take any pictures.

Daniel's favorite activity on the trip: Playing with his Toy Bag. And being Mr. Cool with his groovy shades.

Annika's favorite activity on the trip: Reading. :)

We are staying at a hotel in Madison and even though by the time we were settled it was 10 p.m., Will still agreed to take the kids swimming in the indoor pool. This was SO EXCITING!!

The plan is to make it to church tomorrow at 9 a.m. - we will see in the morning if our late night adventures were a wise idea. :)