It's beginning to look a lot like summer vacation

We woke up to snow this morning. That's right: One week into our SUMMER vacation, it's SNOWING! And, the snow only got heavier throughout the day. This thrilled my kids to no end, and they feel this is now officially the best summer vacation ever. I don't love being out in the snow, but I have to admit, it does give the landscape sort of a magical feel.

We had a late breakfast and then made a couple of fun vacation stops at an RV store and Wal-Mart, which is where everyone ends up eventually, even if they are on vacation.

Since we didn't quite get all the spelunking out of our system yesterday, we headed over to Wind Cave to have a look around. It was a much different experience than Jewel Cave but still very captivating. When we were done there, we took a little drive through Custer State Park, hoping to see more wildlife. We saw some deer, a few bison, and a bunch of turkeys, but what everyone really loved was that our ascent along the scenic route took us right through a snow cloud. The boys were begging to get out for a snowball fight, as they observed the snow piling up nicely all around us.

All the snow put me in a sit-by-the-fireplace-and-drink-coffee kind of mood, so we found a little log cabin near the park, in the town of Custer, to pass the night. This was a win-win, because there was still a little snow piled up around the cabin, and the boys were able to get their snowball fight in, while the rest of us sipped coffee and relaxed near the fire.

Tomorrow, we will leave South Dakota, but we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and hope to visit again in the future.

Trying to catch the first tiny snowflakes

A snowy drive

They call this room inside Wind Cave "The Post Office"
because it contains so much of what they call "boxwork."
This cave houses 95% of the known boxwork in the world.

Entering the snow zone

Little cabin in the woods

Snowball fight!

Happy summer vacation!

The alternative to snowball fighting

These friends stopped by while we were eating dinner

More fun in South Dakota

There is so much to see and do in South Dakota, and it is so beautiful, despite being near freezing  (literally) in the middle of May. This morning, we got to explore Jewel Cave, which was quite a treat. In the afternoon, we visited the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, which was lovely and made one member of our group especially happy. After that, we headed back to Mt. Rushmore hoping for better visibility than what we had yesterday, and we got it. Apparently we got very lucky, because we heard that there was absolutely no visibility this morning and that some people waited for around four hours and still didn't even catch a glimpse of the stone-faced presidents. By the time we were finished up there, we were all starving, so we headed into Keystone to grab an early dinner at The Powder House Restaurant. Every single thing was so delicious! On the way through the little town, we found out one of the hotels had an indoor heated pool and a hot tub, and since we had not yet planned a stop for the night, our cold bodies yelled, "Do it!" So, that's how we found ourselves frolicking in a pool until almost 10 pm and bedding down in hotel beds at the Mt Rushmore White House Resort (which sounds much fancier than it actually is).

Eager to go into the cave
(Partly because, at 49 degrees, it was warmer than outside)

Jewel Cave

This formation is called "bacon,"
and this particular one is over 20 ft. long

Being a stalagmite

Why do we explore

Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary

The newest member of the herd, at only three days old.

The Sanctuary is absolutely beautiful!

Most of the horses were too skittish to get close,
but a few of them were curious and brave.

Mt.  Rushmore. Check.

Just chilling with some famous presidents

Weston was so hungry, he ordered a whole cow for dinner!

South Dakota

We started out nice and early this morning, around 5:30, because we all find it more tolerable on long driving days to get some road behind us while everyone is still asleep. Just about the time everyone was waking up, we found ourselves in Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the World's Only Corn Palace. This was not a planned stopped, but it wasn't one we could very well pass up. Essentially, it is an event venue and basketball arena, but the inside and outside of the building are decorated with corn murals, which change regularly. It was definitely something to behold, and we were glad we stumbled upon it accidentally.

The World's Only Corn Palace

Acting Corny

From there, we made our way to the Minuteman Missile Historical Site and the D-9 launch site, where we learned all about the "hidden in plain sight" nuclear missile silos used during the Cold War and scattered throughout the Midwest. It made my stomach clinch to see a missile up close and to think of the destruction it could impart. It also made me sick to think of telling school children that "duck and cover" would save a person from such an attack. I am thankful none of these weapons have been used and would hate to see them released in the future. It was an enlightening but sobering stop.

The Minuteman Missile Historical Site

Even disabled, this bad boy still gave me chills.

After that, the natives were restless, and we needed a good lunch stop. For hundreds of miles (or at least it seemed), we had been seeing signs for the Wall Drug Store, home of free ice water and 5¢ coffee, and decided to stop there for lunch. This was not a mistake. It was a gigantic complex of shops, a pharmacy, a cafe, and kitschy tourist attractions.

Wall Drug Store

5¢ Coffee

Clay was a little unsure about posing
with the cowboy when he saw that the cowboy was smoking. When I assured him that he wouldn't have to smoke but could just sit like the cowboy, he decided it would be ok.

After lunch, we headed toward the Badlands National Park, which turned out to be absolutely amazing! We saw prairie dogs by the hundreds, numerous bison, a coyote, a badger, and a turkey. Plus, the landscape was incredible! We really loved it!

A bison munching right near the road

Coyote

The Badlands National Park

Coming out of the park, we were near Rapid City, where most of the presidents are honored with bronze statues along Main St. and the street that runs parallel to it. Walking around town, trying to guess the president represented by each statue before reading the plaques was probably the kids' favorite activity of the day. Everybody has a favorite.

Max and Lincoln

Weston with Washington

Ruth and Reagan

You can't spell Taft without F-A-T

Jeff and Jefferson

Our final push of the day led us to Mt. Rushmore. Unfortunately, a wave of fog, which was ushering in a freakin' SNOW storm, rolled in just ahead of us, and the four famous men of the mountain were completely obscured by low-lying clouds. However, we are flexible and tenacious and plan to try again to see them sometime before we head back to Texas.