Vacation stuff:

Drive out on Friday was decent. As we were driving, Amy told me of a game they'd play on long drives - trying to see a license plate from every state and Canadian province.

We stopped in Chamberlain at the McDonald's for lunch and to let the kids burn off some energy. We ended up going through the Badlands. We've not been since the honeymoon. Kids liked it at first, but it kind of lost its appeal after about 30 minutes. Bad thing was the WIND. Around 30 MPH gusts at least. The rocks shielded us in some places, but others was like being in a wind tunnel.

We got to Rapid and checked into our hotel, then we were off for Reptile Gardens. It was a lot smaller than I remember (a recurring theme for me on the trip). Kids like seeing all the critters, esp. the tortoises. Accalia sat and giggled through most of the gator show. She thought it was funny that the gators kept trying to bite the man. We also saw another animal show. That was about it for Friday.

Saturday was our "big" day out. We started with Mt. Rushmore. We went on the looping trail there and got some different views of the mountain. Kids liked seeing it, but it also quickly lost its appeal. To their credit, the kids didn't whine at all. Just let us know they'd seen enough. I was surprised by how distinct the cracks in the mountain seemed to look. Maybe it was just the first time I've really looked at the mountain in a long time. And yes, I cruised through 3 or 4 levels of the parking structure, trying to find plates we hadn't seen to that point. Added a bunch, but ended the day about 9 short for the US and with only 2 provinces.

From Rushmore, we stopped at Keystone for some taffy. After that, it was on to Custer and the Flintstones. Again, much smaller than I remembered. I think the kids had fun, though.

On our way back into Rapid, we stopped at Bear Country. Kids LOVED it. There was one bear that went in front of the van, then seemed to stay pretty close the rest of the way. They have a separate exhibit area now (like a zoo) at the end for some of the animals not on the route and for the baby bears. Very cute. Accalia and Cole both got hats at Bear Country. They had used their "Grandpa money" to get stuffed animals at Rushmore and B.C. Amy and I got shirts.

After bidding goodbye to the bears, we went to the Black Hills maze. Accalia was incredible in there. She took the lead most of the time and got us through the maze (with some help) in 1 hour, 1 minute. Amy took point on the way out and totally hauled butt for the exit (kids were a bit tired and getting cranky at that point).

When we got back to the hotel, we hit the pool for a little while.

On Sunday, we started the day at the Black Hills Caverns. We picked this tour as there was 60 minute or 30 minute option. We opted for 30 minutes as we weren't sure how the kids would react. Accalia loved it. The guide even gave her a flashlight. Accalia would have been more than content going through the full tour. Cole, on the other hand, was a little freaked out and ready to go at about the 25 minute mark.

After the cave tour, we stopped at Storybook Island to let the kids play and see the park. We'd thought about a museum in the afternoon, but ended up not doing much of anything - did a little shopping and lounged around the hotel (and took advantage of a nearly empty pool).

Since we didn't go to the museum on Sunday, we still had some admission money left and decided to go through Bear Country again before coming home. I'm very glad we did it. It was a bit rainy Monday morning, but the animals (esp. the wolves) were more active and we saw a lot more. Probably helps that it was morning as well.

We made the obligatory stop at Wall Drug and hit the road again (after driving up and down the streets of Wall to find plates - ended up missing only 4 in the US - Louisiana, Conneticut, Delaware, and Hawaii - and 1 or 2 Canadian provinces). Tough getting back into a routine today, but it has felt like Monday all day, so the week should go by quickly