I’ve been meaning to put this post together for a while, and now that I finally have a video to share, I’m getting it done!
Our first big family vacation this summer was renting an RV and going camping in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We rented through B&B RV, and got a 24′ camper, with one slide out. Now granted, I didn’t do any of the driving, but from my perspective as a passenger, I honestly don’t ever want to do a road trip any other way. Especially with small kids, being able to get them food and drinks, get them to the bathroom, and have them go lie down for a nap, all without needing to stop the car, made the driving part of the trip a breeze!
We camped at Fort Welikit in Custer, SD. The mid-week nights were lovely, though it got a little loud on the weekend. But our campsite had a nice little picnic table and a firepit, and when we couldn’t get the damp wood burning very well for a fire, we could borrow a grill. There were clean bathrooms and showers a short walk away, and playground for the kids (door-related injuries notwithstanding), as well as an off-leash dog area.
So what did we do? The first day, Doyce splurged and took us all on a helicopter tour of the Black Hills, basically introducing everything we were going to spend the rest of the trip seeing close up. We went with Black Hill Aerial Adventures, and though we had to wait a little bit for them to bring over a helicopter big enough for all five of us (if you’re looking to go, maybe book in advance?), it was worth it to all be together. Kaylee got to sit up front with the pilot, with Doyce and I in the back with the littles on our laps. Zoe snoozed, but the rest of us loved it!
After the helicopter tour and a quick stop for some ice cream in Custer, we headed for Custer State Park. The Wildlife Loop did not disappoint, as we turned into the park and were immediately confronted with a huge herd of buffalo hanging out near the road. We hung out there watching them for a while, then continued on, meeting wild donkeys, pronghorn antelope, and more!
The next day, it poured, but we were prepared for it. We hit Wind Cave National Park for their Natural Entrance Cave Tour. Beautiful formations, although a bit of a trick to keep Sean and Zoe on the path at some points. After the cave. we went to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD. Amazing! From their website, this “active paleontological dig site… boasts the largest concentration of mammoth remains in the world! Our current mammoth count is 61, with 58 Columbian and 3 woolly mammoths.” And they still have so much more to uncover. After that, we spent the rest of the afternoon at Evans Plunge, also in Hot Springs. First established in 1890, the pool boasts an average temp of 87 degrees, with over 5,000 gallons of water per minute flowing in from a thermal hot spring. Did the kids care about that? No. They just liked playing in the enormous pool. Kaylee especially loved the slides, and I have to admit, I enjoyed them, too!
Friday we were back to outdoor adventures! We got an early start at Mount Rushmore, then drove back past our campground up to Sylvan Lake. The lake was packed, but we parked at the nearby Sylvan Lake Lodge and hiked down to the lake. We rented a couple of canoes, got the kids and the dogs loaded up, and enjoyed a great paddle on the lake. Afterwards, we hiked around to a nook between some rocks, and did a bit of swimming before getting out, drying off, and having some ice cream.
The next day, we packed up our campsite, said goodbye to the Black Hills, and headed East. Sean and Kaylee slept through the first bit of the trip, only waking up for breakfast from the famous Wall Drug. From there, we took the scenic road into the Badlands, which Sean looked at and declared was just like his “home planet” of Mars, and pointed out where his pod crash-landed. After that otherworldly landscape, it was an uneventful trip the rest of the way to Doyce’s family’s farm in Miller, SD, where we happily settled in for a few days of birthday celebrations, fireworks, barn chores, and relaxation.
We did the whole drive home in one long day, but with the camper, it was a lot easier than previous trips. All in all, it was a great vacation, and though we have something different planned for next summer, I would totally do something like that again.
You can check out my full slideshow of pictures on Flickr below, or scroll back up to watch the video I put together in iMovie of my iPhone shots.
