South Dakota Part 5 (The Final Chapter)

On our last day (Saturday), we packed up and drove south through Custer State Park. We saw herds of buffalo. They were all over, and blocked the road several times. We even saw some wild burros who stuck their heads in people's cars looking for food.



We headed a little further south to Windcave National Park and enjoyed a picnic lunch before our 1 1/2 hour tour of the cave.



Windcave is the fourth largest cave in the world, and the only natural opening is about as big as a manhold. The main formation is boxwork which is basically very fragile eroded limestone. It's like a brick wall without the bricks - only mortar. It looks really cool (as you can see).



There was also "popcorn" formations in this cave, which are very sparkly and pretty, but fairly small. We also saw some fossils.



The cave was nice and cool, very humid - and nothing lived in it. We were even able to experience absolute darkness - which was a little scary until they turned the lights back on.

After our fun spelunking, we drove back home - it was a super fun time, and the kids actually did really well. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that they had playmates that weren't their siblings.

South Dakota Part 4 (The Badlands)

Our first stop was Wall Drug - a huge drugstore (which is more like a mall) in the middle of nowhere. There are hundreds of signs for this drugstore beginning in Wyoming. We ate a decent dinner, then drove about twenty minutes to Badlands National Park.
There are hill-like formations that look like rock, but are actually just strange dirt - very cool!


The Badlands (and Ethan) to the east right before sunset.


Are we on the moon, or just another planet?


A view to the west as the sun sets.


My favorite - the Badlands by moonlight
(thanks to the bright full summer "Strawberry moon")

South Dakota Part 3 (Pirate Golf)

On day four (Friday) we spent the morning swimming in the hotel pool (and riding the water slide over and over (except Jonah - who wouldn't even get his head wet, but that's another story)). In the afternoon, we walked two blocks to Pirate's Cove Adventure golf.


Here's most of the boys golfing - Jonah only lost his ball once!







After golfing, they gave the kids a bag of piratey stuff - here's pirate Janae!...












...and pirate Jonah - argh!

(We are the pirates who don't do anything, we just stay home and lie around, and if you ask us to do anything, we'll just tell you - we don't do anything! ~VeggieTales).