We left Mitchell & got ready for the long 3 hr 16 min
drive to the Badlands. We have gotten spoiled with our short drives & this
drive was going to take forever as Annika would say. I remember hearing a kid
at one of our stops say “we have a long 10 hour drive home” & thought “eeeck!
No way”. My goal during our drive was to secure a campground for a week in the
Black Hills area. With the 4th of July coming up it was a challenge
getting a site with a full weeks availabtility. I was ready to be done with
this task since it was stressing me out. I finally got a spot, not my first
choice, but they honored the discount the entire week & they were very
friendly. I figured we wouldn’t be at the campground that much anyway so I
secured our spot to get it over with. Now I can try to kick back & relax
until next week when I have to find places in Wyoming.
We stopped at a rest stop & they had a really nice
visitor center with Lewis & Clark info & you could see the Missouri
River down the hill. I let the kids play around for a bit to stretch their legs
& let out some energy. It was pretty hot out, but thankfully no mosquitoes.
We got to the Badlands & had to drive thru the park to get to our
campground. Luckily hubby got his National Park free pass before we left IL so
instead of paying $15 to enter the park it was FREE! Sweet! The Badlands is a
beautiful place. The rock formations were unique & we tried seeing if any
of them looked like anything. One looked like a wolf howling at the moon and
one looked like an upside down ice cream cone. I was trying to keep the kids
occupied so we didn’t have to listen to the “are we there yet” routine. Annika
was anxious to crawl on the rock formations, but we told her we would do it
tomorrow. We had to ditch the trailer first. Of course that was the wrong
answer for her, but hey what’s new right? This campsite wasn’t my first choice,
but my first choice was closed due to a water break. This next one was the
closest one to the park & it had seen better days, but the old couple was
nice. They didn’t honor our Passport America discount & there was no hand
soap or towels in the bathroom, but they were clean so I guess that was better
than nothing. We were the only people at this campsite when we first arrived besides
the full timers in the back, but by the late evening I counted 5 others who had
shown up. It was pretty bare at our site with a few trees here & there
& the kiddie park set was really old, but you could see the rock formations
around us so that was nice. It was hot
hot hot & I promised the kids we would go swimming later when the sun was
further down. We ate an early dinner & drove to the famous town of Wall. The
street had that old western look to it which was neat. This town is famous for
its drugstore. The husband & wife who owned the drug store started handing
out ice cold water to strangers who came by & the rest is history. The store
is now a block long with lots of souvenir shops, an ice cream parlor, a
restaurant, and behind the main store is an area where you can take photos in a
covered wagon, caboose, wooden stage coach, jackalope & a spitting water
feature. I told Dalton to go put his foot on the hole where the water came out
& he stuck his face over it just as the water came shooting out & it got
him in the eye. Classic! On the other side of this area was another set of
stores & at the end was a huge dinosaur body. The kids freaked out when it
started & he roared loudly. They ran behind a newspaper stand (or whatever
it was) & hid. That dinosaur was impressive. His eyes glowed red &
smoke came out around him. When it was over I said “it’s ok it’s over let’s go”
& they started to walk out in the opposite direction. I couldn’t help
myself so I said “raaawwwrr he’s coming” & little Dalton’s legs took off
under him. I laughed so hard. I’m mean I know, but hey I got it on video so I
can laugh about it for years to come…hehe.
After looking in all the stores there wasn’t anything
that I really had to have. I decided on getting just a South Dakota shirt for
the kids vs getting one for the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc. Too
many shirts so I’ll just narrow it down to the state. I wasn’t going to get it
here that’s for sure. They’re prices were a bit too high for me so we went to
get some ice cream instead. Poor Dalton was so tired & had the droopy eyes,
but he wanted his ice cream. I had a root beer float & he was so out of it
that he went to take a drink out of my cup & put the end of the spoon in
his mouth thinking it was the straw.
Annika of course wanted a souvenir….sheesh, but we left
with nothing because she wasn’t sure what she wanted & I encouraged her to
wait until our next stop where she could get all kinds of neat cowgirl stuff.
Meltdown started, but was able to redirect her with some donuts daddy bought. I
know not the best way to handle that, but I was not about to listen to a screaming
jumping up & down looking like a foolish kid the whole way back to the suv.
I didn’t want to be THAT parent yet again.
We got back to camp just the sun was starting to set
& it was beautiful. Since I promised the kids to go swimming we hurried up
& got our swim gear on. I figured a quick 30 min swim would tire them out.
I had to feed Emry first so Annika got Dalton undressed & then dressed him
in his swim gear all by herself. She sure is motivated when she wants something
pretty bad. I figured the water would be perfect since the sun was so hot all
day, but it was coooold & the wind didn’t help us any. I kept dipping the
kids in so they could get used to it then I womaned up & got in up to my
waist so Dalton could jump in. Faaa-reezing! Needless to say we didn’t stay
long since it was almost 9pm. I got them all bathed & ready for bed then
let them have a snack. Annika was feeding Dalton like he was a puppy then she
was patting him on the head. Hey whatever makes them get along. Got them in bed
then went outside to look at the stars. Even being on vacation all summer with
no place to be in a hurry & nothing pressing to do, I’m still feeling busy
all the time, but that’s mainly because we’re with the kids all day doing stuff
then we come back to the trailer & have to do the dinner bath routine. I’m
pooped by the time it’s all done & just want to sleep so I haven’t had a
chance to sit outside & enjoy the great outdoors as much as I’d like. Of
course the rain & mosquitoes also deterred me from sitting outside in the
evening. But this evening was so pretty with clear skies & millions of
stars out. I saw 2 satellites as well. Hubby had a fire going so I warmed my
bum next to it & got goose bumps all over. Ahhh so nice, but I was sleepy
so after about 10 minutes it was bath time for me. Tomorrow is rock climbing
day so I need to save my energy. I’m no young pup anymore…haha
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