Part Two

We headed for the Rapid City area on a trip my kiddos dubbed the “Trip through Mom’s Childhood.” I was born in Montana and raised on that side of the USA until I was 13. A lot of the places we visited on this trip are ones I vacationed as a child. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

We stayed at Mount Rushmore KOA Palmer Gulch Resort which is huge! The amenities were numerous and included a jumping pillow, free mini-golf, a nice sized playground, a lifesize checker and chess game, and basketball goals. The pool was not heated so most of the kiddos hung out in the hot tub while going for the occasional swim in the big pool. I sat poolside in my nice warm sweatshirt while my kiddos swam. It was the weirdest thing! There was a splash pad but we could never get the timing right and so we didn’t use that. The water-slide was being repaired the entire time we were there. The jumping pillow was by far the favorite for all our kiddos. They had a very nice variety of planned activities for the kiddos to do as well. We only attended one, an outdoor movie night our first night there.

One of the things was we all had a hard time getting used too this trip was how late it got dark at night. It would be almost 10:00 and it would be just getting dark. We all wanted to keep playing and would wonder why we were so tired. One morning, Georgie Lou woke up and I groaned because I was still exhausted and it looked like it was time to get up. When I checked the clock it was only 5:15 in the morning and I was so relieved we could go back to sleep. I held my breath as I got her to lay down because I wasn’t sure the rest of the crew was going to agree with my plan. You see when you have 7 kiddos in a 36 foot RV when one moves, sneezes or snores we all hear it. So when one wakes up, we all wake up.

We decided to take the shuttle from the campground to see Mount Rushmore’s lighting ceremony. We were a little disappointed in our experience since the visitor’s center was under construction. I could tell the stone faces of our presidents had aged some because the detail was not as defined as when I was there last. I guess it has been over twenty years! I can’t believe I just admitted that. The lighting ceremony was full of technical difficulties and so it was hard to see and hear the whole thing.
Sam was the only one to earn his Mount Rushmore Junior Ranger Badge because I forgot to have them pack the pencils in their backpacks. The Junior Ranger program is an amazing opportunity for the kiddos to learn about the national parks through activities, games, and interaction with the park rangers. Depending on the park, it may be free or they may charge a small fee for the booklet. Some parks offer pencils and some don’t so usually I pack both pencils and clipboards for them to work with.

CrewTip: The Concept Behind My Crazy

When sightseeing, let the kiddos pack their own backpack with water and snacks. We divided our crew into pairs and they took turns carrying it. I’ve found when they have a choice of what goes in the bag, they are more apt to be responsible for it. When you are visiting national parks or museums, make sure they allow bags and there is not a size requirement.

Another highlight on the “Trip through Mom’s Childhood” was riding the Alpine Slide in Keystone, South Dakota. When I was a girl I rode down with either my sister or one of my cousins I can’t remember for sure. We got started sliding down the mountain and decided we were not going fast enough so we climbed off our cart. We started walking and hauling our cart down the mountain when we realized we had so far to go. So we quickly got back on and arrived at the bottom without getting ran over. I told my kiddos NOT to do this.

They shut down in the rain no matter what. Right after we purchased our tickets it started to mist and they suspended operations. They assured me that my ticket was good forever and if the weather improved we could ride later that day. I felt good about it until we went back around 5 PM after the weather had cleared and they had closed when they were supposed to be open until 7 PM. I began to worry that we had missed our chance and wouldn’t be able to use them. I wished I had waited to purchase them and it would be my recommendation you buy the tickets right when you can use them. A lifetime guarantee is great but when you live thousands of miles away and have no idea when you will be back, it’s not worth much. We all were praying for the weather to hold up and it did! God had answered our prayers and the weather was perfect on our way of town. I paired the children off in two’s. In a large family, it’s all about strategy when you are deciding partners for an activity. I always consider what we are doing and who gets along with who. So for this trip, I paired Sam and Andy, Alex and Randa, and me and Nikki. Bella chose to sit this one out and Georgie Lou was too little. My only real concern was Alex and Randa getting on the chairlift and being able to pull the bar down. Those things don’t stop for anyone! They got on without incident and when we got to the top, everyone but Sam chose the slow lane. My decision was made for me since Nikki was riding with me. It was a spectacular ride and just breathtakingly beautiful. You can see it for yourself on our YouTube video posted below. Once the kiddos got going all anxiety flew away and they enjoyed themselves. As Sam said, “It was awesome!”

My favorite place on this leg of our trip was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This was one stop that was new to even me because when I was there last there wasn’t much to see. We had studied Crazy Horse in-depth as a part of our “Goin’ West” unit study and so the kiddos had a very real personal connection. I love studying the history and people wherever we go so the kiddos know the basics. During our “field trip” they pick up on so many other details that would have been easily missed. They are working to carve Crazy Horse out of the mountain. We could see his face and where the hand was starting. The Crazy Horse Memorial is very focused on educating the public about their history and customs. It is so fascinating and there is so much to learn. We visited the visitor’s center, saw a film, visited the stores and rode the shuttle to see the face up close. Our shuttle bus driver did a fantastic job explaining the history and giving us a tour of the area. They encourage you to take a good size rock from the mountain because it saves them from having to haul it away, no joke. Those were the exact words. I limited our kiddos to one family rock or we would have literally been hauling it all away.

Our final stop at Crazy Horse Memorial was the children’s area downstairs. This was an awesome experience! They had two staff members on hand to help the kiddos make dream catchers. The kiddos spent about 45 minutes doing the craft. The staff was patient and kind in their direction and seemed to genuinely enjoy working with our kiddos.

Let me tell you the story of Georgie Lou and the “cow.” They had several bison on display with screens to educate. Georgie Lou insisted these bison were cows! We corrected her every time but she would not concede. They were cows and there was no changing her mind. You have to watch our video below to see it for yourself. It’s one of those memories we will all look back on, giggle, and say “Remember when…?”

This brings “Goin’ West RV Adventure” Part 2 to a close. I still have one more because there is so much to share!

Crew-Spective:

Bella writes “The Crazy Horse face is done and they are starting on the hand. The face looked real in the mountain. The people who are making Crazy Horse are good at making faces. The mountain is amazing!”

Thanks for visiting! Don’t forget to watch our video on YouTube!