Wednesday, July 20th
We visited Reptile Gardens Wednesday morning. It has one of the largest collections of reptiles, there were snakes, lizards, crocodiles, alligators, and turtles. There were also birds, orchids, and prairie dogs. We were able to attend an alligator show and a snake show as well.
After a morning spent at the Reptile Gardens we went to the airport and picked up Kyle, and then met with the Simmons' family. We drove the Needles Highway in Custer State Park. It had some tunnels through the needle like rock formations and beautiful scenery. We stopped at Sylvan Lake for a quick dinner before heading to Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore was a great stop. It was fun to be with the Simmons and see it both in the daylight and lit at night. We were able to listen to the lighting ceremony.
Thursday, July 21st
Our first stop was Spearfish Falls in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was a nice 1.25 mile hike to the falls and it was beautiful.
Our next stop was Devil's Tower National Monument. This really is an amazing rock formation in the middle of nowhere. As we were driving it just appeared. We took the walk around the monument seeing all the sides, enjoying shade wherever we could, and seeing a deer and some rock climbers.
Our final stop was arriving at the Schwieder Reunion at Okie Beach Campground along the Alcova Resevoir. The kids jumped right into having fun with their cousins and in the water. The sunset was beautiful that evening and the wind very strong that night.
Friday, July 22nd
We got up early so we could hike before it got too hot. We went to Martin's Cove. Brett and Leslie provided stories of people who came across the plains for us to walk for. We had handcarts for the first portion and then stopped for a story of a couple of individuals, one who was in the Martin Handcart Company (Josh's Great Great Grandma) and one who helped rescue the pioneers out on the plains. The other cool thing was being able to pull Grandma in a rickshaw along the trail.
The afternoon was spent with family back at camp. The water felt wonderful on a hot day. The kids made an amazing sand castle. That evening we roasted marshmallows and had a fireside program learning more about the faith of the pioneers and the rescuers and how we can develop/demonstrate our faith as well.
Saturday, July 23rd
Saturday we got packed up and headed for the Denver airport. Our flight was delayed which allowed us time to drive around the Denver Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. We didn't see many animals close up, but we did see some buffalo and elk. Our flight was late and a bit bumpy but we made it to Chicago and then Kyle drove us home arriving at 2:30am.
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