Visiting Mount Rushmore

Our last night in South Dakota, we went to Mount Rushmore.  (we visited Custer Park during the day)   My mom is really good at jabbering with the locals and one of them shared to make sure you go to Mount Rushmore at night because of their evening show.  SO very glad we did!!!  They light up the faces and also call up any veterans for the recognition of their service to our country.  Both were very moving!!!  Well worth it to go in the evening, even though it was a little late for the kids.

 Definitely one of those places to check off your bucket list.  SO glad we did!!  We really enjoyed our visit to Mount Rushmore!!!

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and pictures from our trip Way Out West....

A Visit to Custer Park

On our last full day in South Dakota, we visited Custer Park.  It was nice, and we really enjoyed it, but since we went on to Yellowstone (posts coming soon!!), we realized that we didn't see anything in Custer Park that we didn't see in Yellowstone.  So, my advice is that if you are going on to Yellowstone, then skip Custer Park.

One way to enter Custer Park is to go Needles Highway.  But since we drive a big bus and it was less than a month old (we traded in the old Big Red/Sprinter for a new Big Red/Transit), we weren't willing to chance the tunnels.  Plus we watched videos on YouTube and were a little freaked out.

But, my sisters and their families and my parents braved it.  Here are some of their pictures...

We did a lot of driving, saw some animals, had a lovely picnic lunch (do NOT forget to pack a lunch!!), and the kids loved splashing around in a stream....

It was a nice time here, not the best, but we had our experience of Yellowstone to compare it to.  And, Yellowstone is WAY more awesome than Custer Park.

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and pictures from our trip Way Out West....

Circle B Chuckwagon Dinner

Carrying on with sharing more about our trip Way Out West....

After an awesome Volksmarch and trip to Crazy Horse, we were able to complete our evening with a yummy dinner and show at Circle B Chuckwagon Dinner.

We got there about an hour early so the kids could enjoy all the outdoor activities - lassoing, panning for gold/gems, watching and chatting with the wood carver, wax bullet shooting, little jail cells to climb into, and of course, shopping!!  The kids had a blast.  Well, and so did the adults.  :)

Then there was a short outdoor shootout show.  They called the kids out to the grassy area and had them "help".  It was cheesy but so adorable and fun for all.

Then the dinner and show/music/entertainment.  First, I have to say that we have been to many fancy dinners at Disney and have a great dinner/theater here locally.  So we have plenty to compare this Chuckwagon Dinner to.  And, I would rate this experience up with the TOP!  For real!  Even in comparison to the Disney meals and our fancy dinner/theater here!!  The food, the experience, the show, the environment just captured the Western theme perfectly!!  Definitely a highlight of our trip!!

Taken directly from their website, here's the "fix'ins" for the meal part....

"foil wrapped baked potatoes, cowboy beans, chunky applesauce, biscuits, spice cake, hot cowboy coffee and cold lemonade."

If you visit SD, this is a MUST!  It's worth the money for what you get!!  And, the best part about it is the family that runs the Chuckwagon Dinner is Christian and they have a food blessing prayer before the meal and multiple songs that mention God!  We loved this!  :)

"It is a truly authentic western experience - a present day reflection of the early spirit of this frontier land."

I mentioned above "watching and chatting with the woodcarver".  Well, our Mario was captivated!  Woodcarver Doug Ladd offers a great deal - if you buy one of the woodcarving kits (only $20!), he gives a short woodcarving lesson to go with it.  Mario was the only kid who attended the lesson and it lasted around 20 minutes.  He learned safety and the beginning "how to's" on woodcarving.  It was wonderful!  And right up Mario's alley - our creative kiddo!  :)

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and pictures from our trip Way Out West....

Crazy Horse and Volksmarch

We woke up bright and early from our first night in our cabins in Custer, SD to head to Crazy Horse to take part in the Volksmarch.  Never heard of the Volksmarch?  What exactly is it?

"The bi-annual Crazy Horse Volksmarch (an organized hike) is a 10K or 6.2-mile woodlands ramble to the world’s largest mountain carving in progress in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota.  The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is the most popular organized hike in the United States (15,000 walkers in a record year). This family event is sponsored by the Black Hills Chapter of the American Volksmarch Association (AVA) and hosted by Crazy Horse Memorial."

~ Crazy Horse Memorial

So, the majority of our group marched the 10K...  (including Neil and our 6 big kids!!)

While I stayed back with my parents and the babies and toddlers...

Now it's not a race.  It's a march where you start anytime between 8am-1pm and go at your own pace.  I don't even remember about how long it took our group?  I'm guessing 2-3 hours??  So, I definitely had some time to kill with my littles.  Thankfully there was a movie on the history of Crazy Horse, multiple museums to walk through, a beautiful deck area to view the Crazy Horse Mountain.  We also grabbed a little snack, as I was in the first trimester of this pregnancy and needing to eat quite often just to feel decent.  There was also a teepee, so the littles and I played around in there for a while.  Thankfully with a "Barney-type" mom, I was able to keep these two little birds entertained and happy during the March.

Here are some shots of the marchers during the initial part of the march and before they got to the mountain...

And, now some shots from right up by Crazy Horse's head and WAY up high...

At the FINISH line!!!  Yay!!  Great job, crew!!!

I was pleasantly surprised what an awesome attraction and march this was.  I totally could see us going back in 10 years as a large group again, just to see the progress of the mountain and to do the Volksmarch again.  Maybe I'll get to march then too!!

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and pictures from our trip Way Out West....