We made quick work of breaking down our camp, and I have to admit I was a little sad to be leaving this beautiful place. Back up the long road we went, with a right turn at the corner. I slowly made my way back towards that treacherous dam, while the kids munched on donuts and muffins. I thought that maybe it would be a little less scary to traverse in broad daylight, but boy was I wrong. STILL SUPER SCARY! The speed limit was probably 40MPH, but there was no way anyone was going to get me to go more than 10MPH. Luckily, just like the night before, there was not another car to be seen, so I was able to drive as slow as I wanted, and right down the middle of the little two lane road.
Finally, we made it back to the little town of Glendo, where we once again stocked the cooler with ice and snacks. Then it was time to say goodbye to Wyoming, with a promise that we'd one day return to give that great state some proper attention. Today, though, we had other plans. Today, we had someplace to be.
We headed northeast from Glendo, and soon we were in South Dakota, among the trees of the Black Hills National Forest. Throughout this trip, we made our way through many U.S. National Parks, and every single one was amazing. Black Hills was no exception. The road was smooth and curvy and the landscape was breathtaking. Huge rock formations were mixed in among trees and mountains and every turn held a new view. This was the week before Sturgis Bike Week and there were more motorcycles on the road than passenger cars! We continued on, excited for what was ahead. We were making our way to Mount Rushmore. The closer we got, the more "tourist-y" things became. There were little shops with handmade jewelry and fudge and baked goods, cheesy restaurants, and even a place to view the mountain by helicopter. And then we were going up again. Mount Rushmore is actually a mountain and we had to get up there! The road was narrow and very busy and I was a little nervous to be pulling a camper up there, but I kept telling myself that if I could make it back and forth across Glendo Dam, I could do this.
Near the top, we suddenly came to a stop. I had no idea this place would be so busy! In all of our travels up until this point, we hadn't seen any kind of tourist traffic. But there we were, sitting in line, waiting to pay our $10 fee to get up through the gate. Soon enough, we made it through, and then we could see it. There in the distance we could actually see Mount Rushmore. There was so much traffic, it felt like we were coming into a busy airport. Workers were lining the road, directing: cars in one direction, motorcycles in another, and vehicles with campers in yet another. It all seemed a bit chaotic to me, but the system seemed to be working. We were shown to a very ample and easy-to-park area and we unloaded.
I don't really know what I was expecting, but my vision was a little different than what Mount Rushmore had to offer. After walking through some archways, there was a common area flanked by bathrooms and a gift shop on either side. Straight ahead, there they were: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. And they were just like every picture I had ever seen! It was pretty cool to be standing right there, taking a picture with this masterpiece.
There is a scenic trail to get a little closer, but it was undergoing renovations when we were there, so there really wasn't anything else to do. But don't you worry-the kids made their own fun. There was a little area filled with giant boulders, and I'm not exactly sure they were meant to be climbed on, but when the kids saw them, they couldn't resist. They all climbed up in there like that's what we came here to do, and within minutes, other kids flocked to the area, while all of us parents stood down below, virtually helpless to our little mountain climbers. I think the kids spent nearly thirty minutes climbing and playing and posing for pictures, and I bet they'd tell you it was cooler than any playground they had been to.
I think Owen, Emerson, and Nash enjoyed it the most, each trying to outdo the others, climbing higher and higher and to hard to reach places. Alayna and Grey made their own fun, though, as we waited for the rest of the kids to trickle back down to us.
We made our way back to the van, with a few more glances over our shoulders at those big men looking down over us. Then we headed back down the mountain and through the cute little tourist town of Keystone, South Dakota.
I had heard that driving through South Dakota would be the most boring part of our trip, but I would beg to differ. This state was absolutely stunning and I enjoyed it very much. There was so much to look at! The landscape near Mount Rushmore was filled with mountains, that ever-so-slowly turned into foothills, that turned into rolling hills, that turned into flat farmland that stretched endlessly in every direction. It was strange to see such flat land after being among the giants of the Rocky Mountains the last few days!
As we neared the state line, the kids once again feasted on gas station taquitos, while I found a little street taco place and they did not disappoint!
Our last vision of South Dakota was a gorgeous rose-colored sky, with the sun, looking like a ball of fire, melting into it behind us.
Earlier in the day, we decided to take a family vote. There were two options: 1. Stop right over the state line and camp at a little place in western Minnesota, or 2. Drive until I couldn't drive anymore and crash in a cheap hotel for the night. Option 2 was the winner, and I managed to make it to Worthington, Minnesota before calling it quits. From Glendo State Park in Wyoming, through the Black Hills National Forest to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, across the entire state to Minnesota, this had been a full day. The kids wasted no time getting settled in our little room. And me? I took a long shower, thankful for hot water and a spider-free bathroom.
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