South Dakota June 2022

Our South Dakota trip details all in one spot! Links provided to help you plan your SD adventure:

Where we stayed: Sunrise Ridge Campground & Storage - Kro’s Nes. Hot Springs, SD

Parks:

Badlands National Park

Wind Cave

Custer State Park

Jewel Cave National Monument Black Hills & Badlands, SD

Sunday, June 12th: •Drove 8+ hours to Sioux Falls, SD. •Jenny accidentally walks into mens restroom at gas station and thinks: “Wow, this women’s restroom has urinals!” Thank goodness no one was in restroom for my apiary. •Chelsey blows out diapers less than an hour into the drive. •Stopped at a kwik trip to run through the grass barefoot and feed Chelsey before resuming our trek. •6pm : Arrive at our hotel in Sioux Falls to eat, swim, and stay up WAY past our bedtime. Monday, June 13th: •Woke up at 5:30am, experienced Falls parks in Sioux Falls, SD. •Drove to Badlands National Park and hiked Castle Trail. Micah parkour-ed off every possible canyon. Micah also got to the top of a canyon and yelled: “I’m king of the world!!” Saw countless prairie dogs scurrying from hole to hole doing their prairie dog hind leg stance. Laughed way to hard narrating what possibly goes on in a prairie dogs mind. •Had lunch and ice cream at Wall Drug cafe. •Chelsey’s new favorite teether = sucking on bread. She cries for carbs. •Drove to Hot Springs, SD •Checked into our charming cabin at Sunrise Ridge Campground - Kro’s Nest. •After stepping into the cabin, I asked Trevor if we could live there permanently and enjoy the simple, minimal life that the space held. •Went grocery shopping at Dakotamart •Hail pelted our car Randy overnight & left 30 dents - This was a reminder that our planet is powerful and we are tenants. •Micah had a mild skin reaction causing him to scratch all the itchy bits. •Chelsey = constipated *Thank you to our pediatric nurses who are AMAZING and helped us keep Micah safe and healthy. We appreciate you!* Tuesday, June 14th: •Woke up at 6am •Breakfast & coffee in the cabin. •Drove through Wind Cave National Park, saw bison, bison calves, prairie dogs, and a coyote. •Visited Crazy Horse memorial. Micah was a professional rock picker and gave everyone in the tour groups hand picked rocks right from the site. (This was approved by our guide) •Visited Mount Rushmore : Hiked the 1 mile presidential loop trail. Micah rocked every step with his keen hiking boots. •Ate strawberry cheesecake ice cream from Jefferson ice cream shop •Chelsey = still constipated Wednesday, June 15th: •Wind Cave National Park Garden of Eden Tour: We got to experience the Earth breathing underground and it is one of the purest sounds I’ve ever heard. •Animals spotted: bison, prairie dogs, bunnies, vultures, coyote, pronghorn, deer •Met a wonderful woman from Waukesha, Wi while waiting to purchase your tickets. •Micah drinks 5 gallons of water at the visitor center water fountain. •Hiked the Wind Cave Canyon Trail. Bird strategically placed scat on my backpack - Impressed and thankful it didn’t land in my head. •Went 150ft into the Earth to see largest cave system in the world - Wind Cave. •Enjoyed cherry chocolate walnut ice cream from Horatio’s in Custer. •Ate at The Custer Wolf. Chelsey saw our food coming to the table and instantly cried for carbs. She enjoyed her bread teethers and was instantly content. •Quote of the day: Jenny: “Where did that bison go?” Micah: “That bison turned into a butterfly and flew away.” *Family travel note: Front facing infant/kids carrier are the only carriers allowed in the Wind Caves tour due to low points. Also, purchase Wind Cave tour tickets ahead of time OR get there RIGHT when they open to purchase tickets.* Thursday, June 16th: •Custer state park •Local bison traffic jam. This was the most enjoyable traffic stop we have ever encountered. We were the only car on the road admiring the Bisons beauty and strength. Life lesson from a bison: “If they aren’t in a hurry, we shouldn’t be either.” •Hiked Sylvan Lake Shore at Custer State Park - 1.0 mile hike with a few inclines. We were in constant awe on this hike finding new lookout points and soaking in the natural beauty that surrounded us. •Stopped at Custer County Candy Co. and shared a scoop of Huckleberry Heaven ice cream before lunch. •Lunch at Black Hills Burger & Bun Co. Added a pin to Sheboygan on their US map. Burger & Bun Co has the BEST bison burgers in Custer. •Made friends with a beautiful couple from Michigan who sneakily paid for our lunch without us knowing. We passed the blessings onto our waitress by leaving a generous tip. •Picked up a gluten free pizza to make at our cabin from Wild Spruce Market in Custer. Signs seen today: •Bison are dangerous, do not approach. *Do not pet the fluffy cows * Friday, June 17th: •Last full day in South Dakota •Woke up to Micah building a pillow fort in his bed and Chelsey giggling with him. These were the sweetest sounds to wake up to. •Hiked Elk Mountain Trail in Wind Cave National Park - just under 1 mile hike. Trail was narrow and plant covered so we had Micah hold a stick to keep his hands occupied and away from any poison ivy. •Hiked Rankin Ridge Trail in Wind Cave. If you follow the path by the entrance sign it is a rocky, semi-steep incline. The path by the gate is wider and easier to climb. We did the full loop which was a fun 1.0 mile hike. The view from the top was exceptional even with an overcast morning. On a clear day you can see the Badlands 40 miles away from the top of Rankin Ridge Trail in Wind Cave. •Drove through Custer State Park to Jewel Cave National Monument. •We hiked Canyons trail in Jewel Cave for half a mile and saw caves with beautiful ridges. Micah did wonderfully with the steep steps that lead down to the caves. •1.0 mile afternoon hike in Hot Springs *We are proud and astonished at Micah’s joy of hiking. He’s hiked 3.5 miles on two separate occasions on this trip and we parents are glowing with admiration for his persistence and adventurous nature.* Saturday, June 18th: •Left Hot Springs, SD at 3:30am to start the drive back home to Wisconsin. •Drove through Badlands National Park to watch the sun kiss the canyons at sunrise. We saw bison, deer, and a big horn sheep while in the park. •Safely arrived back home to Wisconsin by 8:30pm, watched the sunset, and slept peacefully in our own beds. What an epic family adventure. Thanks for the memories South Dakota. Why am I sharing these funny, but real life moments? We live in a world that strives for perfection, or the appearance of perfection. Staged photos. Pristine vacations. Flawless meals. Unscathed homes.

Photo worthy moments 24-7, and that’s not reality. Perfection doesn’t exist, we do. Our messy, imperfect selves exist in this world.

We have some BEAUTIFUL moments captured in photographs from our trip. I would take this trip again in a heartbeat to experience the breathtaking, real moments. The awe and wonder on Micah’s face experiencing new exterior landscapes and animals. Chelsey smiling and enjoying the ride in a hiking carrier. My husband rising to EVERY occasion that was thrown our way.

My love grew for each person in our family as the days passed by. Traveling with kids isn’t always easy. Life happens. Hiccups are BOUND to occur. A wrench gets thrown into the mix every minute. As parents and people, we roll with it. The good by FAR outweighs “not so good”. Traveling with children is an adventure. Each day bringing something new. Life doesn’t need to change because you have children, our lives are enhanced because we have children. It’s a privilege to show the astonishing world to our children, we can’t wait to do it all over again soon!

TANCKS for reading!