Since the kids had slept for most of the car rides, we informed them that we had seen 100's (probably not an exaggeration) of signs for Wall Drug. We asked them to count all the signs from the Badlands until Wall Drug, and we came up with 38 signs in the 20 minute drive. Of course, we entered the store and were overwhelmed. Matthew immediately decided he had to have a cowboy hat, which we postponed to later in the trip, and Sebastian enjoyed in five cent coffee.After a bit, we suggested that we stop again on our way back home, loaded back up in the car and drove to Hill City, where we were staying at Crooked Creek Resort.
We checked in, dropped our things off at the teepee, and headed to the 1880 train. This 2-hour trip to Keystone and back provided us with a relaxed view of the Black Hills and some of its residents. The train chugged along past old mines, turkeys, and deer. On the way back, I dozed a bit, enjoying the sway of the train on its tracks. The trip was definitely a hit.Our intention had been to head back to the resort, allow the kids to swim, eat a quick dinner, and then head to Mt. Rushmore. However, the pool was being refilled because the storm that had blown through two nights before had broken a glass table in the pool. It was emptied, cleaned, and was likely not going to be full until the next morning. So we ate what was left of the hot dogs and headed to Mt. Rushmore.
Along the steep roads, we saw mountain goats, including a baby. We parked and headed into the visitor center. We began our visit with a viewing of a film which explained the creation of Mt. Rushmore. This was the perfect way to begin. We then headed into the exhibit hall, where the kids were able to "blast" dynamite on the mountain and we enjoyed the many comics and advertisements that had featured Mt. Rushmore over the years.After the visitor center, we enjoyed the new viewing terrace and then headed to the kids exploration area (which was closed) and the Lakota Heritage area (which was also closed). Disappointed, we decided to just enjoy the trail and the view of the presidents. As we walked, we passed many people with ice cream, and it was quickly decided that we would be making a stop for that.
We purchased our daily postcards in the gift shop, and I found my much wanted subtle turquoise jewelry. We then found ourselves with enormous ice cream cones and an hour and 20 minutes of time to kill before the viewing ceremony. After we finally finished the ice cream, we passed the time by playing I Spy and Story, which consisted of each of us saying 5 words contributing to a story. At one point SpongeBob, Patrick, and Little Red Riding Hood made an appearance, but Sebastian attempted on numerous occastions to kill of SpongeBob and Patrick.
Once dusk arrived, we listened to a wonderfully articulate ranger on the importance of history and watched a Discovery Channel film on the history of Mt. Rushmore. Matthew was very excited that the movie was narrated by Darth Vader. As the movie completed, the monument was lit and it was absolutely beautiful. We stayed to honor the veterans that had visited that day and headed back to the teepee well after 10:00 pm.
We were all very excited to spend our first night in the teepee, but some time after midnight, the wind picked up and I was hit in the head with something. I soon discovered it was hail, and was now repeatedly being pelted in the head and body by both hail and rain. The temp dropped to 50 degrees and I was soaked through. At one point I was certain that the teepee would be torn apart by the storm, but it held. But as I pulled the blankets over my head, praying for sleep, I realized that we would be finding new accomodations in the morning.
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