Black Hills 2011

With so many great memories and pictures to go along with them, I'm wondering where to begin? I LOVED this vacation! It was a lot of work to prepare for, especially since camping as a family is something new for me. But all the hard work paid off. Our clothing, meals, and "stuff" fit nicely in the camper and we rolled out of town on Friday, June 17th.

Highlights and memories worth capturing.

• Our boys are as loud in the truck as they are in the house.
• Rafter J Bar Ranch is our new home for 6 days. With all my experience and everything, I declare this the nicest campground in the Black Hills!
• Braylen is a huge help to Derek with the camper set-up, while Kaleb and Aaron collect loads of kindling. I'm pretty good at supervising, a.k.a. doing nothing! :)
• Bacon smells so good in the morning, especially when Derek cooks it outside for me.
• At Mt. Rushmore, Aaron likes to talk about the size of George Washington's nostrils. We take pictures together and I'm remembering when we were there 14 years ago as newlyweds. Derek bought me a necklace back then, so this time he buys me the matching earrings.
• Kaleb learned he can drive his own sled down the alpine slide and live to tell about it! We all had a blast doing this, although riding the chair lift up the mountain put us as high as the Ponderosa Pines. That's high!
• We all wore hard hats in Big Thunder Gold Mine, but Derek's the only one who actually needed one. My tall husband bumped his head a time or two in the mine.
• Riding on the tailgate of the truck is the best way to get from our camp site to the pool, although I held on to Aaron for dear life!
• We built a campfire every night, even on the night it rained. Aaron's favorite part of our trip were campfires, and he built one for Derek for Father's Day.
• We talked about God's creation during our campfires, and Aaron gave us a good laugh. He said, "You never know, we might be in the Bible someday!" :)
• Who knew a ravioli lunch could be such a big hit? Nothing but the best for Derek on Father's Day! I guess it hit the spot after spending the morning at the Presidential Wax Museum. Derek picked out a Galileo thermometer at the museum and I tell him Happy Father's Day. :)
• We celebrated Father's Day with Derek the entire trip, but Braylen also brought along a card he made for his dad. We took some time out on Sunday to call our dads. It was a great time to relax and talk with them while the boys explored the campground. We gave them a walkie-talkie and told them to check in with us from time to time. How nice to be able to do that!
• Sometimes Derek and I left the boys at the camper while we went for bike rides. I'm so glad we took this trip when our boys are 7, 9, and 11!
• Braylen loves to whittle walking sticks for himself and his brothers. He also starts some of the campfires all by himself. I guess Boy Scouts comes in handy for a few things. :)
• Iron Mountain Rd. is filled with tunnels and pigtail bridges. Derek revs the engine in the tunnels and the boys squeal with delight. All 4 boys. :) At bedtime Kaleb prays and thanks God for the "pig bridges."
• Wind Cave is a big hit with everyone. I was thankful it didn't have any creepy crawlers in it! We saw lots of boxwork and popcorn formations.
• Wild donkeys walk up to our vehicle at Custer State Park, so we pet them through the rolled-down windows. The buffalo, pronghorn, and deer allow us to see them from a distance.
• The Cosmos Mystery Area is quite mysterious. We all stand crooked, balls and water climb uphill, and trees bow down towards the "hot spot." Derek and I got a little dizzy, but the kids handle it just fine.
• Flashlights in the dark are more fun than any wii game. So is playing Trac ball with Daddy.
• This time away with our family really knit us together. We leave the Black Hills feeling blessed indeed.

our home away from home

yummy ravioli lunch :)

standing at our campsite and looking up

There's a major drop-off right behind me, so I'm holding on to Aaron hoping we all don't fall off the mountain!

descending into Wind Cave

peek-a-boo

Bismark Lake

my favorite picture of my boys

crooked kids

Goodbye South Dakota! Thanks for the memories!