MOVIN' ON.....

We left that fine Bedrock community early in the morning before everyone else got going. We stopped by Jewel Cave National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/jeca), but the kids were a bit mixed about going underground and we weren't going to be dragging them kicking and screaming into a cave.......

We were on the road almost as fast as we stopped. We take Rte 16 out of SD toward NE Wyoming and Devil's Tower NM (http://www.nps.gov/deto/) first made famous in the 1970s movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This monument is a bit out of the way, but is such a unique feature, it seemed like we had to go.

We are traveling the last week of July and into early August. The first week of August is typically the Sturgis Bike Rally and we are starting to see A LOT of bikers at the monuments. They are sometimes alone and sometimes in large groups. Some offer to take our family photo in front of the monuments, but all are friendly.

The approach to Devils Tower is just as dramatic as in the movie. It is visible for miles and we pull over often to get a photo. When we arrive, it is a relatively short 1.25 mile hike around the base of the monument and we decide we could use the leg stretch so we head off. It is relatively crowded by the time we arrived but few actually go much beyond the parking lot - big mistake. We spied a few ambitious people climbing the monument - well beyond my abilities, but allegedly a relatively easy climb that can be done in a day without too much problem for the skilled climber. I carried my 3 year old around the monument on my shoulders the entire way in what would become a training for her to simply refuse to walk anywhere knowing dad would carry her. This haunts me to this day where the word "hike" is literally a four-letter word.

Rapid City Wrap-Up

After what was a looong day, we went to the Flintstones Bedrock City in Custer, SD (http://www.flintstonesbedrockcity.com/). Yes, a bit cheesy, but the kids had been in the car a lot of time now and needed an outlet. This was a great opportunity.

We had packed enough things so we did not need a tent and sleeping bags on top of that, so we rented a small cabin that slept 5 perfectly. We were able to have a small campfire and just relax. Needless to say, we did not go back to Rushmore for the fireworks, but there will be time for that in the future.

we weren't up to late - next stop....Devil's Tower National Monument in NW Wyoming (http://www.nps.gov/deto/). But the entire day will take us into Montana as well as we get closer to our ultimate destination - Yellowstone National Park (http://www.nps.gov/yell/).

Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore (http://www.nps.gov/moru) is only a short drive from Badlands. Our route went from Interstate 90 entrance through the park and exited on the northwestern side leading toward Rapid City.

South of Rapid City we toured through Custer State Park (http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/custersp.htm). This is a great diversion. One of the largest herds of buffalo in the United States roam within the park. The lodge here is supposed to be first rate - it has housed many Presidents - but we did not stay there.

We then went through the needles highway toward Mr. Rushmore. This is a great way to approach. The highway is very scenic and an engineering marvel with some corkscrew turns and manmade tunnels. The last couple of these manmade tunnels "frame" Mt. Rushmore perfectly as you are headed through the tunnel - a nice intro to the monument.

It is a fascinating feat of man's creativity. The story behind the carving is equally fascinating. Gutzon Borglund, originally behind the Stone Mountain Carving near Atlanta, abandonded Stone Mountain and raced to South Dakota. The "rest of the story" is here: (http://www.nps.gov/archive/moru/park_history/carving_hist/carving_history.htm)

ROADTRIP TO ADVENTURE

July 2003: After much convincing of the family, we load into the car for a long drive - St. Louis to Yellowstone National Park (http://www.nps.gov/yell/) and back with countless stops in between. We had three small children who were untested in their ability to sustain any lengthy trip in the car - but we were going to find out if it were possible.

It was not that long since 9/11, the economy was struggling, and my industry in particular was in meltdown mode. We needed some time away to focus on us.

First, we set expectations: Day 1 was nothing but driving; from the time they got up in the morning til the time they went to bed 16 hours later. Little to see - just road and more road. We had a TV & VCR installed in the Yukon for the trip; the best investment we ever made. There was the occassional roadside attraction like the "fake" golden spike in Iowa where there was allegedly a joining of the east & west built railroads - the "real" golden spike was driven in Promontory Summit, UT and is a National Monument. The golden spike we saw (Council Bluff, IA) was a distraction for the kids and a loss of about 45 minutes of important driving time for us.

We mapped the route, made reservations, created a book of activities for the kids to stay busy - information on where we would go, what we would see, and games for them to play (bingo, tic tac toe, hangman, etc). Each of the kids was given a disposable camera so they could participate in the sights. They felt very involved and we were off. The planning paid off in spades.