Our journey has taken us from the Badlands to the Black Hills! The first week we were able to explore and have a lot of fun with the kids. Dustin and the kids were able to stop by Mount Rushmore early in the week and learn about presidents (at a very high level). We also got a Custer State Park pass for the week. We loved spending time hiking and driving around the park. Kai and Reya worked on their junior ranger books and spent time learning at the Peter Norbeck Outdoor Education Center (this place was really cool, we’d recommend!).

We got to see a LOT of bison and learn all about them at the Bison Center. Kai and Reya got a kick out of seeing the fake bison chips (they were squishy, plastic forms that lifted to reveal how the bison poop helps the ecosystem). We also saw donkeys, which came right up to the truck window for Dustin and Reya to pet (Kai and I were on the wrong side of the truck). Prairie dogs and pronghorns were also spotted several times during our adventures. Later in the week, we were able to paddleboard at Sylvan Lake. This was so beautiful! It was one of those moments where we were reminding ourselves how LUCKY we are that we get to enjoy this lifestyle.

Over the weekend we took the time to drive out to Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming. This was another wonderful stop to appreciate nature and learn about different cultures. This site is historically significant to the Native American population in the area, as it’s seen as a highly religious site. The visitor’s center tells a story about how some believed that God created the tower to keep humans safe from a giant bear, whose claws created the unique markings on the side of the tower. After reading the story, Reya was not amused and kept an eye out for the giant bear. We got to explain that some religious parables and old stories have been embellished and aren’t completely accurate, so she was safe from the giant bear. We got to see many prayer cloths and bundles tied all around the tower on trees. This was a pretty cool way to observe Native American culture up close. The kids did great on the 2.6 mile hike around the tower, during which we got to see several climbers making their way up and down the tower. According to the visitor’s center, completing the climb can take 18 minutes to 8 hours to complete!

We capped off the week with a 40 mile bike ride on Sunday. We put our e-bikes to the test and biked from Custer State Park all the way to Hill City. There was some pretty incredible scenery along the way. We got a great workout, though Dustin more so since his ebike batteries started dying! We were all able to make it back to the truck with the bikes, so I’d consider that a success. Overall it was a pretty great week, reminding us that we have so much to be grateful for.