Visiting Mount Rushmore: National Parks VacationDay 4
We’re back home from our National Parks Vacation! I decided to share my travel journal with y’all so you can relive the glory of our family vacationing with me…Enjoy!
Day 4 National Park Vacation, August 12th
We woke up early at the Badlands Interior Motel and Campground, which if you'll remember, was where we slept in a teepee. It was 5 am if you want to know. Why would we do that?
Well the night before we had gotten rained out of our Notches trail and Cal really wanted to do it. Also, Emma wanted to see the sunrise which was set to happen at 5:48.
As hard as it was to wake up, the view of watching the sunrise over the badlands is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It was absolutely breathtaking.
After the sunrise we decided to do Notches trail.
Only we didn’t have a ton of time so we decided to do the fun ladder part that Calvin wanted to do.
It was a really pretty way to spend the morning. The weather wasn’t too hot yet for a hike and the views were spectacular. It’s hard to describe the badlands because as pretty as they are to look at, there really isn’t anything like experiencing them firsthand.
When we got to the ladder I fully intended to only watch from the bottom. I have a crippling fear of heights. So I was super scared when Nick convinced me to do it. Eek! It was so scary but the kids and Nick were so supportive and kind. And I’m happy to say that I did it! By far one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
After our hour long hike we went back to the car, had some breakfast (fig bars and beef jerky, keeping it fancy here!) and started for our next destination of Wall Drug.
Wall Drug, located in Wall, South Dakota, is a total tourist stop.
But it was super fun to stop at. They have a little bit of everything. Not to mention that it is ginormous! I am sure it is just a pole barn type building but it is fashioned to seem like several small shops of different types that flow together. We got some homemade pastries, coffee, and hot chocolates before perusing the store. The kids loved the homemade doughnuts and Nick and I shared a homemade cinnamon roll. We then shopped around and found a couple Professor Noggins games for the homeschool room that I had never seen before. It was a fun place to experience and say we went to.
After that the day had a little bit of a hectic part to it. Since we were all smooshed in the car like sardines, after talking, we decided that we were going to have to do something if we were going to make it the rest of the way. We quickly researched and decided that a hitch tray was our way to go. It was the cheapest option and the easiest to install and transport while on the road.
So we found a Menards on our way to Mount Rushmore that had the tray we were looking for. I’m so thankful for a resourceful husband and helpful kiddos. Nick went and bought it and we all put it together in the parking lot. He bought ratchet straps and we were good to go. We strapped the cooler, our tent, and several totes into the tray and we were off to Walmart. We were able to put all of the things around my feet and everything between the kids in the back. So while it then made the back seem fuller it gave us all enough breathing room that we didn't feel so cramped and crabby. Hallelujah!
And because Who doesn’t love going to Walmart?
We had to replace our camp stove and we needed ice for the cooler. So we went to Wally-world and found everything that we needed. We also purchased more bottled water in case we ran out. After Badlands I think I'm developing a legit fear of running out of water.
And then finally after 2 and a half ours of unplanned stops and assembly we were back on our way!
We stopped at Dinosaur Park in Rapids City. Created in 1937 this free attraction is home to several concrete dinosaurs. It was definitely not the most exciting thing we’ve ever done but it was fun to check out and take some photos. I love kitsche and vintage things so this was right up my alley.
From there we decided to go to Kemp’s Kamp, our campsite for the night. We arrived there around 2 pm and paid for our campsite. The family set up camp, we ate lunch, and headed towards Mount Rushmore.
We arrived to Mount Rushmore and were so surprised at how wonderful it is up close.
You truly have to see it to believe it. While it was smaller than I thought it would be, it is very majestic and staunch.
We stopped and picked up our Junior Ranger books and then went for some ice cream! They have the recipe for ice cream from Thomas Jefferson there and it was super yummy! We got 4 ice creams for $24.00
We spent the afternoon touring the monument and walking to the artists’ studio.
The whole Walmart/Menards trek took us way more time than anticipated and we ended up unable to see a lot of what we wanted to see. We were still able to go see the Crazy Horse Memorial and to take a short drive to see the area.
We went back to our campsite, repeatedly told Calvin that we didn’t have time to swim and made supper…taco night!
I made the taco meat at home, we had shredded lettuce, tortillas, shredded cheese, and sour cream. The only thing we had to do was to warm up the meat and we chopped some tomatoes. SO easy!
The day had flown by!
But after supper we cleaned everything and headed back to Mount Rushmore for the evening ceremony and lighting of the monument.
We went into the gift shop and got the kids shirts. We also got our National Parks passport stamped because we had forgotten the darn thing in the car...I feel this will be an ongoing theme with us. Possibly forever!
The evening program where they honored the military and veterans was a truly can't miss event. I'm so grateful for all of the people who encouraged us to go to it. It made me feel proud to be an American. I have to mention too that it was also lovely to see the monument lit up...it looked totally different in the evening.
We had a great evening and I’m glad we went through all of the hullabaloo to go to the evening performance (think leaving Disney after fireworks but not quite so crowded).
Then it was back to the campground for a shower.
Kemp’s Kamp had lovely showers. They were rustic but they were cute and very tidy. I was thankful to be able to find somewhere I could shower with hot water and without spiders everywhere. Because that's a thing...
Bedtime was nice and we were all tired. We woke up throughout the night though with the worst wind I’ve ever heard. You could hear things rolling away outside of the tent. Gah, maybe some night we’ll get a good nights sleep camping. That happens sometimes, right ?
What We Spent:
Menards $82.36
Walmart $54.00
Dinosaur Park Tee-shirt for Nick and Dinos for Cal: $18.24
Mount Rushmore Admission: $10.00
Ice Cream $24.00
Mount Rushmore Tees $32.00
Things I'm Thankful for:
Finding a tray for the back of our car
Getting to see the evening ceremony at Mount Rushmore
Safety through the wind during the night
Hiking Notches Trail
I'll see you for Day 5!
Read about our time in Badlands sleeping in a teepee
You can read all about our time on the Ingalls Homestead here
We went to a Spam Museum and spent the night on the banks of a Minnesota lake!