Day 3 - Road Trip - South Dakota/Montana

We survived the short thunder and rain storm last night in our tent.  Isn't this an angelic face?  ;-)

Then it was packing up and loading up again to visit Badlands National Park.  We visited here with Michaela, Benjamin, and Johanna in 2004, so it was fun to bring Ami and Elijah here.  The geology, unusual formations, and wide treeless plains are an incredible sight.  It's like nothing else anywhere.  I love seeing the vast creativity that God displays.

Benjamin had remembered climbing around last time we were here and was anxious to try it out again.  Well, remember that last night it rained?

We spent more time cleaning off mud and using wet wipes than we did climbing!  Oh well, it made for a funny memory.

 

Then, after miles and miles of billboards, we found Wall Drug.  We got our free ice water and 5 cent coffee, and enjoyed some homemade donuts, too.

 

When Benjamin was 5, he was totally frightened of this T-rex.  He returned to face his fears, and although it was still very loud, he survived.  :)

Amid the smoky T-rex.  Victory!

The famous jackalope.

Johanna is our animal lover and also a lover of Native American history.

Next stop, Mount Rushmore National Monument.  It's neat to see, but once you've seen it, well, that's about it.  There is a small museum where you can "blow up" the dynamite to help form the faces.  

 

From the Badlands, we decided to make another detour, adding only 20 minutes, so that we could "hit" Wyoming, a first for Ami and Elijah.

Next, North Dakota in our "collection" of states.

And finally into Montana, our final destination for the night.

Currently we are hunkered down in the game room of our campground as severe storms with high winds are expected to pass through.  We're watching the weather channel and hoping that the storm dissipates before it gets here!