Mt Rushmore & Yellowstone
I asked the kids where they wanted to go this summer and I was surprised to hear my 8 year old say "The mountain with the faces on it". We had been talking about visiting the Grand Canyon for a few y...
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We got home last night, I have spent the day relaxing from the long drive (45 hours round trip, plus all the day trips...).
Wow! We had an amazing time. I had so much on my list, contingency plans for contingency plans, no time for half of it. A few things that I "took a chance on" worked out well. We all had a blast at the Chuck Wagon Dinner Show. Dinner at Old Faithful Inn was a noter treat. The kids were happy with all there was to do when we stopped. I would say all the driving, and a few days of this, proved to burn out the two youngest. I was happy to abandon the last day of planned activities to spend a day at the pool instead.
The KOA in Hill City - Mount Rushmore, was the best campground I have stayed at. There were activities all day every day. No need to register in advance, just walk up and participate. We got a site adjacent to the "Fun Zone", two sites away from my sister and brother in law as well. We had great neighbours, friendly, tidy, quiet after hours. There were a couple intense storm while we were there. Hail and high winds claimed a few people's belongings. We did see an awning converted into an RV cover. No people were hurt, and at least one family has a heck of a story.
I was not as impressed with the offerings at the KOA in West Yellowstone. I realize that the campground was virtually empty during the day, there was little to keep you there. When I do this again, I will stay in the park. It was 45 minutes from our site to anything inside YNP. I try to steer clear of the tourist traps in the city. Here we found great pizza, our favourites at the DQ and even reasonably priced groceries.
The kids brought home some unique souvenirs. Switchblade combs, friendship bracelets, candy sticks and pencils quickly consumed the budget. We managed to save a few bucks for post cards and keychains. We had some old west photos done, they are a hit so far. I took a few thousand photos, including nearly 5 good ones!
The kids were happy to get home. They missed their mom and dog. Everybody was happy to sleep in their own bed last night. I go back to work tomorrow. I will spend the next few evenings putting together a few photo albums and videos. Already looking forward to the next trip.
Wow! We had an amazing time. I had so much on my list, contingency plans for contingency plans, no time for half of it. A few things that I "took a chance on" worked out well. We all had a blast at the Chuck Wagon Dinner Show. Dinner at Old Faithful Inn was a noter treat. The kids were happy with all there was to do when we stopped. I would say all the driving, and a few days of this, proved to burn out the two youngest. I was happy to abandon the last day of planned activities to spend a day at the pool instead.
The KOA in Hill City - Mount Rushmore, was the best campground I have stayed at. There were activities all day every day. No need to register in advance, just walk up and participate. We got a site adjacent to the "Fun Zone", two sites away from my sister and brother in law as well. We had great neighbours, friendly, tidy, quiet after hours. There were a couple intense storm while we were there. Hail and high winds claimed a few people's belongings. We did see an awning converted into an RV cover. No people were hurt, and at least one family has a heck of a story.
I was not as impressed with the offerings at the KOA in West Yellowstone. I realize that the campground was virtually empty during the day, there was little to keep you there. When I do this again, I will stay in the park. It was 45 minutes from our site to anything inside YNP. I try to steer clear of the tourist traps in the city. Here we found great pizza, our favourites at the DQ and even reasonably priced groceries.
The kids brought home some unique souvenirs. Switchblade combs, friendship bracelets, candy sticks and pencils quickly consumed the budget. We managed to save a few bucks for post cards and keychains. We had some old west photos done, they are a hit so far. I took a few thousand photos, including nearly 5 good ones!
The kids were happy to get home. They missed their mom and dog. Everybody was happy to sleep in their own bed last night. I go back to work tomorrow. I will spend the next few evenings putting together a few photo albums and videos. Already looking forward to the next trip.
