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South Dakota

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Mount Rushmore

It’s been an amazing journey as we’ve navigated the length and breadth of these beautiful United States. But as with all things, there has to be an end. Our end is coming soon, but we have a couple of stops left before we make the final push back to our home. After leaving Colorado we headed northeast to visit the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Both Katie and I have visited before but we thought it would be a nice final spot for the kids. The area has all the history of Mt Rushmore and the gold rush but also plenty of touristy fun.

We spent twos days in the Black Hills taking in a little history and having some fun in town. Mount Rushmore is a cool stop. It’s very popular and crowded but learning the history of why and how it was created is fascinating. Seeing the big heads of the presidents is cool and you really get a sense of their sheer size while your there. It’s also amazing to think that they carved 90% of the faces using dynamite to blow away the surface rock. We had a fun day at the park and then headed to town for some food. We found a surprisingly great Indian restaurant and had a wonderful dinner to cap off our day.

The next day we stayed around town and took in some of the local flavor. One awesome place we found was the Rushmore Tramway Adventures park. The park offered one of the coolest ropes courses I’ve seen and an Alpine Slide!! Katie and the girls decided to go on the ropes course. Colette had been asking to do a ropes course for about 4 months so this was a special treat for her. Lennox and I went on the Alpine Slide and had a blast luging down the mountain and feeling the G’s as we sped much too fast around the corners. The day was awesome and we all had a great time. If you embrace the complete tourist trap this area is you can have a great time. The next day we were off to make the two-day journey to Chicago and an impromptu family get together before making the push home.

It’s Waiting for You…Wall Drug

No trip across the country would be complete without passing (and stopping) at Wall Drug. The curious roadside attraction has been going strong for decades and offers ridiculous attractions and curios for everyone in your family. There’s not much to see when traveling through the plains so it can be a welcome pitstop for bored children and weary parents. I’ve passed by this place many times on my travels across the country but never really stopped. We decided to stop and explore for a bit as we made our way back to the REAL world. We had a blast. The place is full of western nostalgia, boardwalk games, and cookie signs. It seemed like there was something new and curious around every corner. Please note that there are innumerable small items for sale that your children will want. They are strategically located close to the floor and in every nook and cranny. My prediction is you will not be able to leave empty handed…and that’s ok. A little piece of Americana can go a long way to making an enjoyable trip across the country.

The McLeod’s in Chicago

This was a short but sweet couple days in Chicago. We stayed with my older brother and his family so the kids were able to spend some quality time with their two cousins. We arrived late on Friday, and on Saturday we had a BBQ planned with my other brother who also lives in the Chicago area and my folks who came in from Michigan. We had a wonderful time together, as we always do, but it was much too quick. In the blink of an eye, it was Sunday and we had to pack up our car for the final drive home. We said our happy and tearful farewells and headed east for northern Michigan and the house we left behind. I would have said “our home” a year ago but one of the most profound things you realize when traveling for this long is that home is always with you as long as you have your loved ones close at hand. Next stop…The Epilogue…