I’ve been a dad since 2016. In that time, I’ve come to believe that I have a fairly good handle on what my kids like and do not like. For example, neither of my kids will eat jambalaya or shrimp scampi. I can’t believe it but it’s true. They routinely turn up their noses at both dishes. I also tend to be able to guess what kind of experiences Ellie and Ethan will enjoy. However, there are those occasional moments where my guess is wrong and I’m proud to say that one of those moments occurred during our recent vacation.
In a first for our family, we actually spent nearly an
entire week on vacation last week. We left home on Sunday to head to Nebraska
to spend the night with Bethany’s parents before hitting the road the next
morning bright and early to head to our destination of Valentine, NE where we
joined Bethany’s entire family for a float trip down the Niabrara River. For
the record, that was not the part of our trip that I was concerned about the
kids enjoying. Between the cool, refreshing water and the multiple picturesque
waterfalls along the route, I was fairly certain they would both enjoy it.
The morning after our float, we were loaded up by 9:00 am
and in the car heading towards South Dakota. For the record, that wasn’t the
original plan for our trip. However, when we realized that Mount Rushmore was a
scant three hours away from Valentine, it only made sense to make the trip. It also
helped that my parents along with my aunt, uncle, and cousin were also making
the trip. On our way to Mount Rushmore, we did have one stop to make first.
Little did I know that one stop would end up being Ellie’s and Ethan’s favorite
part of the entire journey and one that they are still talking about!
What was that one stop you may ask? It was the Badlands. When
we made our first stop in the Badlands at the Door and Window Trails, I was
more than a little nervous as both kids seemed to have a lot of trepidation
when it came to climbing the various rock structures. If I’m being completely
honest, I felt the same way. The already rocky terrain was littered with tons
of tiny marble-like pebbles making the path more than a little slick to wander.
Of course, matters weren’t helped by the fact that both kids were hungry at
this stage. After a quick wander of both trails, we retreated to the visitors
center and grabbed a quick lunch.
Once Ellie and Ethan had full bellies, they were much more willing
to explore. In fact, we didn’t even have to leave the grounds of the visitors
center before they were happily scaling large rock structures, trying to get as
high as they could. My favorite area that we explored though had to be the
Fossil Trail. The area consisted of an elevated walkway winding through rocky
terrain and at any time, you could step off and explore the area. Our family
spent plenty of time climbing whatever looked fun in that given moment and it
goes without saying that the kids had a great time. They were fearless and
trusted themselves well.
Eventually though, the time came for us to move on down the
road to our lodge for the night. After checking in, we went ahead and connected
with my family before grabbing some pizza at a restaurant on the grounds. Then,
the four of us headed to the Kids Zone where Ellie and Ethan played on a
playground and participated in a quick round of mini golf. Before we knew it
though, it was time to head back to the lodge for bed.
The next morning, Ellie and Ethan awoke fairly early and were ready to start the day. Unfortunately for them though, our lodge didn’t serve breakfast until the relatively late time of 7:30 am. Therefore, we just had to find ways to keep them quiet until 7:30 arrived. Once it finally did and we ate, we prepared ourselves to head to Mount Rushmore.
Now, if you’ve ever found yourself in the vicinity of Mount
Rushmore, you realize that it’s fairly impossible to miss. That being said, the
kids were still more than excited to see it up close. Ellie wasn’t only
intrigued by the actual mountain; she also was fascinated by the history behind
it which could be seen by her excitement in sharing every cool fact she
discovered about the mountain and the construction of the monument.
After we made our way around a trail which led us right under the mountain, it was time to load up and head into Keystone for a quick lunch before the driving portion of our afternoon. The first stop on our driving tour was the Iron Mountain Scenic Drive. Winding through the Black Hills National Forest, this trail featured plenty of switchbacks to drive around as well as tight tunnels to thread our Traverse through. When we popped out of the Iron Mountain portion of our trip, we found ourselves in Custer State Park. To tell the truth, we didn’t spend a ton of time in Custer. We basically just drove through it on our way to Needles Highway.
Now Needles was probably one of the more fascinating parts
of the day. It featured three tunnels cut into rock that were probably tighter
than any we encountered in Iron Mountain. In addition, one of the tunnels was
guarded by a Storm Trooper who greeted Bethany and Ethan with a fist bump
before telling us to move along. One of the final stops along Needles was
Sylvan Lake which was home to a huge biker gathering. That didn’t stop us from
taking a quick bathroom break and wandering the lake for a bit. For the record,
Bethany would be happy to inform you that Sylvan Lake was host to part of the
filming of National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets if you’re interested in
that sort of thing.
While we would have loved to have spent additional time in
Custer State Park, we had to make sure we were back to the lodge by 3:00 pm so
that we could sign Ethan up for Mutton Busting at the Rodeo. Yes, you read that
last sentence correctly; Ethan was indeed going to ride a sheep that night in
the Rodeo. After signing up, we rested for a little bit before taking the kids
to play at the onsite water slide. Before we knew it though, it was time to
head to the rodeo.
When we arrived, Ellie and I found some seats with my
parents while Bethany accompanied Ethan to the ring for Mutton Busting. Ethan
for his part was nothing but excited to ride a sheep. In fact, he was proudly
proclaiming it to anyone who would listen throughout the day. When the time
came for him to climb aboard the sheep, he wasn’t even nervous (from what I’ve
been told). However, his ride came to a quick and bitter end as the sheep
reared its head back, making contact with Ethan’s helmeted head, and tossed him
to the ground. Then, for good measure, the sheep saw fit to stomp on Ethan’s
leg, leaving a pretty sizeable gash across his leg. Like the tough guy he is
though, Ethan stood tall and walked out of the ring alongside Bethany and didn’t
show any weakness until he was back safe in the bleachers with his family.
After spending a couple of hours watching, the kids had definitely hit that
point where it was time to head to bed so we left the rodeo and did just that.
The next morning would mark the
final day of our vacation. While we initially only had one stop on our agenda, the
Presidential Wax Museum, we were beckoned by the allure of the Wildlife trail
at Custer State Park after my aunt and uncle had shown us video of the 300-plus
buffalo they saw on their journey through the park. Therefore, since the kids
were up and ready to go early just like normal, the four of us loaded up around
6:00 and hit the trail. Somewhat unfortunately for us, we failed to find any
buffalo during the nearly two-hour excursion. We did happen to find plenty of prairie
dogs, deer, and even some wild turkeys. We also got to see a beautiful sunrise
so that counts for something.
After eating a quick breakfast
once we returned to the lodge, we packed up our bags and checked out, being
sure to hit the Presidential Wax Museum on our way out of town. Both kids had
been preparing for this stop for quite some time by practicing the President
song over and over again. Despite their knowledge, they were crestfallen to
discover that the Wax Museum did not have the Presidents in order. Instead, they
were just randomly placed throughout the building. The kids did enjoy learning
about everything though through the aid of a personal phone that enabled one to
listen to facts about each Commander in Chief.
Finally, the time arrived for us
to say “Goodbye” to our vacation and head for home. While some would not look
forward to a ten-hour car ride after a full vacation, Ellie and Ethan are
actually really good car riders. With the aid of several audiobooks, lots of
music, snacks, naps, and license plate bingo, our trip actually went fairly
quick with us finally reaching home around 10:30 pm.
While I’m not necessarily excited that Ellie and Ethan are getting older, I am relieved that we have reached an age where the kids actually travel quite well. It’s fun to know that we’re reaching a stage where all kinds of fun adventures away from home are awaiting our family and I honestly can’t wait to see what we discover next!
#DaddyWrite
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