SOUTH DAKOTA.

Well call us crazy, but we took a family road trip. We weren't quite sure what we were getting ourselves into with a three year old and a seven month old, but we needed to get to Utah. And lets face it, driving is way cheaper than flying these days. Not to mention that it's nearly impossible to pack what you need for two kids with all the luggage restrictions. So, we decided that driving was the way to go. And you know what? It wasn't that bad. The kids did great, we saw lots of cool things, and made it there safely.

Our plan was to head out late on Sunday night, so that we'd arrive in South Dakota in the morning, roughly half way to our destination. We thought it would be better if the kids slept through the majority of the trip, rather than be restricted in their car seats for most of the day. But plans changed, and by early afternoon we were packed, the car was loaded, I looked at Nick and said 'Want to leave early?'. That was like music to his ears, and by 2pm we were on the road. Mark that one in your record books people... that I was ready to go somewhere EIGHT hours earlier than expected. Probably won't ever happen again in my life. Ha.

We made the eight hour trek to Rapid City, South Dakota, stopping in some random town to have a quick picnic dinner.

Sweet picture, I know. I with no makeup and Nugget with a mouthful of food.

Just capturing memories, don't mind us.

We changed the kids into pajamas, and finished the drive to Rapid City. We arrived at our hotel around 11pm, and surprisingly the kids settled in quickly and fell back asleep for the night.

Of course we stayed in an old, historic hotel, although we didn't stay long enough to learn more about it. Wish we would have.

My babies snuggling/wrestling in the morning.

We woke up feeling fairly refreshed and renewed. Surprising, when you have to share your bed with a three year old. Nick on the other hand, got a bed all to himself. Lucky. Anyways, to give everyone a break from the car, we set out to visit Deadwood and Mount Rushmore.

Deadwood is a little old western town that offered lots of charm and character. It was especially interesting to us as we have been watching the HBO series Deadwood, which is based off historic events that happened in this town. It looked nothing like it does on the show, but we did see some note worthy land marks.

We just finished season one of the series, so I don't know all that much about the town's history, but I did recognize these names.



We obliged Nick's request (and lifelong dream, ha!) and took one of those old-timey family pictures. You know, the ones where you dress up in period clothes and no one can smile. I'll have to take a picture of the picture and share it because it's hilarious. I've avoided such a picture for a long time, because truth be told, the clothes totally gross me out. But Deadwood seemed a fitting place to give in. Meanwhile, we posed for a picture with this fellow, although I'm not sure who or what he is supposed to be. But posing with weird roadside attractions was on my road trip bucket list.

These signs caught our eye. This town was made for Nugget. And while we did browse around in the Trading Post, we did not however take our Nugget into the Sports Bar.

After lunch we headed up the hill, more like a vertical incline, to visit the cemetery where some of the famous people we've learned about are buried. Now you know I love old cemeteries, and I was bummed that time did not allow us to get lost in this one.

Grave site of 'Calamity Jane'

Grave site of 'Wild Bill Hickok'

Remnants of an original head stone.

Nap time approached, so it was time to hit the road again, squeezing in one more stop before making the final haul to Utah.Enter Mount Rushmore.There is something to be said for seeing a national landmark with your own eyes. I have seen this thousands of times in pictures, but yet it was absolutely breathtaking to take it in with my own eyes.

While we were fascinated with the view, Brother was fascinated with his own view. Dad's hair.

Nugget insisted on me taking her picture here.

I think it's kinda cute, my girl chillin' with George and Abe.

And that sums up our adventures in South Dakota. Glad we got out and stretched our legs, because this was our view for the next ten hours. We arrived in Utah at 2am tuesday morning. I'll pick up with that tomorrow.