Mount Shmushmore

THURSDAY, JUNE 12th

So we did almost everything we wanted to do in Cheyenne. For some reason the motor home kept trying to head out of town every 1/2 hour. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that kyle was not lovin the place.... and he was drivin'. We went to the Wild West Museum. Crazy to see how much a town revolves around one event. Frontier Days keeps that town going. They buried a time capsule at the museum last year. i think we should bury one somewhere for our kids to dig it in 50 years. The kids had fun inside and we learned a whole lot about bull riding and the days back when. There was a very cool "Western Kid Room" that we all explored.

Of course we loaded up on fireworks. "Loaded Up' is not an exaggeration. We drove through downtown and we were outta there. I could have stayed longer and done some western shopping, but we had a long drive ahead of us.

Destination #6: Deadwood, South Dakota

We drove north through Wyoming all day. Kinda neat to see the abandoned cabins and homes out in the middle of now where. i told kyle that i wish i could hear each persons story. i'm sure there are farms from four and five generations. Spotted some antelope and more cows than i cared to count.

The road into Deadwood was magnificent. Being dusk, the deer were coming out for dinnertime. The first one we saw ran across the road right in front of us. Startled both kyle and i as we were not prepared to handle roadkill. But at the same time we were typical tourists yelling, "DEER! DEER! DID YOU SEE THE DEER?!?!? I SAW THAT DEER! KIDS! THERE WAS A DEER! SEE HIM? THAT WAS A DEER, RIGHT? SEE HIM RIGHT TH.....AHHH HE JUST JUMPED OVER THAT FENCE!!!! QUICK TAKE A PICTURE!! Wow.. that was cool. Did you see that deer?"

We were fortunate enough to see about 20 more feeding near the side of the road. We even saw a group frolicking in a meadow. Really cool. The drive was the best yet. Just peaceful and almost too perfect to be real. Our campsite was right near downtown Deadwood AND there was a river. River = Fishing. So i gave kienan a gift i have been waiting to give him; his first Swiss Army Knife. Him and dad and josh bundled up (i'm guessing about 40 degrees) and headed down to the river for some late night fishing. Kienan proudly carried his fishing pole and his Swiss Army in his pocket. :)

Kiera was asleep so this gave Mackenzie and i some girl time. We played some games on a mini dry erase board (so perfect because there is no paper to constantly throw away), ate chocolate, and read stories with a flashlight.

FRIDAY, JUNE 13th

Woke up this morning with another itinerary that went right out the window even before we woke up because we woke up late! i doubt a mother made up that word "itinerary." and then the first hour became comical. i was sooo excited that i had found pre-made pancake mix! Add water, shake, pour (now that is something a mother would come up with). Ya, no where on the handy little container does it say, "Duck after vigorously shaking for 30 seconds as contents may explode in your face, your children's hair, the ceiling, the air conditioning unit, and a variety of other places you'll find throughout the day." Then Mackenzie spilled her milk all over herself and the cushion. Then josh opened the refrigerator and a majority of its contents fell to the floor. HA!

We walked the fascinating streets of downtown. We souvenir shopped and tried to imagine life 100 years ago. i took a picture at the gas station my grandpa owned 1955, 1956, & 1957. Kyle won $50 playing blackjack at "Wild Bill Hickok's Bar."

There was live entertainment for the weekend event, Wild Bill Days. This was Kyle's favorite place. We stopped at a lake on the way to Mount Rushmore or has kenzie says, "Mount Shmushmore." EVERYONE caught a fish, BIG blue gills.

i enjoyed taking these pictures because of the lighting and the subjects.

Mount Shmushmore almost makes me feel like more of an American. The kids noticed that the side of the RV has a picture of Mount Shmushmore and thought that was pretty cool. At this exact moment we have logged 2162 miles. We just about halfway!

We are almost to Sioux Falls to stay with Kyle's sister, Heather, Keith, and Donovan for the night. It will be nice to be with them! My kids are still awake at midnight as they are super excited to see their cousin Donovan!!!!