Trip Across the Country - Part 3

Day 6 (July 4th): MINNESOTA - SOUTH DAKOTA

I wish we'd taken more time to explore Minnesota! Angel had studied it the previous year in school, and I'm sure we would have had a great time there!  As it was, we were in a hurry to get to Sioux Falls for the Fourth of July Celebrations, so we just stopped for our token state sign picture, and were on our way. :(  Maybe next time!  (Note: the scratches on poor Angel's face were from Mt. Olympus Water Park, where she face planted during a wave in Poseidon's Rage wave pool....)

SOUTH DAKOTA

Who knew there was SO much to see and do in South Dakota???!!!  We could have spent days and even weeks exploring the state - there were so many fun things to do, so we had to be very selective in what we chose.  Our first stop was Falls Park.  It was BEAUTIFUL!

We spent several hours exploring the park, then visited an amazing Children's Science museum, and finally, headed to a local carnival where we played, had a picnic, enjoyed an incredible Independence Day celebration, and finally, experienced some INCREDIBLE fireworks UP CLOSE.  No exaggeration - the fireworks were lit about 20 feet in front of us and exploded literally over our heads.  We had ashes falling down on us - that's how close they were!  After the first explosion, Wiggles began to panic, to the point that I had to get up and RUN (not walk) her to our car (1/2 a mile away) - but that still wasn't enough to calm her fears.  I explained what fireworks were, tried to reassure her of our safety, gently sang to her, stroked her hair, rubbed her back, etc - but the only way I ultimately got her to 'calm down' (sort of) was by turning our car radio up very high, putting a blanket over the two of us like a fort, and holding her close.  We remained like that until the rest of the family returned from watching the show.  She had not done this before, so we weren't expecting it - but it will probably be awhile before we try fireworks again with her; it was pretty traumatic, the poor dear! :)  Since then, she has also developed a similar phobia of thunder.  How we love our tender-hearted little one!

(Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of us at the Fourth of July Celebration.)

Day 7: SOUTH DAKOTA

We headed west and had a LOT more fun in South Dakota!  I was really shocked by how much there was to see!!!  We stopped in Mitchell at the Corn Palace (I remember stopping there as an 8 year old girl on a road trip with my grandparents!)  It was under construction, so much of it was bare, but it was still quite impressive!!

Then we headed west again and stopped in Wall - home of the famous Wall Drug Store and community.  

There were some small fountains there, which were very refreshing, given the incredible heat of the day!  But the fountains sprayed very briefly at each spout, moving about in a random pattern.  Wiggles could never seem to time it right - so she seemed to spend nearly all of the time waiting by a spout, only to give up and move - shortly after which the water would shoot out.  It was so entertaining to watch - and eventually, she got wet! :)

The big dinosaur was a hit when he started moving and talking!

DAY 8: SOUTH DAKOTA - WYOMING

We stayed the night in Rapid City, SD where we attended church that morning, and then hit the road in the afternoon! :)  We first stopped by Mount Rushmore.  We didn't actually enter the monument, since it was Sunday - instead, we just did a 'drive by' and a couple of stops to see it from various angles.

Here, the Mr. thought it would be fun to have each person in the photo pose as one of the faces on Mt. Rushmore (in their respective order).  This was the result. :)

We stopped at another site where we could see Washington's profile.   Angel came up with the clever idea of pointing to Washington....

...while Grins, darling boy that he is, decided to pick Washington's nose.

Finally, we stopped by the Crazy Horse monument, where we experienced beautiful Native American cultural arts, including dancing, singing, bead work, sculptures, and more!  It was a beautiful experience and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Native American culture, which is near and dear to the Mr's heart!  

Trip Across The Country - Part 2

Day 2:  PENNSYLVANIA - OHIO 

Having already visited PA, we didn't stop for that state sign, but here we are in Ohio:

We stopped for several hours in Kirtland, Ohio, to see the Temple and many other church historical sites.

DAY 3: INDIANA - ILLINOIS 

 Sadly, we were unable to capture the Illinois state sign, as it's location was too dangerous to justify putting our family at risk for a photo (the ONLY state sign we couldn't get!)...but here's our little car saying we made it, and here we are in our hotel in Joliet.

Days 4-5: WISCONSIN

Can you see that Wisconsin sign, way off in the distance, between Angel and Grins?

Wisconsin was one of the highlights of our trip!!!  If that sounds unlikely to you (as it did to me, prior to planning our trip), you must be unfamiliar with Wisconsin Dells, the WATERPARK CAPITAL of the WORLD!!!

We decided to make the most of it, so we spent not one but TWO days at Mount Olympus - The World's Largest Theme Park and Water Park Resort!  We were grateful we had selected a park with an indoor theme park and water park, when it was pouring rain the entire first day! :)  Fortunately, we spent the day on indoor rides and slides.  The second day was hot and sunny, so we took advantage of the many, many pools, waterslides, and outdoor theme park rides!  It was SO much fun!!!

This was hilarious!!  There is a ride called "The Drop" that Wiggles really wanted to go on.  Angel and Grins had been on a similar ride previously and hated it, so they both refused to go, and kept telling Wiggles "It's scary! Don't go!".  Still, she wanted to try it - and adults weren't allowed, so she went on it alone.  The result was SO entertaining, as you can see on the video!

 OK, I know it was sad :( but it's funny now, because we all laughed about it later, Wiggles included! :)  Here's her reaction at the end:

Here were a couple of her favorite rides, that she DID enjoy:

All 3 kids thought the go karts were AMAZING!  I remember LOVING them as a kid too - it's so empowering to be able to drive a car all by yourself at that age!

The airplanes were another favorite!

The "kiddie coaster" was just their speed!  I kept trying to get them to go on some more 'exciting' rides with me (and Grins did try one!), but my safe-loving children were happiest on the kid rides, and that's just fine with me! :)  Hopefully they will keep that sense of caution throughout their teenage years! :)  And yes - Wiggles is wearing her pajamas, as her clothing got too wet at the water park. :)

The lazy river was one of Angel's FAVORITES!  She could have gone around and around all day long!

We make it a point to try "local" or cultural food that is customary in the place we are visiting. (e.g. ShooFly Pie in PA, etc).  So we decided to try a funnel cake at Mt. Olympus - and it did not disappoint!  (Well, it did disappoint us with how quickly it disappeared, but I guess it didn't stand a chance against 5 hungry mouths!) :)

All in all, our visit was a HUGE success, and definitely one of the highlights of our trip!  It was with heavy hearts that we got back into the car at the end of the second day, and headed west, leaving Wisconsin behind.