All right, time to tackle the Midwest trip update. I’m going to probably make it briefer than normal and very few photos because I have like 80 million I could share (for those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, I have an album on there for you to check out).
So we left Colorado early Saturday morning, ready to take on a long day of driving and sight-seeing. We wanted to drive through South Dakota instead of the standard Nebraska/Iowa route so we could check out the sights, since we figured we probably wouldn’t ever specifically go there just for kicks. After only a few rest stops, we made it to SD with no problems – Sonora was a dream.
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First rest stop of the day.
On our way to Mt. Rushmore, we first took a detour to Wind Cave National Park (and got a national park stamp for our passport book, of course, like the nerds that we are). And fortunately for us, we made it just in time for a cave tour! Had there been a wait, we may have skipped it and missed out on one of the coolest caves I’ve ever seen. Well, cooler than the other one I saw when I was 10, that is. Which means it probably was way cooler since everything is so much more awesome when you’re 10, right?
I digress. So we went on the “strenuous” tour, which meant the one that you have to use your legs for, apparently. I guess their scale leans more toward the elderly and babies? Anyway, after a rough start (see wailing, inconsolable baby. in a cave. um, no. but nothing the milks can’t fix!) it was amazing. From the intricate boxwork – no stalagmites/stalactites, just stuff that looks like a corrugated box – to the multi-levels (down, down and down – we took 450 stairs with one flight of 89 steps going up to the middle level), it was fascinating to explore. Felt like stepping onto a whole new planet. So crazy this stuff exists below ground.
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Boxwork.
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Crazy cool.
And some fun facts from their website:
Currently over 135 miles [217.26 km] of passages have been mapped in Wind Cave. This places Wind Cave as the third longest cave in the United States and fourth longest cave in the world.
Egads! That’s a lot of underground exploration. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to our guide. So awesome to see God’s handiwork underground as well as above. So all that to say, if you’re out that way, go check it out! You won’t want to miss it.
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Nervous! (this was right before she fell asleep for nearly the entire hour-long tour)
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Underground explorers!
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It was dark.
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A delightful photo for our passport book.
Anyway, our journey continued on past Crazy Horse – we would have stopped but it was $20 just to view it (sorry, private-funding-expensive-admission – not worth it to us) and we had yet to see Mt. Rushmore, plus we had a baby who was getting crankier by the hour. And I don’t blame her. So snap snap went the camera and off we went to Mt. Rushmore.
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The sky was pretty awesome. (see Crazy Horse off to the right?)
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Crazy Horse
We ate our lunch at the entrance, looking up at the giant stone heads and I actually was NOT underwhelmed. Maybe it’s the artist in me, but I still thought they were pretty sweet. And totally large and in charge, despite what some people have said (“not as big as i expected” etc). We had a cranky/hungry baby on our hands for much of that visit so we didn’t get a chance to go on a guided tour where we could find out more, but really, we were just there to gawk for a bit and leave. So that we did. And this photo is all you need to see to sum up our experience:
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I think the addition looks fantastic.
Then, as we were in the area, we had to stop in at Wall Drug for some free ice water, milk shakes and some photo taking with the giant jackalope. Because clearly I don’t have enough photos of me posing lamely with statues. It was an experience to remember. (Sonora slept the whole time)
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Dork.
On our last leg of the day’s road trip, we went on a drive through the Badlands National Park. Unfortunately for us, the visitor’s center was closed therefore we could not get a stamp at this park. Boo. But oh my gorgeous. Similar to our trip to Moab, the rock formations were stunning. And created even more frameable photos for our house. We also saw a complete rainbow! A double rainbow all the way, even. Almost a triple rainbow!!! (for those in the dark about the “double rainbow all the way” and triple rainbow,” sorry. google it. heh). After exiting the park at dusk, we were on the road for another hour or so before we called it a night.
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Um, yes.
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Double rainbow!
Image may be NSFW.
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The next day we just drove. And drove. And drove. And of course by the end we had ourselves a very tired, very fussy baby. I sang all the kid songs I possibly could to keep her entertained, made all the silly faces/noises I could muster, but we still had to stop about every hour for the last five hours to calm her down. (see also: quiet the shrieking with the best natural soother i had on me…). But at last, at 10:30pm we arrived at Ryan’s parents’ house in Illinois! After Auntie Rhonda got to coo at Sonora in person for the first time, we called it a night. Bed had never felt better.
To sum up our week: people, people and more people. Ryan worked the whole trip and I carted Sonora around to meet friends, family, former co-workers/friends, old neighbors and a client (also a friend). It was BUSY. And so so great to see everyone again. And because of all the busy, Sonora and I slept like rocks at night. Glorious. I would write more on our time in Illinois, but I plan to have a whole other post on that matter. So.
In the meantime, here is a lovely family photo:
Image may be NSFW.
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And all of us.
After a long week of flying all over creation, it was time for the same in Michigan with my family and friends. We left on Saturday and Sonora slept the whole drive up (2.5 hours) and as I mentioned in my last post, she got to meet her Grandpa Gras for the very first time! She also met her Uncle Aaron for the first time later on that day, but has yet to meet her Uncle Nathan and Aunt Heidi – we hope to go back (FLY. on a plane) in November. We went downtown GR that night to meet up with some long-lost friends, and the next day we headed to Thornapple River to hang out with Ryan’s cousins and the Hartgerink family again, who drove up from Chicago for a wonderful Father’s Day on the river – tubing, fun-toon extravaganza. A Father’s Day post to come, too.
Anyway, Michigan proved to be just as crazy and wonderful (again, I will share more in another post) and by the end of it, both little baby Nora and I were both spent. And I was dreading the car ride back. Oy. But to make it short and sweet, it went exceptionally well – no sight-seeing detours this time, hardly any fussing from the babe and we made it back safe and sound. And dirty and exhausted, obviously. I have a new appreciation for showers and beds.
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Grandparents!
What a great trip.
Love,
Laura