Road Trip: Wyoming and South Dakota

As we do every year about a week before Independence Day, my husband and I decided we should probably come up with something to do for the long holiday weekend. Having just spent a day swimming in a beautiful Colorado lake, we thought we'd look for a camp site near a cool body of water. Not a single camp site anywhere in Colorado was available. I checked Utah and Wyoming. No luck. Remembering we had still not seen Mount Rushmore, I checked South Dakota. There was exactly one spot left and it happened to be right on a lake. What luck! We booked the site and packed up the car a few days later. With our kiddo, our greyhound, and my grandmother driving along behind us, we set off.

Stopping in Wyoming to see the Oregon Trail ruts. I was the only one in our party super excited about this, mostly because I wanted to share my fortune on Facebook of not dying of dysentery! 

Stopping for some rock skipping in Wyoming. 

Post-rain view behind our campsite in the Black Hills. 

BABIES! We saw several infant animals. My favorite were the bison, but these pronghorns (I think) were a close second. 

Checking out the Gordon Stockade in Custer State Park

Bison! It was really amazing driving (very very slowly) through a herd of bison. Many of them were taller than my car! 

Meeting a burrow. Definitely a highlight! 

So many animals. 

Taking a dip in the lake behind our camp site. How lucky were we!?

My child is the messiest eater I know.  We can't get through a single meal without food everywhere. Sigh. I love her so. 

Husband and kiddo enjoying Horsethief Lake. 

Mount Rushmore! We went on Independence Day and again the following day to see the evening presentation. 

The Circle of Sacred Smoke by Japanese artist Junkyu Muto. This one, at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, is one of three in the world placed at spiritually significant places. Devil's Tower is sacred to over 20 tribes. 

Devil's Tower, Wyoming. I was REALLY excited to see this. Columnar basalt is really intriguing to me. This is a really beautiful place that I recommend visiting. 

We were exhausted after getting home, but it was such a beautiful time away. I love having such a good little traveler that is eager to explore new places. It was really nice to have a weekend with my grandmother as well. Memory making is the spice of life!