Day 3 - One happy camper

(See below for more on Day 3 and a late addition to Day 2) If you are not already aware I should inform you that Emma is a bit of an American history fan and has particular interest in the Presidents. Mt. Rushmore was something she had been interested in visiting for some time. So I snapped this shot of her in front of the monument (click to enlarge). The kids have been great. The first couple of days were tough as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin are not exactly filled with amazing sights. So today the finally got a taste of what the rest of the country has to offer. They've been amusing themselves in the car with various games, puzzles and Emma with her MP3 player. We brought some books on tape and CD but yesterday the stories on CD were putting me to sleep while driving. So last night I ripped some CDs and put them on her MP3 player. We also picked up a new set of headphones and a dual headphone jack at an ancient Wal-Mart in Blue Earth, MN. So today the finished a 6 CD story on the MP3 player. They really enjoyed that. Perhaps almost as I enjoyed listening to the Sirius satellite radio. The Early Classics on Vinyl station, broadcast from the Rock Hallf of Fame in Cleveland is mighty choice.

One more thing: I had an elk filet for dinner tonight. A first for me and it was great!

Day 3 - Mt Rushmore

After the Badlands (see prior post) it was only an hour or so into the Black Hills and onto Mt. Rushmore. Emma was beside herself with excitement as we approached the National Memorial. We were also a little surprised that her excitement rubbed off on her brother! We were all in awe as we approached the monument. It was cool and windy and there were even some sprinkles. That might sounds like a drag but it didn't dampen our spirits at all. And by cool I'm talking a high of about 50 degrees today. When I checked on the weather before we headed out this morning it said "feels like 29." Good think we packed some warm clothes! After viewing the monument we went downstairs and some some of the excellent exhibits on how it was created. One thing I found interesting was that Borglum (the sculptor) selected the presidents to indicate the founding (Washington), expansion (Jefferson) , preservation (Lincoln)and development (T. Roosevelt) of the United States.

Day 3 - These Badlands are treating us good.

Hey folks, Today we got out of Mitchell and embarked on our 350 miles (Yippie, no 500 mile drive today!) towards Western South Dakota. Not too far into it we crossed Lake Francis Case (on the map it looks more like a river but appears to be a series of lakes according to the names) and the landscape changed abruptly. We went from praires and grass lands to some pretty serious hills. After an hour or so of that we started to see some of the rock formations that make up the Badlands National Park. To tour the Badlands we took the approximately 30 mile Loop Road through the park. At the beginning of the loop, just before the park, we stopped at the Prarie Dog Ranch Gift Shop and fed some peanuts to some seriously overweight praire dogs. The kind young lady at the store was also gracious enough to let us use an electrical outlet to charge our camera battery. The Road Warrior left the power ON after charging the battery the night before. So there we were, minutes from the entrance to our first National Park and we had no camera battery. I couldn't let you guys down like that so Eve suggested we bum a little electricty from them. Great idea! Twenty minutes later the camera had enough juice to not only get us through the Badlands but Mt. Rushmore as well. The Badlands is an amazing landscape and home to buffalo, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, praire dogs and many more. We did not seen any buffalo but did witness a pronghorn antelope in the distance with it's baby antelope running around. Pretty cool. We got out of the car and did a little hiking through the eerie landscape and also stopped at some pull offs for some amazing vistas. Click the pic to enlarge!

Day 2 - Yellow Springs Youth Encounters Goofy Weiner

Miles Sturm, age 7 of Yellow Springs, had an unexpected encounter with a big goofy weiner in Mitchell, South Dakota. The youth was unharmed and only mildy soiled with condiments.

Day 2 - Big Drive to South Dakota!

Today we covered just over 500 miles. We left the hotel in Madison and took a short drive through downtown, took a quick look at the capitol building and got Eve some Starbucks. Madison looks like a great city that we'd like to visit again and spend some time there. But we had an agenda and putzing around Madison was not on it. We drove up past the Dells and made a quick stop at Lake Delton to see the worlds largest pink flamingo at the Flamingo Motel. Oh what a sight to behold! Eve and the kids also did a little souvenir shopping for some post cards and whatnot. Right at the Wisconsin-Minnesota border was a nice rest stop on the Mississippi River and we stopped there and had some lunch. From there we scooted on across Minnesota making just one more stop in Blue Earth Minnesota to view the 53 foot tall Green Giant statue. Was it more impressive than the Flamingo? Well, I guess that just might be a matter of personal preference. From there it was just over 200 miles to Mitchell, SD and we drove it straight through arriving in Mitchell just after 6pm. We checked in to the hotel and then drove a mile or so into the downtown area to view the a-maize-ing Corn Palace. It really has to be seen to be believed. We were sorry to discover that the Enchanted Doll museum was still not operating on their post Memorial Day schedule and had closed at 6pm. So we returned to the Holiday Inn for what was, without a doubt, the worst dinner of the trip. I just cannot recommend the Dakota Roadhouse restaurant. Gentle reader, I'll spare you the details and you can thank me later! The kids and I hit the pool and hot tub for our daily swim & soak and we are gonna call it a night. Tomorrow should be pretty cool. Only 350 miles to cover and we will visit our first National Park, the Badlands of South Dakota and then cruise on into the Black Hills to see Mt Rushmore and whatever else the hills have to offer.

Day 1 again, this time with the camera!

Here's a couple pics from when Eve and the kids visited the John Hancock bldg in Chicago.

Day 1 - West Lafayette, IN; Chicago, IL; Madison, WI

Whew! What a day. We actually got out of the house and on the road very close to our target departure time of 9:00am. By 9:20 we were on the road, crossing the border out of Yellow Springs. Our first stop was in West Lafayette, Indiana for some lunch. A very cool little spot called the Triple XXX Family Restaurant. It's not nearly as risque as it sounds! There's some info about it here: http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=2253 From there it was on to Chicago. I visited Dave as he recovered from his surgery at Northwestern Hospital. I gotta say he was looking great. Eve and the kids went to the top of the John Hancock Bldg. We left the camera in the car tonight so I'll post some pics tomorrow. After that we met Lorri, Joel and Aaron out by O'Hare for a brief visit and Eve gave Aaron the rainbow painting he requested of her on their last visit. Then up to Madison, WI. We arrived here in Madison with just enough time for a quick swim and some hot tub time with the kids. On a sad note we learned on our arrival here in Madison that Eve's Uncle Scott passed away early this morning. This was quite unexpected and a shock to us all. Eve here, I just want to say that yes this news was shocking. However, I really feel that my uncle will be at peace now. For many years he has been suffering and taking medications for pain. I love my Uncle very much and hope that he is in a better place. I know that he has traveled these very roads that we are about to embark on and that he will be with us in spirit and in our hearts.

Two Days and counting.

Two to go! Friday we picked up the minivan rental. A jet black Dodge Caravan with tinted windows. I think it will make us look very important! Eve made some great progress on packing today. I helped by taking the kids out for some last minute shopping, some Skyline Chili and a movie, The Bridge To Terabithia. We may very well be so prepared that we can take it easy tomorrow and enjoy the Memorial Day holiday here at home!

6 days away

Six days and counting. Miles is recovering from the chicken pox and it looks like he'll be more than fine by next Tuesday. Emma is a Kiser Lake tonight for the first night of the OG camping trip. Eve will go spend tonight there. Friday we pick up the minivan that will carry out to the West Coast and back. I'm going to try and attach a picture just to see how it goes. It will be a picture of Daisy.