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| Halie's before |
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| Halie's after |
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| Mattie's before |
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| Mattie's after |
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Swim Suit Dilemma
So Mattie and Halie both had a swimming activity this week. Somehow between the time we came home from vacation on July 11th and now, they have both outgrown their swimsuits. So, off we go swim suit shopping. What a pain!! Apparently the first week of August is a bad time to look for swim suits. The stores that still had some in stock were already selling theirs on the clearance racks. The pickings were slim to say the least. My girls are hard to fit. They have longer torsos, so one pieces don't always fit right. They are usually too tight through the torso, even if it is the right size for their upper bodies. Most of the two pieces I found were either bikini style, or tankinis that were too short. So, after checking 5 stores, I last checked Walmart. They hadn't put theirs on clearance yet, but their style selection wasn't too great. The one pieces they had were outrageously immodest. No sides or backs. We didn't even try those on. The two pieces were the same as before...either bikini style or too short tankinis. This time, I decided that the particular one they had might be able to be added to. So, here is the result of an afternoon of sewing:
Thanks to my sister Elizabeth who had given me some swim suit fabric. I added a ruffle to the bottom of each top piece, and added an insert piece in the bodice area. I think they turned out well!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 10
Day 10-Sunday July 11
Had breakfast at the hotel before going to get the kids. I swear I could tell we were close to home. This was the first hotel we’d stayed in where there were more than 1 or 2 other kids. I counted 18 kids at breakfast, not counting the 3 we had there. I was glad we didn’t have all of them there for breakfast. It would have been a nightmare!
We picked up the kids from Buffy’s and tried to see Rex’s sister Andrea. We were never able to get ahold of her, and we swung by her house but she wasn’t home. (Turns out she was in Island Park...which we had already driven by...too bad) While we were sitting in her driveway, we got a call that we had left some stuff at Buffy’s. What a surprise. We headed back there to get the pillows and jewelry, as well as the tooth that Halie lost, that had been left behind. And on we go. The kids are very excited to be heading home.
Had breakfast at the hotel before going to get the kids. I swear I could tell we were close to home. This was the first hotel we’d stayed in where there were more than 1 or 2 other kids. I counted 18 kids at breakfast, not counting the 3 we had there. I was glad we didn’t have all of them there for breakfast. It would have been a nightmare!
We picked up the kids from Buffy’s and tried to see Rex’s sister Andrea. We were never able to get ahold of her, and we swung by her house but she wasn’t home. (Turns out she was in Island Park...which we had already driven by...too bad) While we were sitting in her driveway, we got a call that we had left some stuff at Buffy’s. What a surprise. We headed back there to get the pillows and jewelry, as well as the tooth that Halie lost, that had been left behind. And on we go. The kids are very excited to be heading home.
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 9
Day 9-Saturday July 10
Left Cody WY and went to Yellowstone Park. The kids were very excited to be able to see Old Faithful. We entered on the East side of the Park. The kids got a paper with pictures of wildlife to watch for. We saw a few of the things on the list, like ravens and Canadian geese. We watched and watched for bears, but never saw them. The kids were disappointed about that. We did get a close up view of a bison and some elk. We stopped at a little cafe in the park for lunch. The kids behaved very well. Bridger was very excited to have his hot dog and fries. The rest had either Chicken Noodle Soup or Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Bridger snuck away at the end and managed to get his hands on a big sucker, and used his teeth to open part of it. So, we bought a sucker. Next we went to Old Faithful. By the time we got to that area, it had started to rain. We were woefully unprepared for rain. The kids were cold and grumpy while we were waiting. The sign said it was supposed to go off within 10 minutes of 4:10 p.m.. We got over to the waiting area at 3:55 p.m.. Keeping Bridger corralled while waiting for Old Faithful, was kind of a pain. It finally started to start to erupt, but didn’t go off fully until 4:18 p.m., so we had waited out in the rain for 20 min. The rain stopped right around when the geyser was going off. Then the kids piled into the car, while Rex and I went to the gift shop and got some souvenirs.
The we drove out of the Park. Saw lots more beautiful scenery. Yellowstone is a beautiful area, and we should come back another time and maybe camp out.
We drove to Rexburg and stopped by to see my sister Buffy (Elizabeth) and her family. We dropped by unexpectedly. We weren’t sure what time we would be coming through and if it would be too late to stop by, so I didn’t call ahead. Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind. The kids played together and we visited a bit with Ryan and Buffy. She offered to let the kids stay the night so Rex and I could have a hotel room with just the babies, but Conner wouldn’t stay at her house. It seems that he thought he’d be able to go swimming and stay up late watching tv. WRONG! Too bad he didn’t tell us that before we had to find a room with 2 beds. lol. Oh, well.
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| Old Faithful |
Left Cody WY and went to Yellowstone Park. The kids were very excited to be able to see Old Faithful. We entered on the East side of the Park. The kids got a paper with pictures of wildlife to watch for. We saw a few of the things on the list, like ravens and Canadian geese. We watched and watched for bears, but never saw them. The kids were disappointed about that. We did get a close up view of a bison and some elk. We stopped at a little cafe in the park for lunch. The kids behaved very well. Bridger was very excited to have his hot dog and fries. The rest had either Chicken Noodle Soup or Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Bridger snuck away at the end and managed to get his hands on a big sucker, and used his teeth to open part of it. So, we bought a sucker. Next we went to Old Faithful. By the time we got to that area, it had started to rain. We were woefully unprepared for rain. The kids were cold and grumpy while we were waiting. The sign said it was supposed to go off within 10 minutes of 4:10 p.m.. We got over to the waiting area at 3:55 p.m.. Keeping Bridger corralled while waiting for Old Faithful, was kind of a pain. It finally started to start to erupt, but didn’t go off fully until 4:18 p.m., so we had waited out in the rain for 20 min. The rain stopped right around when the geyser was going off. Then the kids piled into the car, while Rex and I went to the gift shop and got some souvenirs.
The we drove out of the Park. Saw lots more beautiful scenery. Yellowstone is a beautiful area, and we should come back another time and maybe camp out.
We drove to Rexburg and stopped by to see my sister Buffy (Elizabeth) and her family. We dropped by unexpectedly. We weren’t sure what time we would be coming through and if it would be too late to stop by, so I didn’t call ahead. Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind. The kids played together and we visited a bit with Ryan and Buffy. She offered to let the kids stay the night so Rex and I could have a hotel room with just the babies, but Conner wouldn’t stay at her house. It seems that he thought he’d be able to go swimming and stay up late watching tv. WRONG! Too bad he didn’t tell us that before we had to find a room with 2 beds. lol. Oh, well.
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 8
Day 8-Friday July 9
We had a late checkout, so I got in another load of laundry while the kids played on the hotel’s playground, before heading out of Billings heading toward Yellowstone Park. Rex wanted to go over Beartooth Pass (10,947 feet above sea level), since he has vivid memories of going over it as a child. The kids will hopefully have the same kinds of memories. Its very scary to look over the edge and see how high you have gone and how steep it is over the side. They also didn’t like how the elevation messed with their ear pressure. Stopping at the scenic overlook near the summit didn’t help them feel better! They were all amazed, but in a scary kind of way, at how small the cars below looked, and how far away and small the road was. They used the word “terrifying” and kept asking if we still had to go higher. We could see snow outside the car window and the kids wanted to stop and go touch the snow. Bridger wanted to stop and ski. They were amazed to see snow in the middle of July. There were herds of Bighorn sheep on the Wyoming side.
Took the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cody, WY. Yet another Indian Grandpa Harker gave me a book about. Lots of dozing of kids and mom, but there are some beautiful views.
Arrived in Cody, Wyoming. We first stopped at the Cody LDS Chapel which has a beautiful mural and Visitor’s Center. There is a small display of old artifacts from the LDS settler’s who settled in the area, and there were some bronze sculptures. One was of some horses pulling a plow and one was a family pulling a handcart. There was also a miniature log cabin with a family in it and hand crafted western style furniture. Bridger loved it. He really seems to enjoy the miniatures. The missionary couple who was there was very nice and the sister took the boys to the gym so they could run around. They were a bit wild after having been cooped up in the car all day, and had a hard time settling down and being reverent in the building. Next we went to find a place to stay. Either Cody is especially rigid on occupancy limits, or other hotels have just not cared. 2 different hotels wouldn’t rent us a suite because the limit was 8 people. The other suite we stayed in didn’t even ask how many people we had. Oh, well. We would just get 2 rooms, like most other nights. We found a hotel called King’s Inn, that had an African Safari theme. It was amazing. The lobby was full of stuffed animals that the owner had shot and killed himself. There was a rhino, a lion, some gazelle like animals, and a huge elephant. Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures! I am so mad at myself. The kids did takeout, and while they ate and watched Harry Potter, Rex and I ran immediately next door and had bbq at Bubba’s Bar-B-Que. It was very good. We had talked about going to the rodeo, but the weather was looking bad. There was lightning and a light drizzle, so we decided against it. Rex took the kids swimming before bed. The kids were fine with that. They made sure we found a hotel that had a pool. We attempted to get up earlier in the morning than we had been, so we could get out earlier. It sort of worked. We ended up having breakfast in shifts; Mattie, Halie and Annie went down first, then I took Bridger and Sumner down just as the girls were finishing up. Mattie and Halie helped Bridger and Sumner, and by the time they were done, the boys and Rex came down. It actually worked better than any other breakfast we’d done. There was quite a bit less chaos, and a lot less mess. I guess the kids usually feed off each others messes and it normally explodes. I’m wondering how I can apply this at home? The getting up earlier didn’t get us out earlier, just helped stretch out some of the chaos.
Cody had lots of things to do, but we just didn’t have time. We may come back another time and go to the rodeo and some of the Wild West museums.
We had a late checkout, so I got in another load of laundry while the kids played on the hotel’s playground, before heading out of Billings heading toward Yellowstone Park. Rex wanted to go over Beartooth Pass (10,947 feet above sea level), since he has vivid memories of going over it as a child. The kids will hopefully have the same kinds of memories. Its very scary to look over the edge and see how high you have gone and how steep it is over the side. They also didn’t like how the elevation messed with their ear pressure. Stopping at the scenic overlook near the summit didn’t help them feel better! They were all amazed, but in a scary kind of way, at how small the cars below looked, and how far away and small the road was. They used the word “terrifying” and kept asking if we still had to go higher. We could see snow outside the car window and the kids wanted to stop and go touch the snow. Bridger wanted to stop and ski. They were amazed to see snow in the middle of July. There were herds of Bighorn sheep on the Wyoming side.Took the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cody, WY. Yet another Indian Grandpa Harker gave me a book about. Lots of dozing of kids and mom, but there are some beautiful views.
Arrived in Cody, Wyoming. We first stopped at the Cody LDS Chapel which has a beautiful mural and Visitor’s Center. There is a small display of old artifacts from the LDS settler’s who settled in the area, and there were some bronze sculptures. One was of some horses pulling a plow and one was a family pulling a handcart. There was also a miniature log cabin with a family in it and hand crafted western style furniture. Bridger loved it. He really seems to enjoy the miniatures. The missionary couple who was there was very nice and the sister took the boys to the gym so they could run around. They were a bit wild after having been cooped up in the car all day, and had a hard time settling down and being reverent in the building. Next we went to find a place to stay. Either Cody is especially rigid on occupancy limits, or other hotels have just not cared. 2 different hotels wouldn’t rent us a suite because the limit was 8 people. The other suite we stayed in didn’t even ask how many people we had. Oh, well. We would just get 2 rooms, like most other nights. We found a hotel called King’s Inn, that had an African Safari theme. It was amazing. The lobby was full of stuffed animals that the owner had shot and killed himself. There was a rhino, a lion, some gazelle like animals, and a huge elephant. Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures! I am so mad at myself. The kids did takeout, and while they ate and watched Harry Potter, Rex and I ran immediately next door and had bbq at Bubba’s Bar-B-Que. It was very good. We had talked about going to the rodeo, but the weather was looking bad. There was lightning and a light drizzle, so we decided against it. Rex took the kids swimming before bed. The kids were fine with that. They made sure we found a hotel that had a pool. We attempted to get up earlier in the morning than we had been, so we could get out earlier. It sort of worked. We ended up having breakfast in shifts; Mattie, Halie and Annie went down first, then I took Bridger and Sumner down just as the girls were finishing up. Mattie and Halie helped Bridger and Sumner, and by the time they were done, the boys and Rex came down. It actually worked better than any other breakfast we’d done. There was quite a bit less chaos, and a lot less mess. I guess the kids usually feed off each others messes and it normally explodes. I’m wondering how I can apply this at home? The getting up earlier didn’t get us out earlier, just helped stretch out some of the chaos.
Cody had lots of things to do, but we just didn’t have time. We may come back another time and go to the rodeo and some of the Wild West museums.
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 7
Day 7-Thursday July 8
We stopped in Hardin MT for lunch. Ate our hot dogs at a little park. We found it right across the street from the LDS Chapel we discovered by accident.
We went to Little Bighorn National Monument. The kids thought the museum was interesting. There were displays of old soldier costumes, as well as indian warrior costumes. Bridger absolutely loved the dioramas of the battle. He looked at them over and over again, and kept pointing out new horses he saw with arrows in their sides, and which soldiers had fallen off of their horses.
The part I found fascinating was a display about some anthropological studies they had done. In the 80’s they found some new remains. They used some new technologies to recreate the person’s face in 3D. There were 2. One of them they were able to identify after the recreation by comparing his face to old photos. The other one they haven’t identified yet. The display had the 3D models of their faces all in color. It was amazing.
Pompey’s Pillar National Monument, Montana. I have always loved the story of Sacagawea. Grandpa Harker gave me a huge book about her when I was in grade school, and she fascinated me. I even did a totally optional History Fair project on her and the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 5th grade. I was sad to see that we were going to miss Pompey’s Pillar because of our detour off of I90 down to Little Bighorn. But my sweet husband knew I wanted to see it and so he backtracked 30 miles so I could see it. There was a very long stair case that was built so you could walk right up to where William Clark carved his name and the year into the rock. He was the one who named it Pompey’s Pillar, after Sacagawea’s son who he had nicknamed Pompey.
Next we drove to Billings, Montana. We drove around the town and found the Billings LDS Temple. It was very beautiful.
We left the kids in the hotel eating pizza, while Rex and I went to the only restaurant we could find that was still open after 10 p.m.. It was called Old Chicago, and they had great steak and shrimp. And they had this cocktail sauce that was so spicy it made your nose run! They called it Chipotle Cocktail Sauce. It was great!
We stopped in Hardin MT for lunch. Ate our hot dogs at a little park. We found it right across the street from the LDS Chapel we discovered by accident.
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| Display of soldier's tent |
We went to Little Bighorn National Monument. The kids thought the museum was interesting. There were displays of old soldier costumes, as well as indian warrior costumes. Bridger absolutely loved the dioramas of the battle. He looked at them over and over again, and kept pointing out new horses he saw with arrows in their sides, and which soldiers had fallen off of their horses.
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| Some of the weapons they used |
The part I found fascinating was a display about some anthropological studies they had done. In the 80’s they found some new remains. They used some new technologies to recreate the person’s face in 3D. There were 2. One of them they were able to identify after the recreation by comparing his face to old photos. The other one they haven’t identified yet. The display had the 3D models of their faces all in color. It was amazing.
Pompey’s Pillar National Monument, Montana. I have always loved the story of Sacagawea. Grandpa Harker gave me a huge book about her when I was in grade school, and she fascinated me. I even did a totally optional History Fair project on her and the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 5th grade. I was sad to see that we were going to miss Pompey’s Pillar because of our detour off of I90 down to Little Bighorn. But my sweet husband knew I wanted to see it and so he backtracked 30 miles so I could see it. There was a very long stair case that was built so you could walk right up to where William Clark carved his name and the year into the rock. He was the one who named it Pompey’s Pillar, after Sacagawea’s son who he had nicknamed Pompey. |
| William Clark's name |
We left the kids in the hotel eating pizza, while Rex and I went to the only restaurant we could find that was still open after 10 p.m.. It was called Old Chicago, and they had great steak and shrimp. And they had this cocktail sauce that was so spicy it made your nose run! They called it Chipotle Cocktail Sauce. It was great!
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 6
Day 6-Wednesday July 7
Drove to Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit. There is a 36 mile driving loop. There were some very nice views, some interesting rock formations. The kids loved the prairie dog towns all along the way. They were disappointed in the amount of wild life we saw. Halie really wanted to see the feral horses, but we barely got a glimpse of them. We saw only one buffalo, but did get a close up view. The kids were kind of bored and didn’t even want to get out and do some of the short walking trails. Seems like this National Monument was kind of a bust for them, but Rex and I liked it. We decided not to drive to the North Unit. It was several hours away, and since the kids didn’t seem too thrilled with the South Unit, we thought it would be a waste of time.
Rex really wanted to visit the Badlands, so we stopped at a view point where we could see the Painted Desert Canyon. It was absolutely amazing. There were unique rock formations as well as the different colored rocks that were layered through out the valley.
Stayed in Miles City, where Rex and Rachel left the kids locked in the hotel watching Disney Channel while we did laundry and a laundromat across the street. It takes a lot less time to do 4 loads of laundry when they are all going at once. Too bad I don’t have room at home for more washers and dryers.
Kids went swimming late with mom.
Rex really wanted to visit the Badlands, so we stopped at a view point where we could see the Painted Desert Canyon. It was absolutely amazing. There were unique rock formations as well as the different colored rocks that were layered through out the valley.Stayed in Miles City, where Rex and Rachel left the kids locked in the hotel watching Disney Channel while we did laundry and a laundromat across the street. It takes a lot less time to do 4 loads of laundry when they are all going at once. Too bad I don’t have room at home for more washers and dryers.
Kids went swimming late with mom.
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 5
Day 5-Tuesday July 6
Long drive to Devil’s Tower. This little excursion was all for Rex. We hiked all the way around Devil’s Tower. It was very cool. There was a doe and her fawn right off the path.
On the path into town, the kids, especially Sumner, liked the prairie dog towns.
Drove to North Dakota, stayed in LVu Motel
Major clean out of the van. Didn’t help.
On the path into town, the kids, especially Sumner, liked the prairie dog towns.Drove to North Dakota, stayed in LVu Motel
Major clean out of the van. Didn’t help.
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 4
Day 4-Monday July 5
Happy Birthday Sumner!!! We checked out of our hotel and after picking up breakfast items and the local Dakotamart, we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial. This was so cool! The kids liked seeing the museum with all the Indian artifacts. The girls especially liked the beaded stuff, and seeing the basket weaving and the loom work. Halie kept saying “I don’t know how they can do all that stuff with their own hands”. Bridger was wild! The kids kept stealing coins out of the little pond.
Next went to Mount Rushmore. It was raining like crazy by the time we got there. Rex took the older kids in and left me waiting in the car with Bridger, Sumner and Lander, who were all sleeping. After he got them settled watching a movie, he came back for us. We joined up with the kids and took some pictures. Saw a big horned sheep next to the amphitheater. Some of the kids went on a little trail with Rex that got them to some cool viewing spots.
Tyler said, “Now that we’ve seen Mt Rushmore, what’s the point of the rest of our vacation?”. I just about died laughing. Good to know that on day 4 of a 10 day vacation, he was done.
Checked into the Comfort Inn and got a suite. Ran to the market and got frozen pizzas and little cupcakes and ice cream for Summie’s birthday.
Rex and I went to the Chute Rooster's for dinner. Rex had the buffalo steak, and I had the regular steak. I just couldn't try the buffalo. Ick!
Took the kids back to the Crazy Horse Memorial to see the laser light show against the Crazy Horse mountain.
Happy Birthday Sumner!!! We checked out of our hotel and after picking up breakfast items and the local Dakotamart, we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial. This was so cool! The kids liked seeing the museum with all the Indian artifacts. The girls especially liked the beaded stuff, and seeing the basket weaving and the loom work. Halie kept saying “I don’t know how they can do all that stuff with their own hands”. Bridger was wild! The kids kept stealing coins out of the little pond.
Next went to Mount Rushmore. It was raining like crazy by the time we got there. Rex took the older kids in and left me waiting in the car with Bridger, Sumner and Lander, who were all sleeping. After he got them settled watching a movie, he came back for us. We joined up with the kids and took some pictures. Saw a big horned sheep next to the amphitheater. Some of the kids went on a little trail with Rex that got them to some cool viewing spots.
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| Proof that Rex was actually with us |
Tyler said, “Now that we’ve seen Mt Rushmore, what’s the point of the rest of our vacation?”. I just about died laughing. Good to know that on day 4 of a 10 day vacation, he was done.
Checked into the Comfort Inn and got a suite. Ran to the market and got frozen pizzas and little cupcakes and ice cream for Summie’s birthday.
Rex and I went to the Chute Rooster's for dinner. Rex had the buffalo steak, and I had the regular steak. I just couldn't try the buffalo. Ick!
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| Chute Rooster's Restaurant |
Took the kids back to the Crazy Horse Memorial to see the laser light show against the Crazy Horse mountain.
Our Summer Vacation 2010 Day 3
Day 3-Sunday July 4
Happy Independence Day! Visited Rebecca Winters' grave in Scottsbluff, NE. I hadn’t seen it since they had moved it, and the kids had never seen it. It was amazing. I got very emotional, as I do any time I hear pioneer stories where they suffered.
Went to Sacrament meeting at the Scottsbluff Ward. Due to 35 years worth of changes to ward boundaries Rex didn’t know any one there. He really enjoyed seeing where he had gone to church as a child, and shared his testimony about being baptized in that building. He had a great time touring the town and pointing out places of interest to the kids. We drove by his grade school, his old house, and some of his friends' houses.
Drove to South Dakota. It was a long drive that seemed to take forever. We tried to see the Wild Horse sanctuary, but didn’t want to get on the school bus and take the tour. Halie was very sad to not see the wild horses, but we did get to see some Bantam chickens and some horses in a pen.
We finally arrived in South Dakota. We decided to stay in Custer, SD because it was late, and it was close to both Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt Rushmore. We tried several hotels, but found no vacancies. Finally, we found a little motel that had 2 units next door to each other. Kind of a little dive, no hot water, but clean. We got to watch fireworks on the front lawn.
Happy Independence Day! Visited Rebecca Winters' grave in Scottsbluff, NE. I hadn’t seen it since they had moved it, and the kids had never seen it. It was amazing. I got very emotional, as I do any time I hear pioneer stories where they suffered.
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| Historical Marker |
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| Descendants of Rebecca |
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| Mattie |
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| Bridger |
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| Sumner |
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| Halie |
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| Tyler |
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| Annie and Lander |
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| Lincoln Heights Elementary School |
Drove to South Dakota. It was a long drive that seemed to take forever. We tried to see the Wild Horse sanctuary, but didn’t want to get on the school bus and take the tour. Halie was very sad to not see the wild horses, but we did get to see some Bantam chickens and some horses in a pen.
We finally arrived in South Dakota. We decided to stay in Custer, SD because it was late, and it was close to both Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt Rushmore. We tried several hotels, but found no vacancies. Finally, we found a little motel that had 2 units next door to each other. Kind of a little dive, no hot water, but clean. We got to watch fireworks on the front lawn.
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