As a child, I had toured the Eiffel Tower in Paris and walked on the beaches of Greece, but had yet to see some iconic US tourist destinations like Mount Rushmore. Because of this, I am determined to show my kids the beauty in our own United States before they go abroad and Mount Rushmore was on that list.
We planned this trip for June and decided to stay in our trailer since the Black Hills of South Dakota are a short 6 hour drive from our home. We drove on a Thursday afternoon, right after the kids finished a sports camp. This detail is important because along with new athletic skills, we also acquired a nice stomach virus at camp. However, we wouldn’t know that important detail for 24 hours. On Thursday the virus was incubating and we were excited to drive through a few new states.
Wyoming was beautiful, and I am thankful we drove through the eastern part of the state. We were able to see the countless herds of wild antelope and the vast landscape decorated with sandstone formations.
After settling into our campsite, we awoke Friday morning with a full agenda, but by 9 am, we had our first victim of the infamous stomach virus. We made the best of it and sent the healthy family members out to enjoy the campground facilities at Rafter J Bar Ranch. After a few hours of rest, my brave, sick boy rallied enough for us to venture out to Mount Rushmore. I had heard various first impressions of the great monument, so I was anxious to form my own. Upon seeing the massive, carved structure, I will say that it didn’t seem quite as massive as I had anticipated, but I was impressed nonetheless. I enjoyed the history and patriotism of the experience and the kids enjoyed exploring the grounds and getting Junior Ranger Badges.
After a few hours, our heart’s were full of red, white, and blue pride and ready for another adventure. The sick one rallied for one more small event. We chose a low-energy drive through Bear Country, USA, a drive-through wildlife park. Driving up close and personal to bears and various other animals was a fun experience, but our favorite part was feeding the bear cubs at the end!
Back to the campground we went and the brave, sick one settled into his camper bed for a much needed nap. I took the kids to the pool, unaware, that victim number 2 was about to succumb to the dreaded virus. The smallest child was happily swimming when he suddenly began to vomit… IN the campground pool. Have you ever seen the movie Caddyshack, when the mass exodus happens over the Babe Ruth candy bar? Well, let’s just say teenagers were flying out of the pool and frantically pulling their friends to safety. I wrapped the sick child in a towel and humbly took him back to the trailer. I could have died from the embarrassment.
Right before the incident. 
Feeling sick.
After a night of illness and some rest, we awoke on Saturday to one boy who was fully recovered and the other one on his way. After a restful morning, we ventured out to Custer State Park to see the bison. The Black Hills of South Dakota are gorgeous and Custer State Park highlights their beauty. It is important to note that you can spend an entire day in the park. We drove through the Needles Highway and climbed the famous rock structures. They were breathtaking, and my children were in their element. We continued deeper into Custer State Park, and a few hours into our drive, my last healthy child succumbed to the virus. We found a small General Store and after some ginger-ale and crackers she perked up just enough to make it through. And yes, if you are keeping track, that totals 3 of 3 children down with the stomach bug. Thank you sports camp!
We managed to still enjoy ourselves in spite of the challenge of illness. Everyone knows about the American bison in Custer State Park, but one of our highlights from the park were the wild burrows. We stopped the car to see them from afar, but they are not shy creatures and came right up to us. Custer was a true highlight of the trip!
After an afternoon of rest, the kids were well enough to venture into the town of Hill City. We shopped for souvenirs and ate dinner at a local restaurant. Finally, on a last minute whim, we decided to head back to Mount Rushmore to see the monument lit up at night. Upon arriving, we were pleased to find out about the Evening Lighting Ceremony. As a former military brat and child whose father died while serving his country, I was completely humbled and grateful for the inspiring, patriotic ceremony. Another must see if you are in this area.
Sunday would be our last full day in South Dakota and with all children feeling well, we set out to the Jewel Cave National Monument. We did a tour through the caves and they were cool, but our family has done several cave tours in the past. I must say, once you have seen a cave…you’ve seen a cave. In hindsight, I wish we would have spent our time seeing something else in the area. On our way back to camp, we stopped to see Crazy Horse. We watched a YouTube video on the history of Crazy Horse and took a picture from the road. I later heard from a friend that it is worth the entrance fee and tour of the grounds. Next time. We finished our time in South Dakota with an evening of fun hanging around the campground. The following morning we drove home, giving thanks to God that although the kids had been sick, at least the parents never went down.
Take-aways from this trip:
Illness in a trailer is not fun. Illness without a washing machine is not fun. Illness in general is a big bump in the road, but this experience taught us that not all trips will be perfect.
Life happens and sometimes life happens even while on the road. We are learning how to be flexible and adapt when an adventure doesn’t go just as planned. Sometimes a trip will be blissful beaches, other times it may be your child throwing up in the campground pool. You can learn from both experiences, and in the end, we still had a great trip. Don’t let a little or big bump in the road ruin your adventure. Make it part of the experience. One day you will look back and laugh. One day.
Happy Travels!