Day 4- Hill Family Adventure

I was so excited for this day to astart, I just couldn't sleep. Granted, we are still on Central time but God was nudging me to spend time with Him.

I was up by about 5:30 MT. I knew what we would probably see today and I was searching the Psalms. I just couldn't get a choral version of Psalm 8 out of my head. So, I began my day. No need for more sleep.

After a hearty breakfast for the men of bacon, eggs and biscuits, we headed to Lamar Valley hoping to see a bison or two. Well, I guess we saw a hundred or two instead! It was mating season so the dancing and grunting was in full effect.

From here we headed to the Canyon area and took a hike with Park Ranger Laura. It was a 3 mile hike ending along the Yellowstone River but the first half we stopped so much and walked so slow, it left much to be desired.

Clear Lake

Lodgepole Pine

Afterward we went to Artist Point of the Lower Falls and sketched and drew. What was amazing were our different perspectives. We had several people taking our pics and commenting on our drawings.

Lower Falls, Artist's Point

Upper Falls

We went to the Northern rim afterward and had a quick lunch and hiked 600 ft. Down to the Brink of the Lower Falls. (I find that one much more fascinating!)

Brink of Lower Falls

Next we headed to Tower Falls and the Petrified tree.

Along the way we saw all these cars backed up the other way. Come to find out it was a Black Bear.  However we couldn't see him.  We passed the cars and did a 180 to see if we could see him.  As we got close, he was nowhere to be seen.  Then out of nowhere, he popped up not but 4-5 feet from our car window.  

Tower Falls was pretty unspectacular after the morning and seeing the spires in the Black Hills but there was still some spectacular geological carvings!

Tower Falls

Petrified tree

We got a preview of Mammoth and made a plan for the rest of the week.

 We got stuck in construction traffic and got a little tired of being in the car, so Stephen decides we should stop at a random side spring, Apollonopilis Spring. Everything was great until Kendrick stuck one shoe into the pond....algae and wet shoe for the rest of the day.

To finish the day, we ended with the Artist's Paint Pots. How inspiring. God has quite imagination for all that color and sound. Stephen called it the "Thermal Symphony."

We ate dinner at the Buffalo Bar. Great food and I could totally replace ground beef with Bison.

Time to get a good night's sleep.  I think we wore them out!


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Day 3- Hill Family Adventure

Last night was annoying. Yea we were in a legit log cabin but bugs like logs. About 3:00 am we were awoke by weird sounds. At first I thought maybe it was a mouse since we saw one on the porch. But, it was some sort of beetle we think. Sleep did not come easy with the sounds this insect made.


As a result, we were up by 6 and in the plane by 8. We flew by Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore for one last view. I also convinced Stephen we should fly over the Badlands National Park. So glad we did. We decided not to go to the cheesy Wall Drug Store but we did land in Wall. I'm sure you can guess why....Kendrick.

Next we flew by Devil's Tower. It was cool, but having been on the ground next to it 25 years ago it wasn't as impressive to me.

Flying to Yellowstone was scary and I don't get scared easily. This was our first time to really fly in tall mountains. So, when the plane's wings were even with the mountain tops and I'm not tall enough to see out of the front windshield, it is a tiny bit nerve wracking!

We flew over the Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful and Sunset Lake in Black Sand Basin.

Come to find out later, we might have been a little to low to do those things.
After getting the car and lunch, we found our condo and were quite pleased with the accommodations.  Dad got a quick nap while we played Triominos and then we headed to the grocery store to stick up for the next few days.

It was a bit too late to go to the park, but we needed to burn off some steam. We headed off on a walk into town and found the Visitors Center.

Armed with brochures and maps and Junior Park Ranger packets we headed home for a peaceful dinner of wine, steaks, and ice cream. The three major food groups, right?

Early to bed, for the bison await!


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Day 2- Hill Family Adventure 2015

Friday morning we began with breakfast at our lodge. The pancakes were amazingly fluffy and I had the veggie omlet with Hollandaise sauce. To die for!!!! Yum!

Next we drove the Needles highway to get to the Cathedral Sprire hiking trail. This was a mile hike in through the spires.












 For the most part it was up hill the whole way.

About half way in we realized there were wild raspberries all around us.

 The 2 cathedral spires were amazing. The kids climbed around and Stephen and I sketched the "Little Needle."

As we were hanging around about 5 deer came up. We were not quiet by any means but the didn't seem to mind. This hike was the highlight of our day.

We continued on down Needles highway to see the Big Needle. Again, breath taking views.

On to Crazy Horse Memorial. Along the drive we read "Who was Sitting Bull?" to learn more about the Indians, this area and their struggle. The dream of the sculptor was impressive but they have many, many more years of work to go. Unfortunately, we missed the blast by about 15 minutes.

We ate lunch in the car on the way to Wind Cave National Park. It was definitely an interesting cave and different from most any cave we had been to. The defining feature was the boxwork formation. There are only 2 other caves in the world with this type of formation.

Finally, we headed to the Mammoth site of Hot Springs. This place was truly a legit paleontological working site. It was a sink hole with a warm spring where mammoths and other animals would be drawn to, but they would slip in and not be able to get out. The number of skeletons were astonishing.

Dinner was at Wooley's next door and we headed home. Stephen and I enjoyed watching from the porch the bunnies have dinner and the Blue moon rise while the kids fell asleep.

It was a full day. The Black Hills of South Dakota have stolen our heart!


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Day 1 of Hill Adventure 2015

Yesterday we woke up and began our adventure to the north--South Dakota and Wyoming being our destinations. We were flying the 210 Cessna this year instead of the Mooney which is a tad faster but it still took us 5 hours.




I was worried about Kendrick flying at higher altitudes since the day before he had had a migraine and he is more susceptible to altitude sickness. We told him to drink water. Well, drink water he did. So much so, he had to pee in a barf bag! Even as we got close to our destination he had to go again.

We were able to take a quick look from the air at Mt. Rushmore.


After landing we headed to find out lodging. We rented a cabin at Blue Bell Lodge. It's a perfect location and cabin, being in the center of everything we wanted to visit. It is a cute one bedroom with a fireplace, kitchenette and bathroom.



After a quick rest and a game of Triominos, we headed to the lodge for an early dinner. Kendrick's headache was raging at this point but he finally conquer it with more water and medicine.

After dinner we headed to Mt. Rushmore via the Wildlife loop and then the Iron Moutain Highway.

Along the way we spotted rabbits, prairie dogs, burros, bison, and antelope.









Mt. Rushmore was just as impressive as it was to me 25 years ago, maybe even more since they had added the museum and such. We walked the .5 mile loop and then sat to watch the program and lighting. As we waited, we pulled out our sketch books and gave it our best.















Driving back home was so fun, comparing it to Mario Cart 8.

A day full of American Pride and travel. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week holds!


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