The Bad Lands and Mt. Rushmore

Our second day of travels took us through the southern edge of South Dakota. We followed what we thought was a good road to see The Bad Lands. Unfortunately, it was washed out and we had to take a dusting, dirt road on the outside edge of The Bad Lands. Fortunately, there was one pull off spot that was totally worth it and we all got out to take in the view.

We made our way to Mt. Rushmore and that was really cool. We watched a video about the plans and making of the monument, so it was also educational and fascinating. It was a bit chilly - we had climbed quite a bit in altitude. The scenery had completely changed from the deserted Bad Lands to the rocky, tree covered "mountains" so that was interesting. 

Our first view once we parked the car.

I walked out of the bathroom and noticed my cute family,

all ready for a picture.

Harmonie wanted to hold a chipmunk.

We headed off to our campground, which was supposed to be just around the corner, but was a bit farther. We entered the Crazy Horse Monument, thinking it was getting us to our campground but we were wrong. We eventually made it to the campground, which wasn't quite what we expected. We made due and set up camp, had a wonderful dinner with a campfire and hot chocolate. 

Camdilyn woke me up in the middle of the night and I realized it was raining. Ugh. There was actually a lull in the rain so I got out of my tent and went to the kid's tent. I cuddled with her and realized that the tent was dripping inside. I was able to put Camdilyn in her port-a-crib long enough to get a couple towels and try to dry off the top and the floor. Two sleeping bags were soaking and I was at a loss. Camdilyn woke up again so I took her and the wet bags into the bathroom area to dry them in the driers. She fell asleep in my arms as I waited. Kemiah joined us because she was cold and wet. I let her have the two dry bags and she laid down on the floor. Emily joined us next - also cold and wet. We hung out in the bathroom and they watched sleeping Camdilyn while I tried to figure out how much wet stuff we had and what I should do. Unfortunately, many of the pillows were wet and a couple more bags were wet. I will say it was a bit of a taxing night but we made it through. Kevin checked the temperature for Yellowstone and we decided we would not be able to survive with all our wet gear (it was going to be 36 degrees the next night). We decided to pack up and head to Utah a day early. Sad but it was for the best.

We left camp as quickly as possible, and Kevin surprised us all by heading over to the Crazy Horse Monument. He figured we should at least try to see it since we paid for admission the day before. Fortunately, they let us in and we were able to watch a video about it's planning and progress. It was really interesting. We saw lots of Native American artifacts and information. It was a nice stop and then we moved westward.

Winter Quarters and Kanesville

We took our little family on a really long trip. We decided that instead of just driving from one point to the next, we would take some time to see some sites on the way. Our first stop was Omaha, Nebraska. [We camped our way across the country so we had to find a campground. Fortunately for us, we were able to find what we needed each night.] This first worked out just great - although a little more shade would have been nice. We made our dinner without a fire because we were going to church the next day and I didn't want us all to smell really awful. The kids enjoyed riding their bikes [yes, we brought everyone a bike just in case] and they played at the playground.

We woke early for a quick breakfast and then drove the 8 minutes to the ward building nearby. It was very nice and we all enjoyed meeting new people. They all asked if we were moving in and were disappointed when we told them we were just passing through. I was in Gospel Doctrine when someone came asking for help in the nursery. I quickly volunteered because I had two visiting children and I knew one was probably crying. Sure enough, Camdilyn was very sad and Domonique ended up joining us because she is just so shy in new situations. We enjoyed our time in the nursery. Everyone else did just fine.

We went back to camp for a change of clothes and lunch. Then we headed off to see some Church sites. First was the Kanesville Tabernacle. This was a city which stuck around for about 6 years while the Pioneers moved west from Nauvoo, IL, to Utah. [It's on the Iowa side of the river, while Winter Quarters is on the Nebraska side.] The tabernacle is rebuilt in a different location because the original one was dismantled, but it is rebuilt exactly how they built the first one. Three significant events occurred in the Kanesville Tabernacle: Brigham Young was sustained as the Prophet; the Mormon Battalion was called and sent from there;

Next we stopped by the visitor center in Winter Quarters. The showed us a video about the Pioneers and we learned about all the different ways of transportation that were used - wagon, handcart, boat, train, walking. We learned of their hardships and struggles. We learned about their faith and devotion to Christ. The temple is across the street so we walked those grounds, which also include the cemetery that the pioneers used as their loved ones died.

It was a nice day of rest and visiting and learning.

We did have a fire so that we could have smores and everyone loved it!

Proud of the fire he made by himself.

Playing a dice game Tamara taught them.

Newest creations!

I borrowed a few canvas papers from Ben (I told him I'd buy more when we use them all up) and did some more paintings. I go in fits and spurts so I do several and then I don't paint again for a while. I wish I could do it more regularly (especially once I've started because I just want to keep getting better) but oh well. So here are the latest in my beginners portfolio.

I enjoy looking at them but there is something I would change in each of them. I guess that just means I need to keep working at it and trying it and improving. Good thing I enjoy doing it. I hope to be able to paint from my own photos one day so that I can do places I have actually been. We shall see how things progress.