Next stop, Keystone South Dakota. It was a long drive from Pike National Forrest in Colorado to Keystone, but we managed it in one day. We arrived as the sun was starting to set and we drove by Mt. Rushmore and had a sneak peak at it. So amazing! The area is called the Black Hills and it's stunning.
Keystone is adorable. There are a lot of little shops and restaurants in town. Our favorite was a rock store. Rocks continue to be a treasure for my kids. They've collected them on all of our travels.
A wood carved buffalo bench.
First thing the next morning, we headed out to see Mt. Rushmore. I thought the entrance to the Grand View Terrace was awesome with each state represented by their flag.
It was a gorgeous day. We were lucky to have a clear blue sky as our backdrop behind the white mountain. We hiked on the trail to see a closer view of the mountain. We had great conversations about who each of the 4 presidents were and why they were important. I think the kids actually learned something. It was fascinating to read the exhibits in the museum and learn about how the mountain was made. It took 14 years and 400 men to make it. Each day they had to start their work day by climbing the mountain!
We left Mt. Rushmore and explored some other things in Keystone (I'll talk about them in a minute), but at the end of the day we returned. Once the sun goes down, there is a presentation in the outside amphitheater. It starts with patriotic music and then a movie about the achievements of the US throughout our history, followed by an acknowledgement of all the active or former military present in the audience. We found it to be very well done and touching. Definitely worth the second visit!
Black Hills Gold is quite famous and we were in the Black Hills, so we had to try our hand at panning for gold! All of the kids found a few flecks and enjoyed the demonstrations of our expert gold panner.
Wandering around Keystone, we found a wood carver. He had his carving studio set up outside, so the kids could see his process and all his finished products.
Guy with a Buffalo!
Next we headed to Cody, SD to visit the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Scott's good friend Chris Collings went to this school for university and so we had to stop by and say hi for him. We took a couple of pictures and had a run on the track. Go Hardrockers!
We had dinner at a beautiful winery. Good wine, good food and beautiful scenery. It's a great life!
That wrapped up our visit to Mt. Rushmore and Keystone, SD. Our next destination is Cody, Wyoming. Driving from Keystone to Cody is another long day in the car, but we got to drive through some beautiful country.
Our first rest stop was in the town of Deadwood, SD. This is the famous old west town that HBO created their show "Deadwood" about. Scott and I have watched that show, so we were kinda excited to stop in the town. We went to the old cemetery and found the graves of both Calamity Jane and Wild Bill. We were surprised at how narrow Deadwood is. It's nestled between two steep hills (or small mountains) and stays in the valley.
We found Cody, Wyoming to be a cute little town. It has a nice main street with cute shops and nice restaurants. Our hotel surprised us with a lobby filled with stuffed animals. My kids hadn't seen much of these kind of animals before, it was pretty shocking for them. Lily was overwhelmed with sadness for the dead animals. It was very sweet.
After a good night's sleep, we went to the Cody Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum. There, we learned about the nature of this region, (plants and animals), the native people, Buffalo Bill and we saw the largest gun collection. Then we headed off to our major destination: Yellowstone National Park.
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