according.to.kim

A Baker's Dozen (5)

The Black Hills '07. I tried handwriting the list of highlights, but ran out of room! Here they are:

Needles Highway Scenic Drive
Wildlife Loop Road
Iron Mountain Road
Mammoth Site in Hot Springs
Local food
Reptile Gardens Croc & Alligator Show
1880 Train
Mount Rushmore
Spending time with family
International Bison Conference in Rapid City
Fabulous water park at our hotel
Flying T Chuckwagon Supper & Show
Taste of Rapid City & Street Dance
Beautiful weather
Deadwood Days of '76 Parade
Custer State Park
IBC Family Day
Learning about animals & panning for gold
Crazy Horse Monument
R&R's campsite & swimming at Mystery Mountain
Roughlock Falls & Spearfish Canyon National Scenic Highway
Amazing scenery

New photo album!

Over the past week and a half, I've sifted through the 800 plus photos we took on our vacation to South Dakota. It's a crazy number, I know, but I just can't help myself with digital. And we saw so much over 10 days! It wasn't easy, but I selected a scant 150 photos for the online album, IBC Trip July 2007. I realize that's still a lot of photos for an online album though, so I apologize if it takes too long to go through them.

I'm excited to say that I've also ordered prints! Actually, I've ordered a soft cover picture book through iPhoto. I started the process of uploading to Costco and then, anguishing over how long it was going to take to upload 300 photos, thought I'd take a peek at the iPhoto books. It was love at first sight. And the price is surprisingly reasonable -- only a few dollars more than if I'd printed the photos all 4x6 and put them in a photo album. I'm having 260 photos printed in various sizes (some full page) in a 100-page book (the maximum number of pages). It was so much fun to layout the photos in the book too. I can't wait to see it!

IBC trip: After thoughts

Just a few things I didn't mention in my daily posts:

• Georgia's language burst started right at the beginning of our trip. It's amazing how many words she's saying now! More than I can keep track of.
• Several months ago, I read a tip for traveling with children that I found very useful on this trip: Use cone-shaped coffee filters for handing out portions of snacks like crackers or gummy worms. A good stash of coffee filters doesn't take much room in the vehicle (I keep them in the glove compartment), they don't need to be washed out later (like bowls or containers), and I don't feel terribly guilty about throwing them in the garbage (like I do with plastic bags).
• I enjoyed having our two-gallon water cooler on this trip. Even in the hotel room, it was great to have cold drinking water handy. We kept it filled with ice from the hotel ice machine and jugs of water from Walmart. On the road, purchasing ice and water in large quantities was more economical than small bottles -- and, of course, better for the environment (in general and inside our van). (Note: I had also taken detergent- filled dish cloths for washing our reusable water bottles once in awhile.)
• Speaking of water, we maintained our rule that the kids could only drink water in the van. Not having to clean up sticky (or potentially smelly) spills still works for me. Neil and I try to stick with coffee and tea in the van so the kids don't want what we're having.
• K:) mentioned how the girls were dressed (thanks!). We don't always dress them the same when we're at home, but I find it a very useful device for traveling. First, it's easier to pack for the kids that way. Second, when we're out in a busy public place, it's easier to spot the girls when they're dressed the same (or at least in the same colour). And, should one get lost, we could quickly describe her by pointing to one of the others and saying, "she's dressed like this!" (I'm happy to say that situation did not arise.)
• I look forward to going back to the Black Hills. There's so much to do there! We didn't even come close to seeing and doing all there is. It'll be great when the girls are a bit older and we can go on some longer walks or hikes too.
• Pam mentioned noticing all of the different license plates there. We didn't watch for them specifically (though I'm sure that'll be a great game to play with the kids when they're a bit older), but I agree, the diversity of the tourists there is amazing. There were also people from numerous states, provinces, and European countries attending the International Bison Conference.
• It was a great trip! We thoroughly enjoyed the conference and it was so much fun to experience so many things with my parents and my brother's family!

Daily pic: 30 Jul 07

At the wonderful Watford City Children's Playground. It's too bad it was so darned hot out.

IBC trip: Watford City to Regina, SK

July 30, 2007

9:00 a.m. (central) Went for the hotel's continental breakfast, then for a swim in the indoor pool. The pool was great! The water was so warm and they even had little lifejackets that fit Georgia and Madeline, so we didn't bother getting ours wet. After swimming and checking out, we went to the Watford City Children's Playground I had noticed the night before. It's a huge complex of play structures for children 2-5 and 5-12. It was the best outdoor playground I've ever seen and the girls really liked it, but we didn't stay long because we were all too hot. The temp was in the mid-90s by that time and the sun was very strong.

1:00 p.m. Ate lunch at Ginger's Cafe in downtown Williston. We picked the place out of our CAA guide for North Dakota. When we first went in, Sophia did not like it at all; she wanted to leave. The cafe was very outdated and didn't look very good, but we weren't going elsewhere. The place was busy and it had to be locals because this was nowhere near the highway. The girls warmed up to it when they got their drinks in fun kids' cups. The service was good and the food was great. Very "homemade". I really wanted to have pie after seeing some slices on their way to another table, but the girls were going loopy and we had to get out of there as soon as possible. After lunch, we did some shopping at Walmart before heading to the border. We thought we'd shop at "the mall", but we learned there is no mall in Williston.

4:15 p.m. (mountain/SK) Entered Canada at the Port of Oungre. We went through customs very quickly. The trip from the border to Regina was extended a bit due to bathroom stops in Weyburn and Milestone (I am SO tired of service station washrooms!) and, sadly, a detour around a fatal four-vehicle accident between Yellow Grass and Lang.

6:30 p.m Home sweet home.

Daily pic: 29 Jul 07

Roughlock Falls in the Black Hills. It was so nice to walk along Little Spearfish Creek above and below the falls.

IBC trip: Rapid City to Watford City, ND

July 29, 2007

9:00 a.m. After sleeping in (sort of), we went for breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Minerva's. They had an excellent breakfast buffet and I love their pricing for kids: 60 cents per year. That makes so much sense with little ones! Afterwards, I packed up our stuff which took a ridiculously long time. Neil also worked on tidying up our van. It was looking pretty bad after this crazy week.

11:45 a.m. Left our hotel. Of course we had to stop for a bathroom break before we even got out of Rapid City. That was fine; we wanted to get coffee and tea. Unfortunately, all of the local coffee shops we saw were closed on Sunday, but a Starbucks was open on the way. And the girls were hungry already, so I got them giant cookies at Starbucks. What can I say? We weren't ready to stop for a real lunch and it made them happy. We headed north-west through the Black Hills on Nemo Road -- one of the few highways we hadn't yet taken in this area. At the junction of Nemo Road and 385, there's a place called Boondocks 50's Town. It has a restaurant, gas station, and gift shops all along the 50s theme. There's also a ferris wheel there and the girls had admired it very much the previous weekend when we had stopped to use the porta potties. This time, I agreed to ask if they could ride it. They could, so I went on with Sophia and Madeline and all the giggles were definitely worth the price of admission ($3 each). The operator gave us a good long ride and we were the only ones on the ferris wheel.

1:30 p.m. Took the highway south of Lead and drove the loop through Cheyenne Crossing and Savoy. At Savoy, we saw a sign that said "Dances with Wolves film site 2 3/4 miles" and decided to take it. What the heck. The area is very beautiful with its canyon walls and pine forest. There's just a small sign indicating the film site, and we think the site must be have been used near the end of the movie. On the way back to Savoy, we stopped at Roughlock Falls. We had no idea this was there until we drove down the gravel road from Savoy. I'm so glad we decided to take this little detour! Waterfalls are so awesome. We all enjoyed seeing the falls and walking along the path for about half a mile. The weather was hot (around 100 F) and humid. When we returned to our van after a good 30 to 40 minutes, we were a little dismayed to see one of the side doors wide open. It was our own fault of course! There were quite a number of other people parked there too, so we were very relieved to find that nothing was gone.

3:30 p.m. Left Roughlock Falls and continued north on the Spearfish Canyon National Scenic Highway. Gorgeous! We didn't leave the Black Hills until 5:00 p.m. but it was worth it!

7:30 p.m. Ate supper at Trapper's Kettle in Belfield, ND. I had a very tasty salad from their salad bar and a bowl of borscht soup that was so delicious! It was unlike the borscht I'm familiar with as it was full of other vegetables such as green beans, peas, and carrots. Neil enjoyed his bison burger too; it was hand made rather than a thin machine-sliced patty (as is, unfortunately, so common in casual restaurants and cafes). I would definitely eat there again.

9:30 p.m. (10:30 central) Arrived in Watford City, ND and checked into the Roosevelt Inn & Suites -- a very nice little hotel with everything we wanted (a pool, wireless internet...) for only $60! What a bargain. The hotel is like a Theodore Roosevelt museum too with memorabilia everywhere.

Daily pic: 28 Jul 07

Panning for gold. They took dirt and rocks from a pile of dirt next to the stream and then got it wet. After swirling the dirt out of the pan, you could see the remaining minerals such as garnet, quartz, and mica (muscovite). If there was any gold, it would be at the bottom because it's quite heavy. The shiny mica stayed on top because it's lighter.

IBC trip: Custer State Park & Crazy Horse

July 28, 2007

8:45 a.m. Left to go to Custer State Park for the IBC Family Day. We picked up breakfast at McDonald's in the interest of saving time. Sometimes a local restaurant just isn't in the cards. We arrived at the State Game Lodge about an hour later. There was a huge tent set up outside for the IBC. We met Mom and Dad there and my brother and his family came a little later. The beautiful State Game Lodge (and once a summer Whitehouse for Calvin Coolidge) is open to the public. The weather was great -- cloudy and just warm enough to go without a sweater -- a nice change. The sun came out at noon.

10:00 a.m. Participated in an activity for learning about local wildlife. A park conservationist brought a bunch of animal furs and rubber castings of animal tracks for us to look at and touch. The kids also made plaster castings of animal tracks to take home. Sophia, Madeline, and Georgia made a bison hoof, bear paw, and antelope foot, respectively. After that, we walked to the nearby Peter Norbeck Visitor Center to participate in a gold panning activity. Another park conservationist (both were young women) talked about the different types of rocks found here and explained how to use the pan. We went to a nearby stream and all the kids got to try their hand at panning for gold. No one has found gold there for two years, so it wasn't likely. Also, everything found in the park has to be left in the park. The kids had a great time standing in the stream getting their hands and feet wet, and swirling dirt and rocks around their pans.

12:00 p.m. Attended the IBC lunch in the big tent. Once again, they put on a big spread. At the end, there were some closing remarks for the conference. Immediately following that, our family gathered for a family photo in front of the State Game Lodge. It was a nice backdrop.

1:45 p.m. The three groups of our family all went different directions. We headed for the Crazy Horse Monument. I had wanted to see it and wasn't sure we'd get there, but I'm so glad we did! It is truly amazing -- the size of the sculpture, the symbolism of the monument, and the family so dedicated to its continuing development. We watched the orientation film, then took a small bus tour down to the foot of the mountain. We also walked around the large visitors' complex. We were there for two and a half hours and didn't even look at a lot of the stuff they had on display. I enjoyed seeing the other sculptures by Korczak too. Very interesting.

5:45 p.m. Arrived at Rob and Robyn's campsite at Mystery Mountain Campground. They had their trailer parked there all week, and Robyn's mom and brother and their spouses had tented there until the morning of the 28th. Mom and Dad arrived shortly after we did. We took all six kids swimming at the campground pool right away. Robyn ordered pizzas from the campground canteen for supper and she also supplied salad and other vegetables. The pizza was made fresh and it was very good (who knows what to expect at a campground!). We visited around the campfire for a little while before heading back to Rapid City. Georgia who had only had a five-minute nap all day, was sound asleep as soon as we hit the highway. Once again, we arrived back at our hotel room later than the kids should have been in bed. It was a 20-minute drive.

Daily pic: 27 Jul 07

Spent the afternoon in Deadwood. It's a neat place.

IBC trip: Allan Savory & Deadwood

June 27, 2007

7:15 a.m.  Went for breakfast. This time I left my family sleeping in the room because it seemed like they needed sleep more than they needed breakfast. I enjoyed a relatively peaceful meal with my parents. On my way back to the room, I met Neil and the girls on their way to the breakfast room, so I turned around and went back to help. I'm glad I did. I hadn't planned on staying for the keynote speaker, but we were there when he started and his presentation was captivating. The speaker was Allan Savory, founder of Holistic Management International. He is one of the world's foremost experts on herd management and what he had to say was surprisingly (for me, that is, because I don't manage herds) very interesting and thought-provoking. What it boiled down to was this (I hope I've got this right): the only way to prevent grasslands from desertification (i.e., drying up and blowing away) -- which is very bad for the environment in terms of climate change etc. -- is to have large herds of large herbivores (such as bison) intensely grazing grass over short periods of time (i.e., not spread out and partially grazing large areas over long periods of time). The pictorial evidence Mr. Savory presented was very compelling. Here's a blurb from the HMI website that sums it up: "In brittle environments, relatively high numbers of large, herding animals, concentrated and moving as they naturally do in the presence of pack-hunting predators, are vital to maintaining the health of the lands we thought they destroyed." Perhaps the biggest shortfall of the presentation was that it begged the question of how bison ranchers would apply this information to their own land and herd management and the question went unanswered.

10:30 a.m. We didn't attend any sessions this morning as the focus was herd management and Neil and I don't make those decisions (our 10 or so bison are managed by my parents, Roughbark Bison Company, among their herd of about 300). Instead we gathered our things for the day, then briefly checked out the IBC trade show booths as we hadn't made it there yet. As a souvenir of the week, I bought myself a pendant made from a buffalo nickel and Neil bought himself a card wallet made from bison leather (what else?!). After that, we drove to Deadwood to meet up with the rest of the IBC attendees. My parents drove there at the same time. (We didn't take the bus because it would've been a 10-hour excursion; too long with the kids.)

12:30 p.m. Ate crackers and cheese at the Franklin Hotel. It wasn't quite the "hors d'oeuvres/light lunch" indicated on our IBC schedule. Oh well. Then we got our lawn chairs out of the van and staked a spot to watch the Days of '76 Parade. There were a lot of horses in the parade and the girls enjoyed it. After the parade, we walked up and down main street taking in the sights and sounds of Deadwood. It was pretty busy because of the Days of '76 and the rodeo in town that evening.

5:00 p.m. Drove to nearby Lead to see the huge open cut Homestake Goldmine. From there, we went looking for a place to have supper and decided to drive into Sturgis. We didn't find a place to eat there (everything looked like a bar), but we saw dozens of Sturgis Bike Rally t-shirt vendors already setup and in the process of setting up large tents for the rally in early August. I'm sure there'll be at least a million t-shirts in town next week. That reminds me, it's amazing how many bikers we've seen over the past week! Wow! (And they don't wear helmets here. I just can't comprehend.)

7:00 p.m. Noticed a sign for Fuddruckers in Rapid City. No need to look further! We love that place. Neil and I had buffalo burgers. (I have nothing against the beef burgers at Fuddruckers, but it would have been sacrilegious to have anything else, don't you think?) Oh, how I love the burger toppings there! And the gong show put on by my children didn't even lessen my enjoyment of eating at Fuddruckers. (Madeline spilled all of her fries on the floor, Georgia tumbled off her booster seat and did a face plant on the floor when she lunged for a helium balloon...)

8:30 p.m. The worst bedtime ever. All three kids were overtired and unhappy as can be. We survived.

Daily pic: 26 Jul 07

Downtown Rapid City. The red and white striped tent on the right is where the Taste of Rapid City was held and the street dance was to the left of it. Neil and I were discussing this evening that we'd like to explore more of this city sometime. We really didn't have much opportunity on this trip.

IBC trip: Sessions & Taste of Rapid City

June 26, 2007

7:15 a.m. Went for breakfast, then Neil took the girls back to the room while I stayed to listen to the keynote speaker, Erika Lesser, Executive Director of Slow Food USA. I really enjoyed her presentation and agree wholeheartedly with so many of the things she spoke about. Slow food is good ("it tastes good and gives us pleasure to eat it"), clean ("the way it’s produced respects the environment, animal welfare, and our health"), and fair ("those who produce it should receive compensation and recognition for their work"). During her presentation, Ms. Lesser announced that North American Plains Bison has been added to Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste, a list of "endangered tastes" worth saving. By the way, there's a Canadian chapter: Slow Food Canada.

9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Attended IBC sessions. I attended Bison, The Food with a Connection with Loretta Barrett Oden of Corn Dance Cafe (Santa Fe, NM) whose five-part PBS series "Seasoned with Spirit: A Native Cook's Journey" just won an Emmy, then Nutritional & Other Claims on Food Labels with Scott Polisky, Food Labeling Attorney. Neil also attended a session at the same time while my dad took the girls for a walk. He went to Value in Every Ounce with Bruce Aidell of Aidells Sausage Company and author of cookbooks (we already owned his Complete Sausage Book). Then Neil went to Bison - The Taste Experience with Michael Paley, Executive Chef of Proof on Main (Louisville, KY), and I attended The Taste of Place with Chef MJ Adams of The Corn Exchange Restaurant (Rapid City, SD). She spoke mainly about using fresh local ingredients and her presentation was very entertaining. In the sessions Neil attended, he tasted short ribs prepared by Bruce Aidell and bison tenderloin on a bed of leeks with baby potatoes prepared by Michael Paley. In my last session, MJ Adams prepared buffalo bolognaise sauce which we tasted with penne. Delicious!

1:00 p.m. Went to the conference lunch, then headed for the water park with the kids. Lots of fun!

4:45 p.m. Boarded the bus (along with my parents) to go to the Taste of Rapid City which I believe was put together specifically for the IBC. My brother and his family met us there. Eight local restaurants prepared bison dishes for the event and we were able to taste everything completely free of charge (including beverages). It was excellent in so many ways! I even ate (and enjoyed) something I had practically sworn off: raw meat. The dish was 'Buffalo' carpaccio on a bed of mixed greens served on a crostini with black fig and white truffle vinaigrette. They used bison tenderloin and it was very cold (perhaps even slightly frozen). Like my mom, I had to cover the raw meat with lettuce so I couldn't see it, but the taste and texture was fine -- especially since it was combined with a bunch of other yummy tastes and textures. Neil also enjoyed chatting with Bruce Aidell at this event.

Since the Taste of Rapid City was held downtown, we also strolled up and down the block where there were some interesting shops. We bought Sophia and Madeline authentic dream catchers at Dakota Drum Company, a place where they make and sell traditional buffalo hide drums. (Sophia had wanted (she'd say "needed") a dream catcher for a long time, perhaps a year.) There was also a street dance for IBC attendees and the girls had a great time dancing to the live music. Some other kids were dancing barefoot so ours felt compelled to do the same and the soles of their feet were completely black in no time. Yuck. Mom and I managed to clean their feet with paper towels and hand sanitizer before we got back on the bus around 8:30 p.m. -- the end (almost) to another very busy, but very enjoyable, day.

I must mention the weather. It had cooled off a bit from the previous 100+ temps and was absolutely gorgeous this evening for the tasting and street dance. It couldn't have been better.

Daily pic: 25 Jul 07

Outside the Flying T Chuckwagon Supper & Show, there were a few grave sites on "Boot Hill" with humorous epitaphs engraved on wooden markers. Sophia asked her grandma to read all the epitaphs to her several times, and she was especially fascinated with the one "grave" where a tiny bit of cowboy boot was peeking out of the ground. There was also a smooth light-coloured stone inside the boot and she seemed convinced it was a bone. We didn't really set her straight on that.

IBC trip: Sessions & Chuckwagon Supper

July 25, 2007

7:00 a.m. Went to the IBC breakfast for attendees (our kids were registered too). Mom, Dad, and my brother, Rob, joined us as well. After eating, Neil and I ducked out of there with the kids before the keynote speaker. Neil planned to go to one of the first sessions, so I took the girls shopping at Walmart as it was already obvious they needed something to help keep them occupied during the conference. I bought them a couple activity kits and toys.

9:00 a.m. to noon. Neil and I took turns going to sessions and taking care of the girls. First, Neil went to Vore Buffalo Jump with Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear of Wind River Archaeological Consultants. He had read several of their books years ago, so he definitely had to go to that one. I went to The Historic Range of Bison with Dr. Robert Pickering of Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It was very interesting and I enjoyed the obvious passion the speaker had for his research. Then, Neil went to Buffalo: Food, Clothing, Shelter and More with Cathy Smith of Medicine Mountain Studios, an expert who worked on costumes for Dances with Wolves (among many other things).

12:00 p.m. Attended the conference lunch. I won't get into details of everything we ate for breakfast, lunch, and supper during the three conference days, but I will note that all but two meals included bison meat in some form. No surprise there! And that was fine because we love eating bison!

1:30 p.m. Took the girls to the hotel water park for a good long "swim" this time. Sophia and Madeline had a ball. I'm very happy we took life jackets for them (and Georgia) so they could freely go all over the water park without too much worry on our part. The deepest water was only three feet six inches, but that's still more than Sophia and Madeline can handle with the rush of water coming out the big water slides. Georgia was quite a bit less excited about the water park. I was very surprised by this because she's always so eager to get into the tub or paddling pool at home. Oddly, she wanted nothing to do with the water here. It took quite some time and coaxing, but I finally got Georgia to have some fun in the water. She started enjoying jumping off the edge (well, more like stepping off the edge in her case) into my hands, but she did not like me to let go of her for even a second (even though she could float on her back just fine with the life jacket).

4:45 p.m. Boarded the bus for the Flying T Chuckwagon Supper & Show just a few miles outside Rapid City. I don't think it's normally on the menu, but they cooked bison for the IBC group. All of the food was great! I'm sure the entertainment was good too, but I was outside with the kids for the entire show. No problem though; I could still hear the music and the weather was gorgeous.

9:00 p.m. Arrived back at our hotel room and once again tackled the challenging routine of getting the kids into bed, and more importantly, to sleep. Sophia is especially difficult to settle down when we're away from home (it's not very easy at home either, but it's worse on vacation). It was the kids' earliest night on our trip so far -- and it was still close to 10:00 p.m. before they were all asleep.

Daily pic: 24 Jul 07

I'm sure the carving in the background needs no introduction, but I will mention that it's also called "America's Shrine of Democracy" which I did not know (nor could I have named the four faces) before this visit.

IBC trip: 1880 Train & Mount Rushmore

July 24, 2007

9:30 p.m. Met my parents, my brother's family, and his extended family (my SIL's mom and brother and their spouses, who traveled from Texas and SK respectively) at the 1880 Train in Hill City. The 1880 Train is "a vintage steam train" that runs from Hill City to Keystone and back. Our trip started at 10:00 a.m. and took about two hours total. We sat on an open air car both ways which was great -- the breeze was so nice! The burnt oil smoke from the engine wasn't so great but I suppose it added to the authenticity of the experience. Both the scenery and the guide's commentary (over loudspeaker) were excellent.

12:30 p.m. We all went to a local restaurant in Hill City called Grumpy Jack's Pit BBQ. Neil and I chose the place of course (we love barbecue!). There was a sign posted that said "This is NOT fast food, but it is GOOD food" and it went on to explain that he has no staff, so patience is required. We were a fairly large group so it took some time for all the food to be prepared, but the extremely relaxed atmosphere was perfect for the kids. My pulled pork and baked apple side dish were delicious. I loved the hand washing station too. More places should have those!

2:30 p.m. Quickly registered for the International Bison Conference (which is held every seven years and is the reason we're here in the first place!), then took the kids to the great water park in our hotel. It has two long water slides (Sophia is tall enough to use them), four smaller slides for younger children, several water fountains, a large waterfall, and lots and lots of very shallow water. Plus, the water is a nice temperature and the air in there is hot, so splashing around is as fun as can be. It's so great for kids! It wasn't easy to get the girls out of there when it was time to get going.

4:00 p.m. Attended the IBC Welcome Reception which included hors d'oeuvres for supper, and then took a bus to Mount Rushmore for the IBC Opening Reception. The program, which included keynote addresses from Ted Turner and Hon. Tom Daschle as well as other speeches and presentations, was held outdoors at the Mount Rushmore Amphitheater -- impressively situated at the foot of the carved mountain. Sophia and Madeline weren't keen on sitting and listening to the speeches, so I spent most of the time walking with them and watching them play on some boulders just outside the amphitheater. During this time, they also met a few other children attending the conference.

9:00 p.m. After getting ice cream, we all returned to the amphitheater (along with a gazillion other people) to watch the Mount Rushmore Lighting Ceremony. There was a speaker who told brief stories of the early lives of the four presidents followed by a 20-minute film about the presidents and their accomplishments, and then the lighting of the carving. I enjoyed the whole presentation and learned a lot too. The weather for this event was beautiful! As soon as it was over, we boarded a bus to return to Rapid City. We didn't get back to our hotel until after 11:00 p.m. and all three kids were long asleep by then. We had to carry them quite some distance to our room (thank goodness my dad was able to take Madeline) and they didn't wake up until the next morning.

Daily pic: 23 Jul 07

This is at The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD. Look at all of the people actually working on uncovering fossils! And this was just part of the area they're working on. Plus, they believe the sink hole, which is full of mammoth bones, goes down to at least 60 feet below the lowest point in this picture. I highly recommend visiting this place to anyone who's even remotely interested in prehistory. There's a Visitor Center as well and you can look inside the lab where they study the findings.

IBC trip: Hot Springs to Rapid City, SD

July 23, 2007

8:00 a.m. Went for the complimentary breakfast at our hotel. The food was fine, but, thanks to the weather and the waffle maker, the breakfast room was like the inside of a furnace. We decided the absence of air conditioning must be to keep people moving through as there were only three small tables. Afterwards, Neil and the girls went for a dip in the outdoor pool. I stayed in the room while the hotel manager power- augered out the sink plumbing and went in and out of the room cleaning up. When the kids were getting ready to swim, water had started coming up the sink drain -- and fast! Someone was showering above us and there was a blockage just below our sink I guess. We quickly moved all of our possessions to the other side of the hotel room and threw every towel and facecloth available onto the counter trying to minimize the flooding. Loads of fun. But I digress. Sophia and Madeline had a great time in the pool with their new life jackets, but Georgia didn't care for it. I took her back to the room for a warm bath.

10:30 a.m After madly gathering our belongings and packing the van again, we were on our way to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. We met my brother and his family there. We went on a short guided tour of the site. Very interesting! This is a real paleontological dig in progress. They have been carefully excavating mammoth bones from a petrified sink hole for 31 years already and expect to work on it for another 80 to 90 years! A building was constructed over the site to protect it and to allow them to work year-round. After this activity, we picked up our lunch at a cute take-out place called Dew Drop Inn and headed north through the Wind Caves National Park and into Custer State Park.

2:00 p.m. Took the Wildlife Loop Road and then the Iron Mountain Road Scenic Drive on the way to Rapid City. The Wildlife Loop Road consisted of mostly rolling hills with native grasses and trees. Once again (and to our surprise since it was so bloody hot out!) we saw plenty of wildlife, especially herds of bison. We also saw a golden eagle and donkeys, as well as more deer, antelope, and prairie dogs. When we stopped to look at the donkeys (which, Neil learned upon inquiring about them at the Visitor Center, were let loose in the park after serving as pack animals), one put her head right inside my passenger window as I was taking a picture out the driver's side window; when I turned back, her nose was about three inches from mine and I jumped (and maybe let out a shriek)! Everyone else thought that was pretty funny because they knew it was there, but didn't warn me. Lots of giggling ensued. The Iron Mountain road was quite different from the Wildlife Loop, as it consisted of forest and mountainous terrain. The road itself was interesting (and fun to drive according to Neil) because it had numerous switchbacks and loops where you'd go under or over the road you just traveled, as well as several tunnels through solid rock. It was on this road that we caught our first glimpses of Mount Rushmore.

4:00 p.m. Arrived at Reptile Gardens, six miles outside Rapid City. This was a must-do for us because Sophia (and Madeline to some extent) simply loves reptiles, especially snakes, and we always try to foster any interest the kids have in nature and science. There was a snake show in progress when we arrived, so Sophia, Madeline, and I rushed over to see it. Meanwhile, Neil and Georgia found a nice shady spot with a constant misting of water (heavenly in 100+ F weather) in which to sit and wait -- a safe distance from the snake show, of course, as there's no way Neil would look at a snake on purpose! A little later, when we were waiting for the crocodile and alligator show to start, two of the animals had a little scuffle and made a big unexpected splash, spraying all of us. Until then, these creatures had been very still, so this burst of action was extremely startling and it scared Sophia (but briefly). It was a memorable moment anyway! The crocodile/alligator show itself was excellent too. The young man doing the show was tasked with "wrestling a 'gator" (which mainly involved sitting on it and holding its mouth shut, rendering it harmless) and he had a heck of a time getting one out of the water to start with. It was quite comical. Another highlight was the indoor "safari" where many creatures are loose (including a boa constrictor; Neil loved that) in a tropical jungle-like area. All in all, we enjoyed Reptile Gardens. My brother and his family had also joined us there.

7:30 p.m. Arrived at our hotel/conference center, the Best Western Ramkota, in Rapid City. My parents had called and said they had arrived and were having supper in Minerva's, the hotel restaurant (a very nice restaurant), so we joined them there. The food was delicious, but it wasn't easy keeping our tired kids happy through the entire meal. I felt sorry for the people around us. Thankfully, my Mom took the girls out to the lobby for awhile so we (and everyone around us) could finish our meals in relative peace.

10:30 p.m. Finally had our overtired kids into bed. Before that, the kids went absolutely wild in our room while Neil hauled stuff from the van to our room. They were crazed! At one point, someone knocked loudly on the door and when I answered, he asked urgently, "Did someone dial 911 from this room?" I looked over and saw Georgia playing with the phone. "No... uh, I guess it was the baby. Sorry!" Gah. Luckily, I think it was just the hotel's emergency response and not actually 911. We're lucky to have my parents in a room across the hall from us and they took Sophia and Madeline to their room for awhile while I put Georgia to bed. Then, thank goodness, it was their turn.

P.S. Thanks for all of the nice comments, my friends. You keep me going!

Daily pic: 22 Jul 07

At the Needle's Eye Formation in Custer State Park. We knew it was okay for Sophia to climb into that narrow gap because there were other kids up there and further when we arrived. Georgia was determined to do what her sisters were doing, and Madeline decided she wants to be a rock climber when she grows up. I'm not crazy about that idea!