The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 6 or Shoot'em Up Bang Bang!!

On the sixth day of our vacation, we stayed in Cody, WY the whole day. We had tickets to the rodeo and had made plans to see the nightly gunfight at the Irma Hotel. Also, we had planned to go to the Western Trail Town today. But we knew the gunfight and the rodeo were at night and needed something to do during the day. They have a great museum in Cody, but I could just imagine how excited Ian would be about that. After the kids got in bed, I was looking through some of the vacation brochures that the hotel had given us when we checked in. I saw a few ads for whitewater rafting and recognized one of them as being about a block from our hotel. LeAnn said it sounded cool, but I figured it was going to be a long shot on such short notice. I decided to go down to a little bakery early the next morning and thought I would stop by the raft office while I did that. We were lucky as they did have openings for all us on a trip that left around 12:30. So the doughnuts and I headed quickly back to the hotel room to tell the good news.

We headed out to the Western Trail Town as soon as the doughnuts were inhaled. The Western Trail Town is a small "town" of actual buildings from the area that were built in the 1800's. Some of these are infamous as some notorious individuals used them. People like Billy the Kid, the Sundance Kid, The Hole in the Wall Gang, and others that I had not heard of. These are the actual buildings, cabins, etc. that these people used to plan bank robberies. There was an old saloon that had bullet holes in the door. It was very cool that they had relocated these buildings here. But it gave you an idea of how rugged and remote the people of this era lived.

Today was very windy and very cold. The first day that we had to break out the long sleeve shirts and jeans. I was beginning to think that whitewater rafting might not have been such a great idea. After a quick lunch, we headed over to River Runners Whitewater Rafting's office and met up with our guides and fellow travelers. Our fellow travelers were a couple from the Netherlands! But they were a lot of fun. Fortunately, the sun came out and started to warm things up a little, so it wasn't as bad as I was afraid. Ian, of course, was very excited and became the life of the party. We got fitted with our vest and loaded into vans that took us down to the Shoshone River. Once there, our guide gave us instructions and seat assignments. He gave the Rial family the front row. Yea us! He explained that today was the first nice day that they have had in weeks. Two weeks ago that had a huge snow storm and it had rained a lot since then. As a result, the river was very high. It was great. We got very wet, but had a very special time. This raft trip is something that Ian really enjoyed. He cracked up the guides continuously. When we got back to the office we were waiting for our pictures to be downloaded, Ian went outside and laid out on one of the rafts and dried himself. It was great also, because the company's photographer is from Memphis. So it was nice to talk to someone that sounded like us!

After we went back to the hotel, cleaned up and dressed, we went out for an early dinner. After dinner, we drove out of town just a little and visited the Buffalo Bill Dam. It was amazing to see this dam built in this canyon. With all the melt off and rain the spillways were pounding and rushing out into the canyon below. It was a little overwhelming. After that we drove back into town.

We parked a few blocks from the Irma Hotel, and walked around. We had not told the kids about the gunfight. Every night, except Sunday (they don't kill people of Sunday), they stage and old fashion gunfight on the street outside the Irma. We got there and for a $1 donation we were able to reserve each of us a chair. We looked around some of the stores while we waited for the show to begin. It was nice. LeAnn and I thought it was cheesy, but again Ian, thought it was AWESOME!

After, the gunfight, we headed over to the rodeo. Ian loves going to bull riding events that are around here, but this was a full fledged rodeo, with all the events. They have this rodeo every night, and the competitors change every night. So some of the events had just a few competitors, and others had a lot. It was a great night and a lot of fun. We had front row seats just above the gates. So the view was great. It was another great day.

Tomorrow, we finally make it Yellowstone! It has already been a vacation to remember, can't wait to see what the rest is going to be like!

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 5 or Who Knew Driving Could Be This Much Fun?

Day five of vacation was Father's Day. Early in the morning, the kid's and LeAnn gave me some great gifts. A vacation like this, really makes you appreciate your family. The kids were awesome on this trip with only a few dust ups. Today was a travel day, as the agenda was to travel across Wyoming to Cody. We have done a really good job on this trip to have stops and sight-seeing trips planned along the way. Today we are going to stop at Devils Tower National Monument, drive across the Big Horn Mountains, and into Cody in time for some sight-seeing there.

We got a fairly early start on the day. Checked out of the cabins, got something for breakfast, and gassed up the car. We headed up through some really small and interesting small towns on our way back to the interstate. Once back on the interstate, we headed west again and soon crossed over into Wyoming.

Soon we exited the interstate and headed about twenty miles north to Devils Tower. We were lucky, as this was a Fee Free Weekend for the National Parks and National Monuments. So we got in for free. Ever since I watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I have wanted to visit Devils Tower. You can see the Tower for miles around. I think we were about six miles from the park, when we got our first glimpse of the Tower. The first thing you notice, is just how enormous the Tower is. It is truly awe-inspiring. There is a trail that goes around the entire base. It takes a little while but it is well worth the small amount of effort it takes. What was surprising was that on the far side of the Tower, there is a cliff there. It overlooks the prairie below. It was beautiful. While we were there, about six guys were climbing the tower. It was hard not to stop and just watch them work their way up the side of the Tower.

A side note about this part of this trip. Aunt Jessica had given Abby and Ian each an activity book for vacations. They both took their books and worked on them and it was something they used to pass the time away. One of the activities in Ian's book, was to find the license plates from each state. Ian didn't start this activity until we crossed the Wyoming state line. Ian found over half the license plates in the parking lot of the Devils Tower Monument. We did finally find all the state license plate before we got home.

We then headed even further west. We had decided to take the drive over and through the Big Horn Mountains. We had heard several stories about this drive. From the winding roads with no guard rails separating you from the valley below, to how beautiful it was. But, I must admit, as the mountains and the snow-capped peaks loomed above us, I had a few moments of anxiety. But no worries, it was an amazing drive. We got some really great shots. The road was crazy, but nothing to hard to handle. We were able to to watch a rain storm go across a valley below us, drive among snow, and wind around peaks. Coming down the western side of the mountain range was amazing. We had the opportunity to drive a beautiful canyon with a rushing river right beside the car. It was amazing.

Then it was on to Cody. We didn't get in to Cody as early as we wanted, because of the time we spent at Devils Tower. But we had enough time to walk the main drag of the town and have Father's Day dinner at the Irma Grill and Restaurant and the Irma Hotel. This hotel was built by Buffalo Bill Cody and named after his daughter, Irma. It was just beautiful and the food great. The waitress was really great with the kids and took Abby over to buffet desert table and let her get some cake even though Abby didn't eat from the buffet. Ian opted out of dessert.

With or bellies full, we headed back to the hotel for showers and bed. It was a long, but wonderful Father's Day. And we were so happy to finally make it to Cody. It is hard to believe how much we have already done on this vacation, and we aren't even half way through yet. This truly was an amazing vacation.

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 4 or Wow, Those are Some Big Heads!

Today, we headed out early toward Hot Springs, SD to see the Big Mammoth Site. This is a location that they have discovered of thirty mammoth skeletons that fell into a sink hole and could not get out. This kind of thing has always interested me, so it was the side trip that was my idea. Jon and Megan opted out of this trip, because of a mix up with their hotel room and they ended up staying in a separate hotel in the park. But it was even later when they got in bed. They met us later in the day at the Crazy Horse Monument.

On the way to Hot Springs, we drove through Wind Cave National Park. Here, we encountered our very first buffalo herd as well as prairie dogs. It was very cool to be able to see these animals close up. The kids, of course, were very excited.

As we got into Hot Springs, we ended up in a line of cars, and basically parked on the highway. I could see in front of us, that their was some type of small town parade going on. Great! We found out that apparently, this little town host the Miss South Dakota pageant every year and this was their parade in honor of the occasion. That's fine and all, but it was screwing around with my vacation! After the beauty queens got out of the road, we were allowed to proceed. The only small problem was, that the town's signs and the lady in our GPS box didn't really seem to know where this mammoth site was. But, we did finally find it...on the other side of town. The site is very interesting and it was very cool to see all these bones. The story of how they got trapped made you think what other kinds of prehistoric animals lived here back then and what the land really looked like then. The thing is, I can't really recommend this side trip either. Only if you are a really big fan of prehistoric history and animals, then this is a must see. Other wise, the time it takes to get here might be more than what you want to spend on your vacation. As we left, we encountered our first rain of the trip.

Next, we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial. After a few attempts to call Jon and Megan, we were finally successful in letting them know that we were on our way to the memorial. One thing, the phone service in the Black Hills area, is horrible. It is hit and miss, and if you move your leg or arm the wrong way, the call is lost...seriously. The memorial is not anywhere near finished. They do not take government funds. It is fully funded by donations and entrance fees to the memorial. Even in it's partially completed state, it is still very impressive. When completed, it will be the world's largest sculpture. Now, granted, at the rate they are going, it will not be completed in my lifetime. But, maybe Abby and Ian's lifetime. The story of Crazy Horse was not one that I was familiar with, and I want even try to tell it here. But it does leave you with a new found respect for the Native Americans. We ate lunch at the Laughing Waters restaurant there at the memorial. I can't remember what I ate, but it was very good. The view of the memorial was astounding. While we were leaving, Abby and Ian each purchased an "authentic" Indian flute. What were we thinking? Before we even arrived at Mt Rushmore, we were threatening to take them away. Not only are the loud musical instruments being played very badly, they are also weapons.

We, then went over to Mount Rushmore where we spent the rest of the day. This is a place I have always wanted to see in person, and it did not disappoint. You have all seen the monument before, but in person it is very cool. We walked over to the base of the monument and got to basically look up the president's noses. Later, that evening it rained, but we were able to escape in the gift shop and the restaurant. The food there was very good and gave us time to rest and wait out the rain. At the end of the day, they have a patriotic service and light up the faces on the mountain. It was very moving, but Megan and I kept waiting for Tinker Bell to suddenly fly off of George Washington's head and sprinkle pitzy dust on the crowd. It was kind of in the Disney World mode right before the nightly fireworks.

Later, Jon and Megan came by our cabin to say goodbye and take a few pictures. We headed westward the next day, and they headed home to Minnesota. It was so very cool to have them join us for a few days on this trip. Made the South Dakota leg even more special.

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 3 or Who's Bad?

Day three saw us take an early start looking for a quick breakfast. Which turned into a not so quick start. The lady in the GPS box decided to take us on a scenic drive through Sioux Falls to the "nearest" McDonald's. However, not to let this get us down, we got our food, some gas, and off into the prairies of South Dakota we headed.

When we talked to people about our upcoming trip and the route we were taking, everyone said that we just have to stop by Mitchell, SD and see the Corn Palace. Now, I didn't have high expectations, but it's location on the map told me that it might be good place for a potty break. Now the Corn Palace is an auditorium, gymnasium, event-type place that has the entire outside and some of the inside decorated by corn or corn plant products. Think Rose Parade with corn instead. It is very interesting. They redecorate it each year in a different theme. This was supposed to be a quick visit, but we made the mistake of going inside the palace. And there was shopping. It doesn't matter that the shopping was corn related...it was shopping. Needless to say, we stayed there longer than what had originally been planned. But, alas, we did escape Mitchell, SD and the hypnotic grip of the Corn Palace. If you are ever driving down the road in South Dakota and the interstate signs beckon you to Mitchell, my advice is...don't. Keep on driving.

As I was driving along, I was struck by how the terrain changes suddenly. The prairies kind of sneak up on you. They are beautiful as they roll along. Then suddenly these strange rock formations show up and you realize you are in the Badlands with no warning. Once we, got back on the road, the decision was made to go straight to the Badlands National Park instead of Wall Drug Store. The drug store is another of those tourist traps that everyone says you must go and see. We ate a quick lunch at the DQ in Wall and then headed to the Badlands.

All I can say is, WOW! The Badlands are amazing, beautiful, and mysterious. There is no way a picture on here can do them justice. I had always wanted to see them, and I am so glad that day finally came. The colors on the rock formations changes as the sun moves across the sky so every time you look back, it is completely different. We had a great time climbing and walking around. Of course, there was the warning sign at the first stop we made, that warned people to beware of rattlesnakes. This, of course, completely freaked Ian out. The whole rest of the day, every strange sound might be a snake. But it did keep him on the trails and firmly in the center. Ian is my, "by the book" kid. Abby knows no fear. We spent the majority of the afternoon and early evening in the Badlands, and I for one could have spent more time there...curse you Corn Palace!

Afterwards, we went back to Wall, SD to visit the must see Wall Drug Store. My advice, again, is to skip it if ever in the area. A goofy tourist trap!

After dinner we headed to Custer, SD and Custer State Park located in the Black Hills National Forest. We were staying in the Sylvan Lake Lodge cabins. Sylvan Lake is the location of a scene from National Treasure 2. The scene where they are looking for a cave located somewhere behind Mt. Rushmore. This is the lake. We of course got there very late and it was already very dark. Just a few feet into the dark park on winding roads, we meet a herd of elk. Very cool. Later we had the opportunity to drive beside a lonesome buffalo who was meandering along the side of the road. Just past the buffalo, we had the opportunity to go through a sobriety check point. Now this was just plain silly. That road was so windy and curvy, anyone intoxicated would have wrecked long before they got to the check point...inside a state park. We then turned onto what was called the "Needles Highway". Good name! This was the narrowest, curviest road I had ever been on. Trying to maneuver it at around midnight was a lot of fun. And then there was the three one car narrow tunnels that you got to drive through. These, of course, are what gave the road it's name. It is literally like driving through the eye of a needle. But thankfully, we finally made it to our hotel.

Day three was long, but very rewarding. We were now in Western South Dakota in the Black Hills, or as LeAnn likes to call it, the left side of South Dakota. Tomorrow we go to see a crazy dead indian, some dead mammoths, and four dead presidents!

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 2 or How Many States Can We Get to in One Day?

Day two of our trip started early. We were very excited because after a long day of traveling, we would end up in Sioux Falls, SD where LeAnn's brother Jon and his wife Megan would join us for the weekend! We were really looking forward to spending time with them, since we usually only get to see them for a few days around the holidays each year.

We started early with a quick stop at Walgreen's to pick up some stuff we forgot. But soon headed out westward toward Kansas City. The day was really uneventful, except for the number of states we drove into and through. Another title for this leg of the trip could be: How Many Times Can We Cross the Missouri River? I know we crossed that bad boy at least four times. We passed through Kansas City and drove by the Kansas City Royal stadium and Arrowhead Stadium there. We soon passed into Iowa. As we got near Omaha, we decided to jet over into Nebraska, since it was just across the river. I am really glad we did, because the college World Series was going on. LSU was about to play and there was a large crowd gathering. It was very cool to see at least for me.

We continued to drive along and finally entered South Dakota and on to Sioux Falls. The trip was really easy and went relatively fast. After a few phone calls to to Jon and Megan, we realized we had some time to kill and decided that since Minnesota was only fifteen minutes away, we would just run across the state line and add another state to our vacation. When we got back to Sioux Falls, LeAnn had wanted to see the falls in the downtown area. So it was decided that was where we would meet Jon and Megan. The falls are where Sioux Falls originally grew around and they are on the Big Sioux River. They were beautiful and a lot of fun to explore.

Jon and Megan arrived shortly after we did at the falls. It was great to see them. After it started to get dark and the mosquitoes started to eat us alive, we headed out to find some grub. We found this "authentic" Mexican restaurant just down the street from our hotel. It was actually really good and the company even better. We headed back to the hotel to get showers and a good night sleep before heading out westward again!

The Great Family Western Adventure - Day 1 or Boycott Enterpirse Rent-A-Car

After a year of planning, countless hours on the internet, and many books read, the big day finally arrived. However, the day almost ended in disaster. Since we were going to be traveling over 4000 miles, we decided to rent a car. So those preparations were made with Enterprise Rent-a-Car approximately three months before the day of departure. LeAnn and I got off of work early on that day and headed over to Enterprise to pick up our car. However, when we got there, the guy behind the car, who couldn't have cared less, informs me that I am on their DNR list. What is DNR? It is their DO NOT RENT list. Now, this comes from an unfortunate rental car incident on a business trip a couple of years ago. The fact, that I had nothing to do with the incident, and that I was four city blocks away from the car when the unfortunate incident occured doesn't matter. My name was unfortunately on the contract. Now, I really couldn't care less that my name is on their DNR list, I can always rent from someone else. But, what burns my butt, is that they could have told me this three months earlier when I reserved the vehicle! So here we are on the day of our departure without a car. We decided to try Avis which was next door, but they didn't have a car available. We decided reluctantly to take LeAnn's car. LeAnn decided to take her car to be serviced before we left. While she was gone, my brother Jeff, who was house-sitting for us, suggested giving Hertz a call. It couldn't hurt right! So we did, and luck was on our side. They had a Toyota Highlander, that had come in the day before and was available. LeAnn and I rushed over, signed the papers, and got a really good deal on the rental. The car was exactly what we needed. So we then rushed home, packed the car, took a couple of pictures, and off on the Great Family Western Adventure. And only an hour and half behind schedule!

The first day agenda was simple. Just driving to St. Louis with one stop at Lambert's in Sikeston, MO. Lambert's is famous for being the home of the throwed rolls. Think Cracker Barrel on steroids, and you pretty much have it. The food was excellent and quite filling. Visit their website and http://www.throwedrolls.com/. We made it to St. Louis with no problems and immediately headed to bed, since the next day promised to be long.

12 days, 11 states, and 4,268 miles!

Hey, we're back!!! The Great Family Western Adventure has sadly concluded. It was truly an adventure of a lifetime! I don't want our loyal readers to miss one minute detail of our trip and adventures, so what I am planning to do is give a post for each day of the trip, so you can relive the adventure with us. I can feel your excitement already!! There are of course many pictures, a couple thousand I believe, and several videos that I am going to attempt to post on here as well. We were able to spend a weekend with Jon and Megan, as they joined us for the South Dakota leg of our trip. It was great to see them and spend some fun time with them. Our adventure led us through some great states: Tennessee, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and Kansas! We traveled a total of 4,268 miles, fortunately we rented a car and got unlimited miles...thank you Hertz! There is so much to tell you, but for now, we will leave you with just a few teaser pictures of our great vacation!