the Black Hills

 For Labor Day weekend we headed to the Black Hills in South Dakota to do some camping...it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  I had no idea what to expect and never knew just how wonderful South Dakota was - who knew!  When we purchased our trailer back in June they gave us a couple nights of free camping at Rushmore Shadows Resort in the Black Hills, so we jumped at the chance and thought it was a perfect way to end the season.  The camp ground was very nice as well as the amenities, but the camp site was less then desirable - but for FREE you can't complain much - there is a whole story that goes behind this, but let's just say until you become a "member" you stay in this row of campsites!

The six hour drive was not horrible, but still challenging with a one year old, plus we added Grandma Trujillo and Emily into the mix - yes, that's right all of us fit into the truck for the road trip!  We managed to get there safely and enjoyed our weekend away exploring South Dakota!

 I LOVE that Starbucks makes instant coffee...perfect for my camping trips!

 The weekend was VERY relaxing.  We spent our mornings at the playground or walking around the campsite looking at all the other RVs and Trailers - we could not believe how big some of the RVs were - our trailer was the smallest that's for sure!

 On Friday afternoon we headed to Mount Rushmore!  It definitely was much smaller then I was expecting, but still amazing to see in person.  Ashtyn thought is was so cool...

There was a walking trail you could take so you could learn the history of Mount Rushmore, but it was not double stroller friendly - so the next time we visit I want to make sure we do that.

 See the apple Eli has...well he sucked on this apple for about 2 hours - now we have a new way to keep him occupied - and he would start screaming if we tried to take it away to take a picture...

 see the apple...

 ...and again the apple!

 While Grandma and Emily shopped the gift store we enjoyed some ice cream...

 Eli finally threw the apple down at the chance to have some ice cream...

 On the way back to camp, we passed through a little town called Keystone.  This is what was so cool about the Black Hills - it felt just like Estes Park and you would randomly drive through these tiny towns that had so much character and were filled with stores and cute restaurants.  Of course we stopped to tour the town and do some shopping...   

 They had this HUGE wooden chair which Sandy just fell in love with, so we had a quick photo shoot...

 We ended up buying some "Silk" fudge - Matt says its the best he has ever had. 

After walking around for awhile we headed back to camp to get dinner started, and finished out the day relaxing around the campsite... 

 The nights were very chilly for sleeping and on Friday night we had a ton of wind - I just kept praying that our trailer wouldn't blow away...

We woke up the next morning, a bit tired, but the sun was shining and we had a very busy day planned.

First, we stopped at Old McDonald's Farm, which is basically a petting zoo...

 The best part was the "Pig Race" - the little piggies would race around this obstacle course while we cheered them on...Ashtyn was rooting for Wilbur!

 Eli got a little scared in the baby goat pen - he just walked in circles crying, until we went to him!  But he had no hesitation petting them...

 Ashtyn got to go on another Pony ride - she was a pro by now...

 ...and got to hold a baby chick - she thought this was the best - they were so tiny!

 They also had an "egg" dash, which Ashtyn particiated in - she did pretty well!  Only dropped her egg a couple times, but never cracked it...

 Ashtyn and Eli loved Old McDonald's Farm, but our next stop was Grandma Sandy's favorite...

The Flintstones!

They have a Flintstones amusement park in Custer - another cute little town - where they have built the town of Bedrock for you to run around in and play!  I loved the Flintstones when I was growing up, so I was totally amazed with everything and Ashtyn who has no idea who they are loved getting to run all over the place...

 Yabba-Dabba-DO!

 My little Bam-Bam...

 My little Pebbles...

 This was the inside of  Wilma and Fred's Home...

They had a movie theater where you could watch the old Flintstones cartoons, so we grabbed some popcorn and candy and sat down to relax for a bit.  This was Ashtyn's favorite...

 This picture just cracks me up...look how big Matt looks!

 They had a huge park to play in too with old school slides, like the metal kind, which I happen to rip my jeans on, and teeter-totters and merry-go-rounds - all the things that are probably now banned from parks, but we enjoyed them all.  Even Emily said to me "What is a teeter-totter?" - I must be old...

 We ended our time at The Flintstones with a train ride...

 We were beat after our day of fun, so we headed back to camp for dinner, movie and bed!

On Sunday, we decided we would head home that evening, hoping it would make the drive easier, but before leaving we took a quick trip up to Sturgis.  I have always wondered what it was all about, and being so close we just had to see it for ourselves - plus I wanted a tank top that said "Sturgis".

So we drove 40 minutes to Sturgis - and let's just say it was a bit disappointing!  Apparently the only time Sturgis is fun is when it's the Rally and clearly we missed that.  The main street - if you call it that - was no bigger then 5 blocks and there were probably five shops open and the rest of the town was a shut down.  We found the only restaurant open and enjoyed a very nice lunch and our waiter was nice enough to fill us in on the history of Sturgis...

 Here were the few motorcycles we saw in Sturgis...

After lunch we shopped and found what we were looking for and then headed back to camp to pack up and head home...

Our weekend vacation in South Dakota was wonderful and with there being so much to do there we will definitely be back for a visit.  The weather was perfect, we got to relax and spend time with our kids.  This summer, by far, has been one of the best!  I love getting to explore the country we live in with our trailer and making memories with my kids I will never forget.

It was a great trip to end the season!