Day 1 - May 21
Monty got off work early so we were able to leave town about 2:00
We drove as far as Council Bluffs, IA (right near Omaha, NE). Not a bad drive considering it was all interstate. After checking into the hotel we ate dinner at Cracker Barrel, went to Walmart to pick up a few forgotten items, and then crashed for the night.
We drove as far as Council Bluffs, IA (right near Omaha, NE). Not a bad drive considering it was all interstate. After checking into the hotel we ate dinner at Cracker Barrel, went to Walmart to pick up a few forgotten items, and then crashed for the night.Day 2 - Saturday, May 22
Aiden let us sleep in a little but we were on the road again by about 9:00. It was raining a little, but nothing too bad. In Sioux Falls we stopped to see the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial. 
The visitor center wasn't open but we were able to let Aiden get out and run around for a while. We arrived in Mitchell, SD at about 2:00 and found a hotel that had an indoor pool! Aiden had a blast in the kiddie pool. 
That day we toured the Corn Palace and did some walking downtown.
The visitor center wasn't open but we were able to let Aiden get out and run around for a while. We arrived in Mitchell, SD at about 2:00 and found a hotel that had an indoor pool! Aiden had a blast in the kiddie pool. That day we toured the Corn Palace and did some walking downtown.
Day 3 - Sunday, May 23
After church we headed to Keystone, SD, our home for the next week. We stopped in at Wall, SD and walked around Wall Drug. 
Aiden got to get out and run around and we enjoyed delicious ice cream! 
The visitor center in Wall had lots of "stuffed" animals and Aiden was in awe of them all. He kept walking around pointing to everything saying, "ooh, oooh!!". 
When we got to Keystone we set up the tent and then went to Mt. Rushmore to eat dinner and watch the lighting ceremony. Aiden fell asleep shortly after the show started.
Aiden got to get out and run around and we enjoyed delicious ice cream! The visitor center in Wall had lots of "stuffed" animals and Aiden was in awe of them all. He kept walking around pointing to everything saying, "ooh, oooh!!". When we got to Keystone we set up the tent and then went to Mt. Rushmore to eat dinner and watch the lighting ceremony. Aiden fell asleep shortly after the show started.The first night in the tent was a rough one as storms blew through all night. Monty kept checking the radar every hour to make sure there were no tornadoes. We stayed mostly dry, but every time the rain cover hit the tent, big drops of water would fall on us. Aiden ended up sleeping with us after a huge drop of water hit him in the face. Thankfully, in between storms we managed to get a little sleep.
Day 4 - Monday, May 24
We knew it was going to rain later in the day, so we decided to get up and head to Crazy Horse as soon as we finished breakfast. 
Aiden fell asleep as soon as we got in the car and slept for two hours! It was about a 20 minute drive to the Memorial. We parked and Monty got out and took pics while I stayed in the car to let Aiden sleep. 
I got a lot of reading done on the latest series, Above the Line, by Karen Kingsbury! After Aiden woke up we all toured the museum.
Aiden fell asleep as soon as we got in the car and slept for two hours! It was about a 20 minute drive to the Memorial. We parked and Monty got out and took pics while I stayed in the car to let Aiden sleep. I got a lot of reading done on the latest series, Above the Line, by Karen Kingsbury! After Aiden woke up we all toured the museum. Storms looked like they were rolling in so we decided it would be best to head back to the campground. We got back just in time for a HUGE hailstorm!! 
The campground had covered picnic tables, so we moved a table out of the way and parked under the canopy. I think we played in the car for an hour while the storm continued. When it appeared to be dying down, we headed into town for lunch. Unfortunately we ran right back into rain and hail AGAIN! It continued all afternoon. It finally did end and after a run to Walmart to get groceries we headed back to camp. This is what we found:
Not only was the tent blown down, but some of the poles were broken! That meant moving into a cabin for the next four nights. Fortunately there were vacant cabins and we only had to pay the difference between the price of the campsite and the price of the cabin. It ended up being a blessing for several reasons:
The campground had covered picnic tables, so we moved a table out of the way and parked under the canopy. I think we played in the car for an hour while the storm continued. When it appeared to be dying down, we headed into town for lunch. Unfortunately we ran right back into rain and hail AGAIN! It continued all afternoon. It finally did end and after a run to Walmart to get groceries we headed back to camp. This is what we found:Not only was the tent blown down, but some of the poles were broken! That meant moving into a cabin for the next four nights. Fortunately there were vacant cabins and we only had to pay the difference between the price of the campsite and the price of the cabin. It ended up being a blessing for several reasons:1. Aiden's allergies started acting up and it was better for him to sleep indoors.
2. The second night had WINDS that were worse than the first night. There is NO WAY any sizeable tent would have stood against them.
3. The second night was COLD! Way cooler than any of the forecasters thought it would be.
4. We had a fridge, TV, microwave, and private bathroom.
Day 5 - Tuesday, May 25
We drove to Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. We had a fun time looking for wildlife at WC.
We drove to Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. We had a fun time looking for wildlife at WC.
We chose not to do any cave tours b/c they were long you had to walk down 300+ steps. Not something I wanted to attempt while carrying a wiggly one year old. We did take a short tour at JC. It was about 20 minutes which was about all Aiden could take. I carried him in the front carrier, but he did not like being confined for that long! No more cave tours until the kids are older!Day 6 - Wednesday, May 26
This was mostly a driving day as we went to Wyoming to see Devils Tower. While we were driving we saw Reed from the TV show "Storm Chasers". Thankfully he was taking a day off to hike and wasn't chasing any storms in our area.
We hiked the trail around the base of the tower but didn't make it all the way around as Aiden's allergies were getting worse. 
Here is a shot of the prairie dogs on the way in:
On our way back to camp we bought a travel humidifier and some baby vapo-rub hoping that would help make him more comfortable. Someone really needs to come up with an OTC allergy medicine that kids under 2 can take!Stay tuned for Part 2!
3 comments:
Appeal to your doctor to tell you what Aiden can take OTC. My doctor "unofficially" has told us what dosage of certain meds Ellie can have. She struggles with allergies alot and sometimes you JUST need something and don't necessarily want to take them in for yet another antibiotic! She has been on so many for sinus infections it's ridiculous! We have actually started allergy testing on her and have an appt for further testing the end of this month. They had previously done all they could for her age!
He has a prescription decongestant that works great. Of course I didn't have that with me on the trip. The day he was real bad the doc's office was closed by the time we got somewhere with cell reception. The next day he was fine after we used the vapo-rub and the humidifier. The one time I took him in b/c he wasn't breathing clearly the doc put him on steriods for 5 days. That worked but it was expensive. Doc said antibiotics wouldn't work on allergies b/c it's not an infection. Aren't allergies fun?!? I don't have any at all so this is all new to me.
The problem Ellie has is that she ends up with sinus infections, probably brought on by allergies. The allergist said even though her allergy testing didn't show too much, he really feels like it is an allergy that is causing the sinus infections to reoccur, so we are going back this week now that she will be older to continue further testing! :( (BTW: Katie will start allergy shots as soon as the serum comes in. I signed paperwork last week.)
I don't think Ellie's ever been on a steroid??? It's never in her chest, thankfully. Always in the head/nose. Maybe that's why?
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