The Four Heads

The stars aligned, and we took a family vacation to the Black Hills! The last time I was there was about 1982. Things have changed a lot since then.

We stopped in Medora on the way down and saw the musical. The featured act was a troupe of Chinese acrobats. They were truly incredible; unfortunately, my camera battery died before they went on, so I have no pictures.

Our first stop the next day was at the Mount Rushmore National Monument. It was foggy and rainy and kinda cool to be in the clouds.

The Monument has a beautiful viewing terrace and ampitheater, where there is a nightly short program.

We took a side trip up to Rapid City and the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base.

We got to tour the Minuteman Missile Silo. The site was once a training facility, and it was very interesting.

The kids' favorite part of the trip was The Cosmos. It's a cheesy tourist trap, with all kinds of gravity- and physics-defying exhibits. It just made me nauseous.

My favorite part of the trip was a complete surprise. We almost didn't even stop there, but I'm so glad we did because it was wonderful! The President's Tramway in Keystone is a chairlift up to a beautiful mountaintop garden.

In the middle of the garden, there is a little outdoor cafe with burgers on the grill and a gorgeous view of the Monument.

Connor and I rode the chairlift back down the mountain, but Brad and Dylan took the Alpine Slide down.

Brad as George.

Dylan as George.

Connor as George.

At the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, the boys got to assist our tour guide with her props. Here's Dylan holding a replica of a mammoth jaw bone.

Here's Connor with a replica of a mammoth leg bone.

This is my favorite photo from the entire trip.

Bison in Wind Cave National Park.

Several mules were blocking the road, and this bold one sauntered up and licked the side of our vehicle.
This is a side view of the Monument on the way down the mountain. A fitting final photo from our trip and for this entry.

I'm so glad we could make this trip happen, and I hope the boys always remember the amazing things we saw and did.