Let me start out by saying that I wrote this post awhile ago. Maybe a week ago, maybe two. I spent 2 hours perfecting it, picking out the pictures, proof reading it, all while being constantly interrupted by children. And then, I lost everything. The page timed out and everything was gone. To say I was ragey doesn't quite do my feelings justice at that moment. I was so angry that I vowed to just stop trying to catch up on the blog and be done with it.
So now that my emotions have mostly cooled...weeks later...I am going to give it another try. So here's the shorter version of our time in Rapid City, SD.
Reptile Gardens
This was probably our favorite thing we went to in Rapid City. While it was a lot smaller than a zoo, there was plenty to see and we spent almost an entire day there. The kids enjoyed the gator show where they got to hold a baby alligator, and the snake show where they got to hold a snake. Tortuga Falls was a gorgeous garden complete with a waterfall and koi pond. And finally, the prairie dog town was a favorite because you got to climb down a tunnel and pop your head into the town and see it at eye-level while being protected by a plastic bubble.
Mount Rushmore
The day we went to Mount Rushmore was one of those days that makes me question my sanity and why I thought going on a roadtrip for 9 months with a two year old would be fun. If you haven't had the joy of having a two year old, let me inform you: two years olds are pretty terrible. That's why God made the epitome of their cuteness coincide with the epitome of their terribleness.
The day we went to Mount Rushmore was probably the worst day of the entire trip so far. For those of you who have experience with a two year old, what follows will be all too familiar. It started in the parking garage. We had to climb a few flights of stairs to reach the top of the park. Gryffin asked me to carry him up the stairs. About halfway up he asked to be set down so he could go up by himself. So I set him down. Queue tantrum #1. Apparently he wanted to be set down at the bottom of the stairs, flights below where we were. On another day I might have entertained his request, but we were already running so late for our day and the stairway was crowded. Plus, at this point he refused to let me pick him up, so I would not have been able to carry him back down anyway. After screaming and flailing on the cement steps for a few minutes while I tried to avoid stares, he finally allowed me to pick him up and carry him the rest of the way, while loudly protesting of course. Once we were at the top, I wanted to get a picture of the kids with Mount Rushmore in the background. So I set Gryffin down. Queue tantrum #2. Because I set him down while he was screaming to be set down. What was I thinking?! So here is the only picture I got of Mount Rushmore:
Ok, I guess it's not so bad. It's crooked, Avery has a weird look on his face, Ophelia's eyes are closed, Gryffin is nowhere to be seen (thankfully off camera having his fit). It'll have to do.
I won't regale you with every single tantrum he threw in the hour and a half we were there (although it felt like an eternity). Just trust me that it was terrible, that I had to endure stares of judgment from strangers and that the mortification I felt as I was full on slapped in the face by a flailing toddler in the bookstore was enough to last me a lifetime.
As we were driving back to our trailer and Gryffin was wailing in his car seat, I tried to remind myself that he would be like this regardless of where we were in the country. He threw tantrums at our old house, in the Milwaukee County Zoo, at church even. So despite his behavior, I have no thoughts of stopping. My other kids still got to see Mount Rushmore and countless other things that they will *hopefully* remember. I think I'll be the only one that remembers that epic day of tantrums though.
Bear Country, USA
This drive through wild animal park had a lot of other animals besides bears, such as wolves, bison, pronghorn antelope, reindeer and bighorn sheep. We were able to see quite a few animals before seeing the main attraction. I think we were there during nap time as almost all of the bears were snoozing in the sun. Here are the two bears we saw that weren't sleeping:
After you drove through the park, there was a small zoo to walk through that had animals like skunks, badgers, beavers, foxes and grizzly bears.
Storybook Island
This free park was filled with characters and play equipment from nursery rhymes, fairy tales and Disney movies. While the kids played, I sang along to the classic Disney tunes they were playing on loud speakers throughout the park. I imagine if we lived in Rapid City, we would go here often as it offered a greater variety of things to play on than just a regular playground. Plus, I enjoyed singing along to Disney songs for a few hours!
We did have one crazy adventure while in Rapid City. About halfway through the week, we needed to go dump our tanks, which means closing up the trailer, hooking back up to our truck, and driving somewhere to do this (since we were staying in a church parking lot without hookups). So when Jared got off of work, we started the process of hooking up. As we drove out of the lot, it started to rain. Then it started pouring and hailing like I've never seen before. It was in the 80s that day and within minutes the temperature dropped 25 degrees. The streets were flooding and the ground looked like it was snowing, there was so much hail. See for yourself:
After checking the radar (what did people do before smartphones?) we decided to drive 15 minutes further northeast to get out of the storm so Jared wouldn't get pelted by hail while dumping. Our plan paid off and Jared was able to dump unharmed!
Despite the terrible day at Mount Rushmore and being pelted by hail, we enjoyed our time in Rapid City! Next up on the blog: The Twin Cities!
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