day 3 ... family is like fish, after a few days, it starts to stink....
I have to back track a smidge to the end of day 2 in Keystone, SD. Brock called the White House Inn & had secured a reservation for $49.95 ... new rooms, their ad had boasted.... there must have only been a few 'rooms', and our was given away... the front desk clerk (hair slicked back) offered us the 'chalet' for a 'steal'... tire and homeless, we took it. Teddy's Chalet (a tribute to Theodore Roozavelt) ended up being a 1970's house next to the hotel, that they must have purchased.... Peterson Ozark's crew, it was dumpy-er than Al Hona's guest houses.... it had a bunk bed in the dinning room, soda sleeper in the living room & a full sized bed in the master. Now, we are not petite folks... it was a night of snuggling, vying for a sliver of mattress... & the world's smallest shower.
We had attended the 10:15 p.m. laser light show at the Crazy Horse Memorial. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be, blaming the white men for keeping only one promise, "taking thier land." ... but the boys & I enjoyed it. On the drive home, the boys drifted into slumber, and Brock and I got to enjoy the illuminated Mt. Rushmore... magnificent. So we hit the hay late, got a crapy nights rest, no breakfast buffet at the chalet, and no McD's in Keystone, SD. We were tired, hungry & grumpy...
Day 3 kicked off with a rain and hail shower... accompanied by dense fog. Not ideal conditions for viewing a nountain sculpted with the busts of our countries great leaders. We headed to Mt. Rushmore regardless. We gripped at each other, as I exclaimed that satan was really trying to get a grip on our hearts. We prayed for joy, peace, love, kindness, & patience. We bought ponchos in the gift shop & dug 3 umbrellas out of the trunk. We decided to hike the 'presidential trial,' trex decked walkways.... when we got close, the fog lifted for a few seconds & we caught a glimpse of George.another 20 feet Abe, John & Teddy made an appearance, peeking out of the curtain of fog.
The granite scape was ribboned with bubbling brooks and cascading mini waterfalls and streams, carrying the rainfall downward. The boys exclaimed how magnificent it was, "If it wasn't raining, we would have missed these waterfalls & streams."
Child-like gratitude for the storm the Lord had graced us with.
We entered the studio of Borglum, the sculpture responsible for these mamouth busts... our Youngest got to participate in the Ranger's presentation... and we all dried out a bit. The boys spent the morning filling our a Jr. Park Ranger scavenger hunt & were awarded Jr. Park Ranger badges.
By lunch time we were wipped ... we loaded the Yukon, made PB&J sandwiches and pointed the land yacht towards Black Hills Natl. Park. We saw a bison, grazing a foot from the road... a herd of elk keeping a watchful eye on our vehicle. We drove over U shaped bridges & through tunnels carved into the gigantic granite boulders. We passed through Custer State Park and on into Wyoming. We saw cattle ranches on the plains of Wyoming... wouldn't that be the life? The boys and I took a much needed nap, we were all getting edgy & on one another's nerves.
We dinned in Buffalo, WY... chowing some of the golden arches finest.... no matter where you are in the world, McD's is always comfort food for Brock and I. We have enjoyed Royals in Paris, nuggets is London, McDoubles in Costa Rica, even fries in the Virgin Islands..... McD's never screws up fast food.
When we left Buffalo, a snow plow was ahead of us.... we joked that we may run into snow... as we entered Big Horn Natl. forest, the snow began to fall. We had entered a blizzard. Some roadside drifts were many feet high, the fence posts staked with 18 inches of snow. The snow plow turned around before the mountain divide. Luckily we had 4-wheel drive. As we decended the mountain, the snow thinned. What an amazing drive and a reminder that you are really in the Lord's hands... along for the ride. He safely brought us down the snowy mountain. We were blessed by His traveling mercies.
We ended us spending the night of day 3 in Cody, WY. As we drove into town we saw herds of mule deer grazing on residential lawns. We pulled into the Cowboy Village and were able to get a king suite.... in the most adorable log cabin.... an authentic log cabin.
day 4 ... my bum hurt from three days of car sitting.... I ran 2 miles, lapping the Cowboy Village parking lot, as retired folks smoked cigarettes, drank coffee and watched me sprint. We loaded up and went in search of boots for my youngest & I... we both had running shoes, Keen hiking sandals, and flip flops... not great footwear for the snow we are sure to encounter.
We picked up a few groceries and boots at Wal-Mart and pointed the land yacht north. We had to drive around Yellow Stone. All of the east entrances were closed due to avalanches and mud slides. They have experinece massive rains, abnormal for spring time.
We are currently driving on I-90... headed for our cabin in Gardiner, MT.... located just near Yellow Stone's north gate.... nicknamed the Roosevelt Arch.
I'm enjoying my Dad's favorite prairie treat, the seed of the sunflower.... listening to Taylor Swift sing me a tune from my iPod....
Brock's driving, chuckling at Adam Carolla, via headphones & iPod....
The boys are in back listening to Holes by Louis Scharr, thanks to a dual headphone splitter from Radio Shack & their iPod...
Hope we have some down time in the cabin tonight.... boil some brats in beer & onions .... teach the boys to play pitch.... if we can retrieve our patience.....
Continue to pray for our traveling mercies, and that the Lord blesses our time together as a family!
Blessings... Becca & the fellers
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