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Our Badlands, Black Hills, Yellowstone Adventure, June 2015

Our Badlands, Black Hills, Yellowstone Adventure, June 2015

Old Jul 1st, 2015, 03:21 PM
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Our Badlands, Black Hills, Yellowstone Adventure, June 2015

Hi Everyone! We're just back from our two week road trip from Chicago to Yellowstone/Tetons and home again. I wanted to write a trip report, as reading the forums and other trip reports made the two year long wait a little more tolerable

I'm the mom, and traveling were my husband, and our three kids - our son, 12, and twin girls, 11. We stayed in the parks most of the time.

Okay, I'll be back in a bit to officially get this thing started.
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Old Jul 1st, 2015, 06:18 PM
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We left Chicagoland early on Sunday, June 14th. Our first scheduled stop was Sioux Falls, SD. We drove up through Madison, Wisconsin and the Dells, and then west across into Minnesota. The east side of Minnesota was very hilly and prettier than I expected! There was quite a bit of construction where we crossed the Mississippi. I had expected there to be a nice stop with an overlook of the river - but there wasn't anything that we saw. Perhaps it's part of the big construction project?

We headed west across Minnesota. We stopped at a rest stop for a picnic at one point.

We crossed into SD and went directly to check in at our hotel. It was a Staybridge Suites, freshly renovated, and the nicest hotel we stayed in for the entire trip, LOL. I had gotten a sweet deal online, and we had two bedrooms, two bathrooms(!), and a living room/kitchenette - all for less than $150. After checking out the room, we hopped in the car to head over to Falls Park.

Falls Park was great! I loved the red rocks - and I was surprised at how accessible the whole park was. Not accessible like paths and guardrails, more I mean that we were able to walk right up to the river and stand on rocks and take photos. It was really nice!

After spending some time exploring the falls from several different vantage points - we climbed up the stairs to get the view from the tower. It was hovering around 90 degrees - which was hot - so we were ready to get some dinner and some AC after that. Sioux Falls was one of the kids favorite stops on the whole trip.

We had dinner at Ruby Tuesdays - what can I say - I love their queso dip, LOL... The kids all swam in the hotel pool for an hour when we got back - and we all loved having all the space for the first night of our trip.

Next up: The Corn Palace, Badlands National Park, and Wall Drug.
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Old Jul 1st, 2015, 06:44 PM
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Monday, June 15th. We got up and had breakfast - tons of choices. We headed to Mitchell to see the Corn Palace. First of all, I expected this to be right off the highway, rest stop style - but it was right in the downtown area of Mitchell.

When we arrived, we parked across the street and walked through a vendor area - and took pictures with a corn statue, with the palace in the background.

We crossed the street (Jay Walked!), and the whole front of the palace was under construction. It looked just okay - not great. Whatever - it was just meant to be a corny roadside stop for us We were greeted when we got inside by a nice lady that said the next tour started in 45 minutes. We took a self tour instead - checked out the pictures on the walls, the gift shop, and used the rest rooms. We bought the kids some corncessions for the next leg of the drive (popcorn, of course), and got back on the road.

Next up, Badlands National Park! Our first National Park! We stopped at the sign for our first pictures. Then headed up to the entrance to buy our annual park pass. We started through the park, with the intent to come back to hike the Window and Notch Trails, but we ended up spending the whole afternoon moving from stop to stop and exiting the park, so we never made it back! We stopped at Door Trail and got out and took lots of pictures. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before - and Badlands was one of the parts of the trip I was most looking forward to.

I don't remember what time it was, but we were all starving for lunch at this point. We drove on to the Visitor Center to check it out. I bought my passport and got my first stamps. We thought about having a picnic right there - but it was so crowded, we just wanted to get away from the crowds a little bit. So, we left and moved on to the next lookout area. I was amazed at how big the park was, and how it went on and on.

We ended up stopping at Fossil Exhibit Trail, and just at our peanut butter and jelly right at the path in front of the car - because there were no tables, and we were all starving. The timing ended up being perfect, because we walked right up to a ranger talk about fossils that was absolutely fascinating. We all enjoyed the talk very much. I was surprised at how the ranger encouraged us to go ahead and climb and play on the structures. I expected them to be protected or something, I guess. He was like, "It's your park, have at it!".

We mostly stayed on the boardwalk, but there was a bus load of kids climbing up very high and running around like it was nothing. We're from Illinois - flat as a pancake here - and I was more afraid of the cliffs than I expected I imagine if we'd started this trip in the Tetons and Yellowstone, and ended in the Badlands, I would have viewed the cliffs a little differently, but maybe not

We spent the afternoon moving from overlook to overlook. What an amazing park! And each view was different. I absolutely loved the Badlands. We saw mountain goats - that was great! And prairie dogs, too.

I had wanted to spend the night at Cedar Pass Lodge in a cabin - but I missed the reservation window, and they were all booked. Instead, we had a cabin just outside the park in Wall.

It worked out well, because we were able to do the park one way, and finish at the motel at the end. We were incredibly lucky - we'd had gorgeous weather all day - and it turns out that the road in the east portion of the park was over a large sink hole or something - so they were closing that section the next day to fix it somehow and make it safe. Luckily for us - we got through and didn't have to change our plan.

After checking into our cabin, we headed to Wall Drug to check it out. This was our least liked visit of the trip. Don't get me wrong, we like cheesy - we enjoyed the corn palace, and we're not above campy roadside stops with fun pictures... But Wall Drug just wasn't that fun for us. DH and the kids got their ice water (which wasn't icy or very good, according to my bunch, LOL), and we took pictures on the Jackalope. We also walked through the stores... I think we were just tired and done after our afternoon at the Badlands.

We had a great dinner at Red Rock Restaurant, and then headed to our cabin to get some sleep. That night, Chicago had tornados and torrential downpours, and I spent a couple hours (with terrible cell service, some of the worst of the trip!) trying to find out if our basement had flooded. Luckily, a neighbor was able to check, and we were fine.

Next up: Dinosaur Park, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and a surprise for the kids.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2015, 03:27 AM
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Great start to the trip. Keep it up!
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Old Jul 2nd, 2015, 09:42 AM
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Tuesday, June 16th, Day 3. It poured all night in Wall, and we saw quite a bit of lightning, but no hail that others in SD were reporting.

We had a quick breakfast in the hotel lobby, and then set off for Rapid City.

First stop this morning: Dinosaur Park! My son picked this after reading about it in his history book. We drove up the steep and winding hill and parked. We walked up and took pictures with the first dino, then the second - when my husband, with a straight face said, "So this is just a cheesy stop, then?" LOL... Yes, honey... I do all the planning and just bounce things off of him if I'm not sure, or if I'm deciding between two options. He pretty much just goes with the flow.

After taking pictures with all the dinosaurs, we headed into the gift shop. At this point, one of my girls had started collecting key chains. No one else bought anything.

We got back in the car, and headed toward Mount Rushmore. It was fun seeing Keystone as we drove through. We did the twisty, winding road up to Mount Rushmore, and parked in the garage.

We took a few pictures, and then had lunch. We really liked the food court set up here. It was staffed well, and we all enjoyed our lunches. Then, we decided to do the presidential trail. Part of the loop was closed for repairs, so we started on the Sculptor's Studio side. We started up the stairs, and climbed and climbed and climbed. We made it all the way to the top, LOL...

After our climb down, I wanted to get my passport stamped, and somewhere in all those stairs, we had promised the kids ice cream. So, DH and the girls got in line for ice cream, and my son and I walked to get the stamp.

The girls and DH got large ice creams (they seemed really big, both girls had a hard time finishing them!), and then we headed out.

DH especially enjoyed Mount Rushmore.

Since we had some time (it was early afternoon), we decided to ask the kids if they wanted to go pan for gold! This was a last minute addition to our trip.

We went to Wade's Gold Mill in Hill City. It was a short drive from Mount Rushmore - maybe 10-15 minutes. We elected to do just the panning, and not the tour, due to time constraints. We had a wonderful experience! Our panning teacher was so good with the kids, very patient, and a wealth of knowledge. The whole family enjoyed this activity very much.

From Hill City, we headed into Custer State Park, to an adorable cabin, where we were going to spend the next two nights.

We saw Legion Lake (beautiful!), and got moved into our cabin (adorable!). Then, we went to Legion Lake Lodge for dinner, because we were all pretty exhausted. And my family thought I couldn't run them ragged like Disney World

After dinner, we checked out the lake, and the girls waded in. It was pretty cold and wet that evening. We went back to the cabin, where the kids played cards and we all crashed for the evening.

Tomorrow is another busy day - Wind Cave and the Mammoth Dig Site.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2015, 12:45 PM
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Wednesday, June 17th, Day 4.

We got up and headed to Wind Cave National Park. On our way, we saw our first Bison! We were pretty excited, and the kids and I hopped out of the car to snap some pictures.

When we got to Wind Cave, we walked in and asked what the next tour was. It was the Fairgrounds Tour, and we bought tickets.

We had just enough time to use the restrooms and head out. Our tour guide was very nice and seemed to know everything about the cave. Going into the cave was a lot of fun - and I'm glad we got to see it. The tour itself? Eh... It wasn't that exciting, and it seemed to go on too long. I think we would have really preferred a self tour. I know, it's a National Park, and they are trying to protect the cave, but really? It's stone underground... Set it up with some lights and rope off the path clearly, and let people go down and wander and take pictures.

So, when we got done with the cave, we headed to the Mammoth Dig Site. Since the cave tour had taken longer than we expected and we got a slightly later start than expected, we were all starving for lunch. We went to Wooly's for lunch. It was just okay. They were out of the beer my DH wanted to try. My guide book made it sound like this restaurant would be better. Ah well.

We headed on to the Mammoth Site, and we ALL enjoyed our experience there. When you get there, you are first taken into a theater and shown a video about the dig site. The video was just right - not too long or too short. Nice and succinct and educational, without being boring. Two thumbs up!

Our tour around the dig site was also just right. Enough information to be interesting and educational without boring the kids (or the adults). Our guide was nice and we enjoyed this experience very much.

From the dig site, we wanted to find a grocery store for hot dogs. Our cabin had a fire pit, and we were looking forward to using it. We had to drive up to Custer for a grocery store, and we stocked up on a few things.

When we got back to our cabin, the kids were desperate to swim in the lake, so they got changed, and we walked down there. It was a very short walk to the lake. All three kids spent a couple hours swimming/wading and digging in the sand. At first, we were the only crazy people out there, but then many more kids and families joined us.

Around 6, we went back to the cabin to start the fire for hot dogs and smores. The kids played cards while we waited for the fire to get going. Dinner was just perfect that night. A deer even came out of the woods to check us out

This was one of the only nights on the trip I wished we had more time. I'd definitely return to Custer State Park. What a beautiful and enjoyable experience.

Tomorrow, Drive to Cody, WY.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2015, 04:14 PM
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Nice report. Look forward to the rest. We spent 5 days in Custer last year and saw pretty much everything you've mentioned so far.
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Old Jul 3rd, 2015, 06:04 AM
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Thursday, June 18th, Day 5. Driving to Cody.

We started early today, we had a 7 plus hour drive to Cody ahead of us.

I knew we were taking a "scenic bypass", but how bad could it be?

Bad. It was really bad. Freaking TERRIFYING.

The first part, up to Sheridan, was fine. We stopped in Sheridan for lunch and let the kids have fast food. Then we filled up the car.

And then we essentially drove straight up a mountain via steep switchbacks. It was fine. A little scary, but going up isn't as bad...

We were up on top, and found a camp ground/general store and stopped to use the restrooms (and buy some snacks for letting us use the restrooms)...

Then the scary part. 14, in the Bighorn National Forest - Absolutely terrifying driving. Switchbacks, Huge drop offs. It was probably pretty, but who could look when you were afraid for your life the entire time?

I think we were three quarters of the way down when we saw the pull out for Shell Falls - which I'd heard about... Well, we actually missed the turn out, so we went in the exit of the turn out, LOL... We walked down to the falls, where we got a terrible photo, because some hog wouldn't move out of the way, even though he'd had plenty of time to look and snap his photos. Seriously, man, we just want a quick picture, then you can go back to hogging the viewing area.

The visitor center here was great. I went ahead and stamped my passport book, and the rangers let the kids put a pin in their map for where we were from, and gave them Smokey the Bear baggies of activities. My kids are really too old for most of this stuff, but they did use the booklets a little during the car ride.

I asked at the visitor center how much further, and she said only about 15 more minutes. Whew. At the car, DH read about moving the van into lower gears, and once he knew about how that worked, the rest of the trip driving was a lot less terrifying (and of course, this was the worst stretch we drove through the entire time - even driving all throughout Yellowstone and the Tetons).

Cody! We were so excited to be here! We had booked a hotel with a pool, and we had plans to go to the rodeo that night (and do laundry - I definitely needed to do some laundry at this point).

We went to a BBQ restaurant recommended at the front desk. DH liked his meal - we all did. It wasn't amazing, but it was food... We bought our rodeo tickets, and headed over.

The Rodeo was a blast. We all really, really enjoyed it. It was funny, and the animals, and the riding. All very enjoyable. We went ahead and let the girls climb on the very sedate bull out front to take a picture (is he drugged?). They also participated in the kid run where they chase a calf and try to get a ribbon off the tail.

Seriously, what a blast. City Kids at a Rodeo is what I typed into Facebook.

The next morning, we were headed to Yellowstone! I was so excited! Truthfully, we'd had such a busy and full vacation, it could have been over, and we would have been satisfied. But it wasn't even half over!

In the morning, DH and the kids went to Walmart for some supplies, and to fill up the car. I did laundry.

Now, the drive from Cody into Yellowstone? The most scenic drive of our trip. Not terrifying, but the scenery was absolutely stunning. Cliffs and a river, and red rock. I wish we'd stopped for photos (we were so excited to get to Yellowstone).

Next up, Yellowstone!
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Old Jul 3rd, 2015, 08:35 AM
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gnomemom,

I'm really enjoying your detailed report! It's always fun to hear the adventures of first-timers. Sorry you were scared on the Sheridan to Cody part of the drive. I guess it depends on what you are used to. Growing up in the west and camping every year for family vacations, I have always been fearless whether driving, hiking, or skiing. It's a little hard to understand why people are scared of mountain roads, but many are.

Keep up the TR, it's so fun!
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Old Jul 3rd, 2015, 05:21 PM
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Thanks, Dayle. I had no idea I was so afraid of heights! I was blown away by the people walking right up to the edges in The Badlands - it was sandy and loose looking - so easy to slip right off! Illinois is literally flat as a pancake, so any little hill is exciting for us. These mountains were so big and looking at them even just as we drove toward them in the distance is just... Hard to even describe the awe I felt when we saw them!

At the Badlands, my girls and DH ran up the side of one hill - it had a path, but it was narrow and a drop off on both sides. I couldn't even watch - I had to turn away, watching my babies scale that cliff! DH got a great selfie of the three of them up top. I met them back at the car
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Old Jul 3rd, 2015, 05:43 PM
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We pulled into the eastern entrance of Yellowstone. Stopped and snapped a few pictures, of course! I couldn't believe we were really here!

We drove in, and the first thing we really noted (aside from how high up we were!) was Yellowstone Lake. DH was amazed at how big it was! We stopped at a beach area, and the kids threw stones in. It was a nice stop. We took some pictures.

Then we headed over the Fishing Bridge area. We stopped there, because I got a stamp in my book, but I don't remember too much from this stop. I think we went out and looked at the lake - but we didn't snap any pictures.

DH had seen some small rodent crossing the road, and we weren't sure what it was - so the lady at the gift shop showed us a laminated sheet and we tried to pick what it was. I think it was a type of ground squirrel that we would see very often as the trip went on.

We stopped at a picnic area for lunch along the lake, and it was just a beautiful spot. A couple of picnic tables, and a cliff over the lake. Our timing was just perfect, because another family pulled up at the same time, and we chatted with them and hit it off. The kids all became fast friends - what a great welcome to Yellowstone. We compared itineraries and where we had been and where we were going. The mom and I exchanged FB information. Really neat to make a friend our first day in the park!

We headed to West Thumb for our next stop. Our first hot springs! We were a little confused at how these stops worked at first - remember, we're total park newbies, and all the guidebooks and trip reports can't help with some things, you just have to experience them yourself We bought a $1.00 trail guide for this area (loved these little books!), and started around the loop. We were on about the second hot spring when my son ran his hand along one of the wood guard rails and gave himself a nasty splinter He was super uncomfortable and unhappy, and I handed the trail guide to my husband and took off for the car. He was holding his hand up and crying, and everyone we passed on the boardwalk probably thought he'd stuck his hand in a hot spring

We should have just turned around, because we did the rest of the loop at fast speed to get back to the car.

Once at the car, I poured some cold water over it, and we waited a few minutes for DH and the girls to show up. DH is an expert splinter remover, so I just got out the tweezers and he had it out in no time. After some Neosporin and a bandaid, we were ready to move on

Next stop, Old Faithful and Old Faithful Snow Lodge.

When we got to Old Faithful, we honestly weren't sure where to go. We pulled in and parked somewhere, but it was a madhouse, and nothing seemed clearly marked. We didn't have a map of the immediate area, and the first map we walked up to didn't have a "you are here" stamped on it to help orient us. Frustrating. We were just kind of wandering around. We saw where Old Faithful was, and then Old Faithful Lodge, and I walked in and said we had reservations at Snow Lodge, and we couldn't find it (embarrassing, but the girl at the check in was super nice, and pulled out a map, and showed me exactly where to go).

We went and got checked in at Snow Lodge. We liked the cabin set up. It was modern, with two beds, a table and two chairs, a nice sized closet, and the bathroom and sink area. We loved the bear soap! I immediately planned to buy it as a little souvenir for all our pet sitters. One nice thing about the National Park lodging is that while we only had beds for four, they didn't mind at all if we slept five in the room, as long as we provided bedding for the fifth person. That was easy enough, we brought an air mattress and sleeping bag for our son, and he got the floor. Honestly, compared to some of the beds, he probably had the better back support for some nights

Now, onto Old Faithful. We watched it erupt. You just have to love Old Faithful We also did the short hill loop behind Old Faithful.

That night, we ate dinner in the Snow Lodge restaurant. I can't recall the name. The food and the service was just average.

The Snow Lodge cabins were walkable, but it was a long walk.

Tomorrow: A ranger hike, a close encounter with a bear, and more geysers and hot springs.
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Old Jul 5th, 2015, 02:44 PM
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You actually carry tweezers? lololol And Neosporin

I've been really wanting to do Bighorn National Forest. I have to now.


Highly looking forward to the rest of your trip(since we were just there ourselves).

The first time we tried to check into Old Faithful Inn a few years ago I was confused too. I tried to check in to Old Faithful Lodge not Old Faithful Inn. Very confusing. Not much signage and some of the trails are the same way.
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Old Jul 5th, 2015, 10:10 PM
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enjoying your trip report! We leave Wednesday. I'm still planning -- Love your description of road from Sheridan to Greybull. Is there a better, less stressful way to get there?
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Old Jul 6th, 2015, 12:59 PM
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Your trip report is making me smile....now that you have your "passport" I hope your family has many more adventures at our national treasure's. Keep it coming!
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