Day 1- Dinosaurs

Two years ago, we took the kids on a road trip to the Black Hills.  We had so much fun, we decided to do it again this year.  We headed out of town the week before Memorial Day because (a) it is much cheaper for hotels and (b) this is the last year we'll be able to do that since Punky will be starting school.  This year we extended our trip and were there for four days.  On Sunday, we drove to Grandma and Grandpa's farm, spent the night, and borrowed their van for our trip the next morning.  

Derek and I started playing the license plate game as soon as we got on the interstate.  By the end of the trip, we had found 45 US states, 6 Canadian provinces, and 1 Mexican state!

Our first stop was Wall Drug.  We were there to stretch our legs mostly.  But the kids were excited to watch the "roaring T-rex".  Last time, when Buddy was one and a half, he was terrified of the dinosaur.  He talked big, but this year was no different.  Poor guy!

The kids each chose a souvenir.  Buddy got a big dinosaur and Punky chose a plush horse.  After a few more fun photo opportunities, we were on our way to Rapid City.

As soon as we arrived in Rapid City, we headed straight for Dinosaur Park, a giant hill overlooking the city with concrete dinosaurs.  Buddy was so excited to see what was next, he hardly spent any time looking at what was in front of him.  All week long, we had a hard time convincing him that we had enough time to look at everything and to enjoy what we were doing at that moment.  Again, more cheesy photo opps.

Before heading to the hotel for the night, I made everyone walk down a hidden alley downtown.  I wanted to recreate a photo I had taken of the kids two years before.  They must have been preparing to change the graffiti walls, because a lot of the walls were painted white.  We saw a few people working on sections, so we must have hit it at the wrong time.  I was using a different lens too, so the photos aren't exactly the same, but it is still cute!

2012

2014

We checked into our hotel room, found a restaurant to eat at, and headed back early so the kids could swim.  Most nights we were back by 6 or 7 so the kids could swim for awhile before bed.  Check back tomorrow for Day 2 of our vacation!