Happy Birthday Jodie!

I wanted to give you a pink cupcake, but I know how you aren't too partial to pink. We'll have to celebrate when we visit later this summer.

Image from here. 

Wild West Recap #4 - What about those Needles & Rushmore?

Yep we saw the needles.  You drive around a bend and maybe thru a tunnel and then you see this...

And when you think that is impressive then you drive around the corner and you see this.

And this...

and these...

So amazing!  Beautiful place.

The black hills are being eaten by some kind of bugs.  So there weren't any fireworks at rushmore. :( but that didn't stop us from fullfilling something on Jono's list - Mt. Rushmore! (#40 done).

It was awesome! Oh and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically as I got my state park stamp from the park ranger someone was asking when the "chip and dale" dancers were going to be preforming at the monument.

Then after we left rushmore on the way home I got jono to pull over at this place - called the boondocks.

They were more than just a truck stop.

They had a ferris wheel (which is #17) and I got to ride it!  Just me and Lita on the rickety old thing.

It was frightening and awesome!

And they had dinosaurs!

Almost like Dino world!

And it no 4th of July would be complete without a hot dog!

Still more to come.

Wild West Recap #3

Back from St. Louis now it's time for some more wild west recap.

In the black hills they had all these groovy little stores. I wanted to go in this one but it was closed when we were driving by. Who wouldn't want a giant lawn bear sculpture.

Our least favorite sight was Crazy Horse - they had a decent museum but it was $30 for us to see a not even close to finished sculpture that was started over 60 years ago - I'm going to go with they will never finish that puppy.  Sure you might be able to fit Mt. Rushmore in it's armpit but Mt. Rushmore was finished in like 13 years - and I thought it was pretty awesome.

Lita did get to step into a teepee.

Then we headed to Custer Park - they have a wilderness loop which was completely delightful.  I had thought about riding a buffalo, but then I saw this ;(

We spied all kinds of wildlife.

And we broke out our remote for some photos people driving by I think thought we were wildlife they way they were gawking at us.

Then we spied some Begging Burros just like in the brochure they stick their heads in your car it's so fun.  Jono should probably have been a farmer he was so excited to bet them.  Me I thought they might bite off my fingers.

We thought we might not get to see any buffalos and then we saw this lovely, who was all by himself.  Isn't he the cutest?

And then we came around and bend and  boom there was a whole big heard of them.  They make the cutest little noises like this weird grunting.

And then the sun started to come out and we headed for needles.  More soon.

Wild West Recap #2

I sadly didn't get to visit dinosaur land it was vetoed by someone who shall remain nameless. But I did see this cute little dinosaur.

I think this could possibly be the worlds largest prairie dog.

We broke out the remote for the camera several times throughout the trip and we came home with gems of photos like these.

How about Yosemite Sam Face?

And perhaps some jumping

This might be my favorite foot shot I can't wait to put it on the wall.

Okay so we took like 400 photos in the badlands park, and I wanted to share them all but I'm resisting - however here's a bunch and just in case you haven't been to the badlands they are a series of rock formations/canyons in the middle of the prairie.  most didn't even have vegetation in them, they seem to be eroding away so I was glad we got to stop and this was everyone's favorite park.  I must admit when I saw this sign I was forever terrified that the rattlesnakes would get me (they did not), I also was terrified of looking over the edges of the canyons.

After that we were famished and hit Wall Drug where we got new mocasins (not photographed), and had some dinner.

And there may have been a rendezvous with another cowboy but we're not talking.

Stay Tuned for More.