South Dakota- Fall Break

We did something completely different for fall break this year and headed to South Dakota. This was somewhere I never really thought would make a great vacation destination, but I was completely wrong. After a lot of research on Pinterest, I knew it would be a great place to visit. 

The weather in South Dakota during the fall can be tricky. It would be really warm or a snowstorm could come through. A day or two before we left they received around five inches of snow. We were so excited to see some snow, and the girls were excited to play in it. We flew into Rapid City airport which is the best airport I have been to thus far. It's small, nice, and everything is easily accessible. If only every airport could be like that. We rented a van and drove about an hour to Custer, SD which is where we stayed for the week. 

The girls were so excited to play in the snow. There was no much left by the time we arrived, but there was still enough to play in. 

It was truly a beautiful place to visit. 

The girls loved exploring in the "backyard" of our rental. 

Ella especially loved the rocks. 

Up and at em'! 

Chipmunks seem to be a common theme for us on vacations. There was no shortage of them around there. We loved watching them run around. 

Deer were also all around our rental. There was a momma and two babies that came every morning to eat the corn the owners left. 

First up on our agenda for our trip was Mt. Rushmore. It was only about a 20 minutes drive from our rental, and it was a pretty drive. It looked like fall yet there was snow on the ground. We couldn't do the President's trail since it was too icy, but we were still able to enjoy the beautiful view. 

Mt. Rushmore is definitely something to see! 

Since we were there in the off-season there was a bit of construction which was a bummer, but we were still able to get a nice view for pictures. I was just about the only person with a tripod and an actual camera. I'm sure Adam regrets ever mentioning that I should get a tripod. 

We ate lunch inside the cafe which was really neat although the food was really different. It was a nice, quiet place to eat, and we enjoyed it. 

As soon as we got back the girls (and Adam) played in what little snow was left. 

They were still able to make some decent sized snow balls. 

The deer must have heard us out and about because they came to eat. We could get close enough to almost touch them.. almost. 

Our rental had THE BEST basement. Ella and Paige both enjoyed running around down here. It was nice to have this large space on vacation. It was too big for us, but it was nice that we all had our own bedrooms and bathrooms. 

The sunsets were absolutely gorgeous. 

On day 2 we went to Bear Country USA and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Bear Country USA is a drive-thru type zoo. It was small but definitely worth it. We greatly enjoyed the bears. They were everywhere. 

They also had a small area you could walk around, and a great gift shop. Ha! My girls don't have a lot of similarities, but they both love to shop. They got it honest. 

This sweet little guy (or girl) loved playing with this stick. It was so cute. Look at those paws!! 

Ella was thrilled to see a wolf in person. She loves wolves. 

We stopped in Hill City, South Dakota for lunch, and almost everything was closed since it was offseason. Schools were also closed that day because it was Native American Day.  Luckily, a great restaurant called "The Alpine Inn" was open. They had the best German food. Ella especially loved it. She ordered off the adult menu and had coke in a glass. She ordered the schnitzel (which is a breaded pork chop) and ate almost all of it. It was a great lunch. 

After lunch, we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial. Since it was Native American Day there were a lot of extra things going on. We listen to a Native American family talk about their culture and watched their four-year-old daughter dance. It was too cute. 

We took a very short bus trip to the base of Crazy Horse for better viewing and better pictures. :) 

The girls were a little wild when we got back and were acting crazy in the basement. At one point Paige was naked, running around with her underwear on her head. 

Every night, without fail, the deer were waiting for their dinner. My favorite part of South Dakota was all the wildlife. 

The following day we took a buffalo safari ride in Custer State Park. It was a COLD and windy day. After two hours we were frozen, but it was completely worth it. 

 These buffalo were close enough to touch and could have cared less about us driving by. They were huge, and I definitely would not have gotten out to take a picture. 

These pronghorns were everywhere. 

 There was a wildfire a couple of years ago in Custer State Park, and it was sad to see all the damage the fire did. 

We saw lots and lots of buffalo. It was such a novelty to me since it's not something you see at home. They would be in the middle of the road licking it and could care less that there was a line of cars waiting to pass. 

The groundhogs were my absolute favorite. Our guide told us they are filthy little animals, but I could care less. They were adorable. They were running in and out of their holes, talking to each other. It was so cute. I wanted to take those filthy little animals home with me. 

Paige and I took off one day and went to Sylvan Lake. I heard it was a must-see, and it definitely is. Pictures don't even do this place justice. It is beautiful. 

Paige and I walked the trail around the lake. There was still quite a bit of ice leftover, but it was such a pretty day. 

We stopped to do a little bit of shopping in downtown Custer. 

On our last day, we rented an ATV so we could ride the trails. These can be driven anywhere around South Dakota. 

It was such a pretty day that day, and it was nice having an open-air vehicle. 

We drove a few trails and then went to a lookout. By the time Ella was almost motion sick from all the bumping around on the trails so we had to get her back. 

Before we knew it, we were back at the airport headed home! 

We had a great trip together. I'm thankful we are able to go on these adventures and spend the time with one another. It's a lot of planning and work but completely worth all of it.