Vacation to the Black Hills, Part 2

Day 1: So we headed out, and the drive was not near as bad as I had feared. Other than having to stop several times for the kids to go potty, it went well. We arrived to our resort in late afternoon, and found our cabin. It had a screened in porch, a small kitchen and seating area, and two bedrooms, plus outside there was a picnic table and fire pit w/ grill topper. At our resort there were two pools, horse stables, two restaurants, two shops/stores, a jumping pillow, a mini golf area, a large game board, basket ball court, splash park, water slide, and a large playground. So after we got unpacked we headed down to the playground and jumping pillow area. Then we ate dinner at one of the restaurants, changed into our suits and went swimming. After that we went back to our cabin, changed into warmer clothes, and had a little camp fire, roasted marshmellows, and then went to bed!

Day 2: When we woke up the next morning it was freezing in our cabin so we made a fire in our fireplace to warm up a bit. Then we got ready for our first busy day of touring. After everyone was ready for the day we headed down to the Pancake Tent for a pancake breakfast. Then we loaded into the van and headed towards Rapid City. We visited the Air & Space Museum at Ellsworth Airforce Base. When we got there it was HOT, and Andrew's face was a bit red but I figured it was just from riding in the van. So I get him out and put him in the stroller and Ryan throws a fit because he wants to ride in the stroller. It happens every time. So we go to look at some of the planes and I notice Andrew rubbing his eyes a lot and he's getting more red. So I told Erick that we should go inside, hoping it was much cooler. We went inside and Erick was bringing Andrew to the bathroom to was his face off w/ cool water and see what was going on when his nose started gushing blood everywhere. We tried to get it to stop but it just make him more upset, which made him bleed more. Then a nice Airwomen offered to take us to another room and get us some ice, cake, fruit, and pop. That seemed to calm him down and the bleeding slowed and eventually stopped, but his eyes and face were still really red and puffy. So while Erick kept him calm I ran over to a gas station really quick and grabbed some Benadryl. We gave him some as best we could but it didn't really help much. I was starting to get worried that we would need to bring him to the hospital on vacation. We walked around a bit and kept an eye on him, then decided to give him a little more Benadryl and head out. So we cranked the A/C in the van and let it cool off before loading the kids up and driving around a bit to make sure Andrew was okay, and find my husband a new t-shirt, since his had blood on it. We gave Andrew a bunch to drink and then he fell asleep. As he was sleeping his face cleared right up and he seemed like his usual self again. So we decided to head to Story Book Island, which is a really neat free park w/ fun play structures for the kids and a little train ride. The kids loved it!

After that we were all tired so we went back to the cabin to rest for a bit, but of course the boys wanted to go swimming! So we changed into our suits and headed to the pool for a bit. We also go to go for a little wagon ride around the campground. Afterwards we grilled hot dogs, ate chips, and drank pop... nothing like a little junk food on vacation! We decided we had better get ready and head to Mt. Rushmore since we hadn't made it the night before. I wanted to get there before dark, but not too early because they have an evening movie and lighting ceremony. It was very beautiful, and much more amazing in person than it is in pictures. However, I didn't get to see much of the movie presentation due to Andrew acting like a little crazy boy. By the time we got back to the cabin that night it was pretty late and the kids were tired so we went right to sleep.

Day 3: Today was our day to visit Bear Country USA and Reptile Gardens, plus we were hoping to tour a cave later that evening. We got to Bear Country and followed the line of cars through the park... it was pretty neat to see many wild animals up close. Several bears were walking around the roads and one crossed right in front of our van. Then we went over to "Babyland" where you can walk around and see smaller animals, including baby bears! They were soo cute, playing with each other and climbing trees. Afterwards we were getting hungry but headed down the road to Reptile Gardens. When we got there we ordered lunch, ate, and then decided to walk around a bit before seeing what time the shows were. In the afternoon we watched a Snake Show, and it was really neat. The guy told us all kinds of interesting facts about snakes and told a few jokes. Shortly before the show started a nice couple w/ a little boy a few months older than Andrew sat down in front of us. I warned them that Andrew might kick, but they were very understanding and started talking w/ us and Andrew. Andrew was just watching their little boy, and was being super quiet. Later in the show Andrew did get wild again, but thankfully it was near the end. Afterwards we walked around some more, and saw some Giant Tortoise's that were 160yrs. old! Then we headed back to the resort. Andrew was asleep and I was exhausted so my husband took the older two boys down to the pool and water slide while I took a nap with Andrew. When they got back it was supper time so we went to one of the little restaurants and got something to eat, but it started to rain! They only had outdoor seating so we took our food back to our cabin. After the storm was over we decided to go check out the cave that we wanted to tour, only to realize that it was closing in 10mins. So we didn't make it that night, but told the kids we would go first thing in the morning. It was still early so we decided to go explore the town nearest our resort, before heading back to the cabin and making a fire. The big boys and Daddy did a few little firecrackers and I began packing and cleaning up the cabin.

Day 4: Today was our day to check out and go home, which no one wanted to do but we did. First we headed to Rushmore Cave for a tour. I had brought along the Ergo for my husband to wear Andrew on his back in the cave. He tried it out the night before and Andrew loved it. So we go into the cave, and Andrew starts fussing... the tour goes on for a bit and every time we stopped the fussing turned into crying. He wanted me to carry him but I just couldn't do it. So we had to ask to leave. They sent another tour guide to lead us out of the cave a different way and all was well. They had a money back guarantee so we weren't out anything, but we were all very disappointed that we didn't get to complete the tour as it was something we were really looking forward to. Afterwards we headed for home, and the trip was uneventful.