Mount Rushmore

We started our day at Mount Rushmore, a pretty impressive place given the time it took to create (14 years), the technology available when it was carved (in the 1920s and 30s), and the end product.  

The South Carolina flag

Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln

We stopped at a youth exhibit and watched two rangers spinning fur into yarn.  I was pretty excited to see this.  I have never seen yarn being spun before.  One was spinning wool and another was spinning  wolf fur.  This got me thinking about spinning Daisy's fur...

Junior Ranger time

Our next stop was the Badlands - our last national park.  Thankfully this was an easy 1 1/2 hour drive.  I must admit, we didn't have very high expectations for the Badlands.  How could anything in South Dakota really compare to Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone?  As we drove in, we were more than pleasantly surprised.  The Badlands are beautiful.  They are full of striped rock formations surrounded by miles and miles of prairie.

On our way in, we stopped at the visitor center to pick up our booklets.  The girls turned in their Junior paleontologist  and Junior Night Sky Ranger booklets and were awarded those patches and badges.  The ranger gave them some clear beads and told them to run outside and see what happens to them in the sun.  They immediately changed into beautiful pastel colors.  As soon as were settled in our room, the girls were making bracelets with their new beads.

Another great surprise was our cabin.  It was beautifully constructed of all wood - roomy and clean.  James and I enjoyed our books for a bit on the front porch.  I was distracted by our many visitors.

After dinner we drove up the road a bit and watched the sunset.

A porcupine!