Chris’ Campground, Spearfish, South Dakota. Tachometer – 4087 miles
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Ron got up excited and finished his morning routine (potty, teeth, clothes) as fast as we could ever remember. He had a hot date with his friend from yesterday and couldn’t wait to get out of the RV. Finally some company his own age with the appropriate stimulation. Not that playing with Shir and Orr is so bad, but we really want Ron to interact with kids his own age when we camp.
After talking some more with our friends from Montana, both families set out to leave. We drove to a great FREE park in Rapid City called Storybook Island. The local Rotary club set it up almost 50 years ago and It has been running on donations ever since. The park includes many famous characters from children’s books in some sort of a play structure. Some are just for posing and taking pictures. Needless to say, this place was a huge success. It was also very hot today, so the kids were treated to icy refreshments as well.
After lunch we drove up to Deadwood though route 44 then 385. It is a historically significant town that was home to some legendary figures of the old west, Wild Bill Hicock and Calamity Jane, who claimed she could “Outdrink, outspit, and out-curse any man,†and usually did. Today the town is financing the preservation of its old west charm through the many casinos that line the streets. We drove through Main St and since everyone was sleeping, we continued onward without stopping.
We drove through a scenic road called Spearfish Canyon and arrived in the late afternoon to Spearfish and this night’s home. We got in just in time for animal feeding. Since we haven’t done that in a long time, we headed to the little pet farm where the children bottle fed a lamb and a baby goat.
It was still hot outside at 6:30pm so we went to the swimming pool and frolicked a bit. They had a pretty steep water slide that Ron bravely tried and enjoyed. After the pool we ate outside and Paola left the girls without diapers, giving them some of Ron’s smaller underwear. Sadly, both sets were returned wet, and that has put a lid on our potty training plans at least for the next few months.
As we look back on our trip so far, we have discovered that the last two weeks are much more relaxed and laid back than at the beginning. There is much less of an urge to do every single hike or activity a place has to offer. The playground to nature hike ratio has tipped considerably in favor of the former, and we are all the better for it. That’s not to say we won’t be hiking anymore, especially with Yellowstone coming up later this week, but everything is just a bit slower now. A good pace.
Good night,
-Hemi
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