Family Vacation

This year our family decided to drive to South Dakota. We stayed in Rapid City, S.D., about 25 miles from Keystone, where Mount Rushmore is located. While in Keystone we visited a place called Reptile Gardens. We watched a young man wrestle a crocodile, saw a man handle some huge snakes and watched a bird show, where we saw a beautiful bald eagle.

The next day we visited Mount Rushmore. This was the first time that Andy, Brayden and Grandma Viv saw the iconic mountain. I went with my parents an older brother Matt when I was 16, but don't have too many memories about the trip. It was so cool to see it this time. From a distance, it looks smaller than what you think it is going to look like. Yet it is so amazing that one person had the vision to create such a masterpiece.

While we were there in the gift shop, we had the privilege of meeting one of the last surving stone cutters. He was one worker out of about 400, who worked on the mountain in the 1930's. At the time he was only 17 years old. It was pretty cool to be able to talk with him and to hear his experiences with working on Mount Rushmore.

We visited the mountain a second time the following day, this time at night so we could see a light show. It was a very patriotic experience as U.S. veterans were called to the stage -- and then the presidents spotlighted with bright lights. A video presentation dramatized the eras of each of the four presidents and why Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt were chosen to have their faces carved at Rushmore to forever look over the Black Hills of America. Washington, the birth of our nation; Jefferson, the expansion of our nation; Lincoln, the preservation of our nation; and Roosevelt, the industry of our nation.

Before the light show, we took a drive on Iron Mountain Road, which connects Keystone to Custer State Park. It was a beautiful drive. We only went up about half way, but it was nothing but green the whole way up. Traveling on this road took us through tunnels, and the openings framed clear, picturesque views of Mount Rushmore in the distance.

On our way home we decided to go through Casper, Wyo., and just before we got there Andy thought that it would be fun to drive towards Yellowstone National Park. We got to Dubois, Wyo., and decided to spend the night, because there was 17 miles of road construction through the Wind River Mountains, and we didn't want to get caught in traffic when they closed the road at midnight. The next morning we got up early to get a good head start and didn't have any trouble getting through the construction.

Although it was only 98 miles from Dubois to Jackson Hole, it took us more than five hours to drive through Grand Teton National Park, just below Yellowstone. It was worth it. The scenery was so incredibly beautiful. We stopped at every turnout that we could find. Although we would have liked to have seen a bunch of animals, we settled for a whitetail deer, buffalo, moose and a prairie dog.

Andy and Brayden went crazy with the camera, but I am so glad that they did, because now we have so many beautiful pictures to enjoy.

This was an amazing trip and I highly suggest that, if you want to take a fun family vacation, Keystone and Mount Rushmore is a great place to visit. The population in only 411 people (Rapid City boasts a population upwards of 67,000), but there's plenty to keep you busy.

We hope that you enjoy our pictures!

Brayden and Andy in front of Reptile Gardens

Grandma Viv wanted!

Here I am with my new friend, Barney the Boa

Never a dull moment in our family

Brayden and Andy taking a break

This is a young man trying to wrestle a crocodile

Brayden loves to make goofy faces

Me and Brayden having our picture

taken with Abraham Lincoln, he sure

was hot. He burned my legs!

This is Nick Clifford, he is 88 years old and helped work

on Mount Rushmore when he was just 17 years old

Our family in front of Mount Rushmore

Looking at Mount Rushmore through one of tree tunnels
on Iron Mountain Road

Heidi and Brayden with Black Elk
Wilderness in the background


Andy took this photo at sunset


Mount Rushmore at night


Grand Teton Mountains

Our family in front of the Teton Mountains

Brayden took this picture of a whitetail deer outside of

Yellowstone National Park

Andy took this picture of a buffalo


Andy and Heidi by the Snake River


What a couple of clowns