Day 6 - Happy Birthday Maggie!

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How do you celebrate a 12th birthday when staying in an RV touring National Parks? Horseback riding, of course!

Maggie's wish for her birthday was to go horseback riding, and Todd worked non-stop in the morning to make it happen. After a brief tour of Bedrock City for Sean and Maggie (complete with a ride on a go-kart powered Flintstone-mobile), we ended up at Palmer's Gulch Stables, part of the KOA Campground in Hill City, SD.

What a gift - for all of us! The boys had never been, and Maggie had limited experience. But the gentle horses were perfect for our novice group, the scenery peaceful and rejuvenating for your spirit, and the guides for our group entertaining and capable. We rode the Buckaroo Loop for about an hour, with Marcia and the kids in the front of the pack and Todd, being the most experienced guest, charged with bringing up the "caboose" (Yee-Haw!). The kids not only did a superb job, but loved every minute of it. We may even try for a second time on this trip if the opportunity arises.

Another unexpected highlight came from Bear Country USA. Billy, our resident wildlife and nature lover, requested more activities with animals, so we found ourselves driving the 2-mile course in the open enclosure, safari-like park at Bear Country. It was so much fun to hear the kids ooooh and aaaahhhh over the "wild" life, many of whom were close enough to hop a ride in our RV if they had wanted! See the pics for an idea of all we were able to see.

Tommy's steady stream of "This is spectacular!" declarations as we drove through the Black Hills was music to our ears. I think we finally had a day with less than 30 minutes of electronic time, and no complaining about that. Progress is definitely being made! All the kids were snapping pictures left and right out the windows of scenery, animals, monuments - so much to see.

Our "big" attraction today was Mount Rushmore, our first official National Park on this grand tour. And it did not disappoint. The view of the mountaintop carvings as we drove around the bend was awe-inspiring and attention capturing (thankfully Todd, who has already seen this, was driving so the RV remains intact!). We quickly made our way to the Avenue of the States (or whatever that path of flags is called), only to be waylaid by a brief rain, which simply gave us ample time to explore the ginormous gift shop while we waited for the clouds to clear. But once they did, there was a full rainbow awaiting our arrival. Pictures can't do it justice. Then it was off for a picture-taking frenzy! You'll have to decide for yourself how our presidential impersonations turned out.

As the finishing touch to Maggie's special day, we ate dinner in Keystone, SD, a total tourist trap with fun old-fashioned western shops and restaurants. After a full day, it was about 10:00 when we got back in the RV to drive back to the campsite. The added benefit of traveling where you sleep is that before we headed back we got all the kids into bed - they were asleep within minutes and never roused as we "made" camp.

There were so many moments today where one or more of us just randomly commented on how happy we were. Todd and I are thoroughly enjoying this uninterrupted time with the kids. The kids seem to be having a ball picking and choosing activities and seeing the sights. We're all getting better at being patient and flexible with one another. And we're only on Day 6 of a 28-day trip!! As Todd so eloquently put it, "I'm so happy right now!"

Tomorrow is a long driving day for us as we make our way to Wyoming on route to Yellowstone. They don't know it yet, but we'll be taking the kids to a real, live rodeo in Cody, WY, provided we get there in time. Experience thus far suggests that riding in the RV is, in many ways, similar to being on a boat - once you get off, your legs still feel funny. We'll see just how well we're all walking tomorrow night after a full day's ride!

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes for Maggie - she truly felt special the entire day, largely due to the many calls, voice mails, emails, e-cards and text messages from everyone. Feel free to pose questions if you have them via a comment - I'm not responding to comments directly, but definitely enjoying them each night as we settle in. So please keep them coming!

Until tomorrow,
Marcia

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Photos

Maggie's Motorcycle
Complete with pink cowboy boots!

Maggie on Solomon
Check out those new boots!

Comments

[Judy Baker]

Those boots were made for walkin'
Maggie, Your boots are FAB U LOUS! Love them! Judy

[Dad]

My Favorite
Marcia and Todd, All the pictures are great but my favorite is of all of you in front of Mount Rushmore "One Park Down". Great to "travel with you" via the blog and so happy that you are enjoying the adventure. Dad

[The Other Baldwin Family]

No horse play near the Presidents!
Great pictures. It looks like your having a wonderful time. And that ride on the safari- it's amazing what they can do today with animatronics. Say hello to Walt for us!

[Grandma]

A Horse, Ofcourse!
There is nothing more fun than a horse - a real "live" one, as Maggie told me. (Somehow, I hadn't thought of the head on a stick, Maggie!) I really hate to correct the "first time" thing though. I remember a Sunday when we all went to Maryland to the farm for "free rides" a couple of years ago. I have some great pictures of that day when everybody mounted. We had to drag Maggie and Billy away, but Sean and Tommy also rode around. Father knows I've looked for "cheap" Virginia riding for years. Soooo glad you had such fun. Nothing like it, but did you go on the trail, Marcia? I've missed the blog for two days because I didn't know about the "refresh" button! Kirk just told me. Was very busy with Sarah, but am back to normal now. So good to hear from you! Love, love!