This is as close to camping I will ever get. A 1/4 mile hike through Jewel Cave National Monument.

Ericka with Nature

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We went all the way to South Dakota and look who we found: Charlie the Unicorn. The Flugoos are going crazy!

Jaycie and Maxwell with Charlie the Unicorn

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Yesterday was an action packed day here in South Dakota. First off, we ventured up to the Crazy Horse monument. It was amazing. We watched a short film that told us the who, what, when, where, and why of the project. It's a work in progress so we were able to see and feel a dynamite blast. I can remember how many tons of rock were blown away, but it was on the backside of the mountain so we basically saw the rock dust. However, they had a huge bin of rocks from previous blasts that we were able to choose from to take with as a souvenir. After Crazy Horse, we drove to Bedrock City. I love the Flintstones so it was a dream come true. Though really is was almost sad. We were basically the only family there and the theme park is pretty run down. I think back in it's heyday it was probably all the rage, but now it's kind of sad. One of the workers said that it's still pretty busy, but all the kids are back in school now so that is why it wasn't busy.  We took some fun pictures then head back the cabin for a swim and some lunch. In the evening, we headed to Mt. Rushmore. As we pulled in to the park, I pulled out my camera to take a picture and realized I forgot my memory card in my computer, so I had to use the Rhino. I have tons of pictures, but won't be able to transfer them until I get home. So, here are some pictures from Crazy Horse and Bedrock City.

Mt Rockmore

Fred and I

Maxwell and Hoppy

Crazy Horse close up

Crazy Horse model

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We arrived last night in Custer, South Dakota. We are vacationing with my lifetime friend Jodi, her husband Wade, and their 5 kids. Yes, 5 freakin' kids! There are a total of 11 of us traveling together. Jodi and I have been planning this trip for months. We originally planned on reserving hotel rooms for our 4 nights here, but decided on opting for cabins. We scanned the internet for locations and prices. We found one that fit the area we were looking for and prices we could afford so we booked it blindly. Two cabins, adjoined by a deck with one cabin having a full kitchen. Two weeks ago, we had to pay the entire 4 night stay in full. Jodi and I were fretting all the way here, worried that they cabins would be trashy or scary or whatever nightmare we could think of. We were in charge of lodging and Ben and Wade would never let us live it down if we screwed up. When we pulled up and it didn't look so bad. The clerk was very nice checking us in, she gave us our maid options right away, and things were looking good. I promptly directed Ben up the hill to our cabin. It was pretty dark so we couldn't really see anything. I nervously got out of the car and ran up the porch to open the door and turn on the lights so we could see. And we were so freakin' relieved. They are super nice and cute. Exactly what we wanted. It'll be a good four days here. We have a full itinerary of tourist activities. Here are a few pictures of our travels so far.

Our cabin

Driving all day for Wall Drug

More hills of SD

The hills of South Dakota

Jaycie and Maxwell at Wall Drug

Adjoining Cabins

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Show us your latest purchase.

Red Sangria

Red Sangria wine cube from Target. Minnesota doesn't allow Target to sell wine so I always try to bootleg some from Wisconsin or Michigan. 

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Six year old dies in tragic water park accident

I'm so glad we didn't go to the water park last night. Ugh! I feel so bad for this family. I've watched tons of kids cross those lily pads while we've been here. I've been nervous about kids falling forward and hurting their faces. I never thought about head injuries and eventual death. We heard the ambulances and saw that the pool was closed today, but didn't realize there was such a serious accident until we watched the news preview. It's just so sad. 

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The last time Maxwell had his haircut was right before we went to Michigan last year. He's quite proud of his hair farming skills. However, since we've arrived here in Michigan he's been talking about cutting his hair. He says it's too long. He really hates having the longest hair in the family. So, we looked through some magazines and talked about styles. He really wanted an emo hair cut, but his curls ruined that dream. Instead, we went for a curly Jason Earles look. He very happy with his new hair cut that is longer than Ben's but shorter than mine.

Maxwell before 2

Maxwell before

Maxwell after

Maxwell after 2

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We went to Sleepy Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan today on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. There is a 450 ft drop from the scenic view to the shore of Lake Michigan. Maxwell wanted to climb down to the shoreline, but I vetoed the idea since I hadn't been dressed for hiking. We settled for the amazing view. Then had pie. It's been a wonderful weekend. Five more days of Michigan then we head for home.

Looking down to Lake Michigan

Jaycie and Maxwell with Lake Michigan

Climbing up to path

Steephill

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What is the one word that perfectly describes your day today?
submitted by [this is connie]

Unknown

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We've survived the first week in Michigan. The kids have spent plenty of time in the water park and playing MagiQuest.

Today, we went to Mackinac Island. We checked out various rock formations, the area churches, and the Fort then bought some fudge, boarded the ferry and headed back south. We are all exhausted from the trip, but it was awesome. And fudge is almost as good as the pie I am going to have tomorrow from the Grand Traverse City Pie Company.

Fort Mackinac

Ericka, Jaycie, and Maxwell at Fort Mackinac

Ben in the pulpit

Arch Rock 1

Mackinac view 2

St. Ann’s Church

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