Today we headed to scottsbluff national monument. This is a convergence of pioneer trails. The pioneers came thousands of miles through the same prairie scenery, so this was a welcome change of pace. Sandstone bluffs rose from the grasslands. (Little did they know they would soon see more than they wanted). Here is where our pioneer ancestors walked. Next, a site some of us had been waiting for, Carhenge. Nebraska is weird. Super cool though, both the story and…
Again, my inexperience with weather catches up to me…There is a severe heat advisory for 21 states right now. Nebraska, of course, is one of them. It was 108 degrees today. Ugh. We only made it to one national park, as we were sluggish in the heat. We hit Agate National Park. Super cool mammal fossils, and a hike to see some spiral burrow fossils in the hillside. And then, we went shopping. Because sometimes you need a break from…
Today, we were woken by cows. If you have never had this experience, you may not realize how LOUD cows are. I had no idea. I NEVER would have imagined. So, we are all up. Deon needed to work, and no internet access, so we drove to jewel cave national monument. Still no internet access, and no tickets for hours. So we secured tickets, and headed back out to Custer. We found a park so Deon could work and we…
Today was a crazy day! We had parked on forest service land, and Deon had some work to get done this morning before we headed out. So, I decided to take the kids on a geocaching hike. It is so beautiful here in the black hills. So, there is one super close. 1/10 of a mile away. So, we head out. It’s a really strenuous uphill, but we make it. Aunica is awesome holding Jedi’s hand the whole way up,…
We started out our Sunday morning with an early (ok, 8:15) wake up knock to ask if we were coming to church. Yep, hope you have room for us. That’s what we get for parking in the church parking lot! We had a wonderful experience this Sunday! It’s just a small branch, but the people we so kind and welcoming. Both my little boys went to class, so Deon and I could both go to class for the first time…
I know I’m not alone in this, am I? Sometimes we need a minute to adjust. Sometimes we need to blow off a little steam. There is one thing I know about my husband, as *awesome* as he is (and I really mean that), communication is NOT his strong point. It’s something he tries to work on, and something I know about him, and give him grace. But some moments are easier than others. So, I thought we would leave…
Today is our last day with the Ketchum girls. This is a hard day. We did start our day off at the pool again. I had a rough night with the baby, so I stayed in the hotel room and took a bath. We packed up and headed to Deadwood. The kids watched a reenactment of the shooting of wild Bill Hickok, while I was on the phone with the airline getting details sorted out. Then we went to the…
Well, now I get a taste of what my life will be like in a few years! I woke up to two 16 year olds, two 12 (or nearly so) year olds, a ten year old and a baby. We started off our day at the pool. There are two things I look for, and will pay extra for, in a hotel. One is a pool, the other is included breakfast. It always seems like such a waste to me…
Yep…stuck. Although Sunday I didn’t really know that yet. We went to church. It was small. After church we went to the Little Bighorn County Museum. This is one of my (and my kids’) favorite small museums. It is a collection of buildings, original and replica, with historical artifacts in them. A church, a schoolhouse, a dentist and a doctors office, and more. At least 20 buildings you can walk into and explore. It was a…
In trying to catch up, I forgot to write about some experiences I have had with native Americans here, or white peoples attitudes about them. We are reading so much in the news and on social media about black peoples continuing struggles with racism (and rightfully so), but this week has been about another group of people’s struggles. First, at the water park I was nursing my 16 month old in the changing room (I’m not especially modest, but nursing…