South Dakota Part 3

Someday I will have this whole trip documented, I hope! It was such an amazing trip, I don't want to forget anything. I think I left off just as we were heading through Needles Highway! One word for you, AMAZING!!! It was truly a beautiful, scenic drive and we were lucky enough to begin the beautiful drive by seeing a few Big Horn Sheep right along the road. They didn't seem a bit scared of the crowd of people (including us) gathered around snapping photos.

We kept driving along the highway, taking in the breathe taking views of pointy mountains(hence the name "Needles Highway." We stopped several times to let the kids hike which they thoroughly enjoyed. Even the babies got in on the action, they seriously think they are as old as the other kids. I'm so glad we took them with us, not that I would've left them home, but the thoughts of two little babes in the car for hours upon hours made me a bit nervous. But, it all worked out, thanks to my mom's ingenius "car packets" for each of the children packed with endless games, toys, snacks, educational packets, you name it, it was in the bag. Among the favorites were the license plate spotting game, road trip bingo, people watching game, the flash cards, and the snacks. There was literally something for them to do every second of the car ride so it made for a very pleasant, not perfect, but generally pleasant car ride. I learned that even 14 month old babies love flashcards. Maybe I should've done that earlier but I just didn't think about it. Anyway, I have a great mom who always thinks of everything and most of all is always trying to make my life a bit easier.

Okay, more about Needles Highway. It was just stunningly beautiful. Even the kids were ooohing and aawwing along the way. We could've spent hours climbing on the rocks but needed to move on down the road. After a bit more driving we came upon the "Needle" but before you could get the full affect, you had to drive through a one lane tunnel. The kids thought it was the neatest thing they'd seen thus far. It was kind of crazy because it was tough to see if any cars were coming through the other way because the sun was shining just right so we had to inch our way forward. After making it through, we parked and took pictures of the "Needle" which is pretty amazing. After a few more pictures, we drove for a bit more and came upon Sylvan Lake. I'd read about it and seen pictures before hand but you really can't begin to get the full affect of its beauty w/out actually going there yourself. I know I keep saying how beautiful and stunning places are but I have to say the same about this place. It's a must see if you ever decide to make the trip. We spent the afternoon playing there. Hiking, swimming, & playing on the sandy beach. We hoped to rent paddle boats but they were closed because of scattered thunderstorms. But we still totally enjoyed ourselves.

These pictures just don't do it justice, oh well! Go there someday and you'll see what I mean. Regan, Morgan, Kaleb, and I hiked around the lake, through another tunnel, up some rocks, and made our way around to the beach. Since we couldn't take strollers that way, DJ, Jordyn, and the babies went the other way. We met up and played on the beach for a couple of hours. Jordyn and Morgan loved trying to catch the tiny fish, Kaleb and the babies loved splashing in the water and playing in the sand. Regan and I walked out as far as we could w/out having to test our swimming skills.

Well, that's it for now! Still, tons more to come but I'm getting there. One more favorite picture to share with you, possibly my favorite. It just signifies the babies life for that week, stuck in a stroller with plugs in their mouths. Believe me, there were times I wished I could've traded them places!