Little House on the Prairie

July 2nd-  Monday morning we packed up (again) and headed off to South Dakota.  I have to admit I am a little nervous to head off in the Western direction from my parents.  This is unknown territory for me but I am also very excited for all the amazing things we will see and experience.  (I could do without all the dirty laundry but hey, I will look at it as a vacation FROM laundry :)

Our first stop for the day was in Tea, SD where we were able to see the new FlyBoy Donut shop.  It was fun to see how they run everything and it will be very exciting to see where this new adventure takes Aaron and Kari!  Thanks for showing us your store on your day off :)

Then we were back on the road again to DeSmet, SD to the Little House on the Prairie.  This was the original homestead for the Ingalls family when Laura was around 13 years old.  We did not know what to expect as we headed out onto the prairie in the near 100 degree heat and incredible wind.  I did think of how many years the pioneers survived these prairies in the heat and the winter cold.  Amazing!  We were able to see a dugout and a shanty.  Both would have their pros and cons to live in but we all decided we like our house.:)  Annika dressed up in a dress and bonnet for the experience and I have to admit it was cute watching her run through the prairie.  She was able to churn butter, make a button spinner, learned how to make braided rugs, washed some laundry (how can they be so excited about doing laundry this way when they complain so much at home!!).  We explored the water pumps, garden, and loved playing with the kittens and baby calf in the barn. 

Some of the favorite things to do though was riding on a horse and driving a carriage and also riding on a covered wagon.  I cannot imagine traveling across the plains in a covered wagon- WOW!  The kids each got a turn to actually drive the team of mules on the covered wagon.  Very Fun!!!  We had a little excitement when one of the horse's lines came loose and the horse started to jackknife the wagon.  So...Dave leaped out of the wagon to grab the horses and saved his family from injury in a runaway wagon.  :)  We didn't actually go anywhere but it was a little exciting for a moment and he was a hero!!!  We were very impressed with all the activities that they had for us all to do.  The kids did well as it was very hot and we were exploring for about 3 1/2 hours.  Now...onto our campground.

Chris lassoing a calf

Meet Grace Ingalls & Almanzo Wilder





Our first night camping was in Chamberlain, SD at Cedar Shore Resort.  I know that we will have some interesting roads along our travels but did not really expect it in South Dakota.  We loved seeing the beautiful plains....and all the cattle on a thousands hills.  We were soon coming up to the Missouri River and driving along when suddenly there was literally no road...some dirt. What??   Where DID the road go? We did find out campground after some bushwhacking through the hills and going around detoured exits.  It is a very nice campground and our spot was right on the Missouri  River.  We put our tent 5 feet from the bluff- very pretty!  As we were driving  toward camp at about 8:30pm we saw a sign saying it was 92 degrees.  I gave a big sigh and was not sure what the night would hold for us.  Before kids, we had taken a camping trip to the beach with a bunch of couples.  We think it cooled down to 98 degrees in the middle of the night, there were a ton of mosquitoes and not a breeze in sight.  I think that night was considered the "night in hell" by many.  All will compare to that night.  We hopped into the pool to cool off and were in our tent at about 11pm. It was a little warm but not bad.  There was a 95% chance of storms through the night and through the night I heard thunder off in the distance but we never got rained on...just got some cool, pleasant breezes. All in all, it was a good first night in the tent.

A random question:  We did see advertised a "Bacon Sundae"  Hmmmm....has anyone had this and what did you think?  We may just have to try it but no one thought that was going to be a winner! :)

Our first full day was a success  and we had a wonderful time. I love being with my family and just exploring our wonderful nation and all the amazing countryside that God has created!

P.S.  I am sorry that it has taken me awhile to get the blogs up but we have had a hard time uploading pictures and when we have had long drives, we have had no service.  Please be patient with me....they will still be coming!