rving families, rving kids, rving with kids, traveling, traveling with kids

The last time my wife and I visited Mount Rushmore it was in the summer of 1999. We were expecting our first child, not due until the following February. Seeing one of our nations greatest memorials located in the heart of the Black Hills was also another first for us. We were blessed with many memories on that trip, but mainly from having my parents along with my sister and her family there too. My parents were set up in their American Tradition at an RV resort just minutes from the monument. My sister’s family was traveling in their Fleetwood 5th wheel, and we had our 5th wheel not far either. When I reflect on this family trip, I can still recall the laughs we shared at our nightly campfires and cookouts. As always the conversation was just as good as the hamburgers grilled over an open fire under the South Dakota star lit sky. In all of
the photographs we snapped, the one that still brings a tear and a smile is the group shot we took in front of the memorial. An incredible feat it was that this monument was carved into the rock decades ago, but our tears aren’t shed for its beauty or awe. Only a couple of months after this trip my father was diagnosed with leukemia. Once his chemotherapy began,

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their traveling and rving days were over. The great news is my father is still with us; but the sad news for us is we now travel without them. The first time I had driven a motor home I was 15, and it was behind the wheel of my parents Fleetwood Pace Arrow. Twenty years and thousands of miles later, their motor home days are now over, but the memories they made will last forever.

Since 1999, we’ve been blessed with 2 wonderful children, Wyatt and Mary. Both were practically raised on the road and have inherited our passion for traveling and RV’s. Both can spot every KOA or Flying J sign we see. Wyatt can distinguish diesel pushers from gas driven coaches, and he uses our Wal-Mart road atlas to show his little sister what states we have been in and where we are going. In July of 2005, we were at Mount Rushmore for our second visit in 6 years. We tell Wyatt that he was only a bulge in his mommy’s tummy when he was there last. He jokes that he can’t remember that far back. Mary was just a dream and a prayer that God granted us later. Since our inaugural visit, we replaced our 5th wheel with a Fleetwood Bounder motor home. With the commencement of this second trip there with our children, the torch has officially been passed from my dad to me now.

We arrived at our accommodations on schedule. For this trip we stayed at the Mount Rushmore KOA, located just a few minutes west of the monument on Hwy 244. With Wyatt as my co-pilot, we entered the campground and his first words were “Daddy, this sure is a big campground”. I couldn’t have agreed with him more. After a little wait to get registered, we settled in at our site. Not arriving until after 6 pm, we didn’t have a lot of time and so our first night was mostly spent relaxing. When you stay at a facility with 500 spaces occupied at capacity, one can’t help but do a fair amount of people and RV watching. Anyone who RV’s regularly knows that people with RV’s tend to stop and watch other people with RV’s. We are all guilty of admiring a Prevost when she comes in for the night, and I know of no RV’er who hasn’t stared at a first timer backing in a travel trailer. We were no exception on our first night there of being the watcher or the watched. Having 2 small kids come screaming and barreling out the door of a motor home does draw attention to ones rig. We made quick use of our time, got the burgers going, and before long we had eaten and were laughing around our campfire. On the first night, the temperatures were dropping into the 40’s so hot coffee and hot chocolate were the perfect orders to end the evening outside.

The morning of our second day I awoke to eggs, pancakes, and sausage sizzling on our outside grill with my wife firmly in charge of the spatula. I poured hot coffee for us both and we shared a quiet moment while waiting on Wyatt and Mary to fall out of the hide-a-bed. Most of the campground citizenry was already busy with their morning routines. Kids were running, parents were in pursuit, a lone jogger had made her 3rd trip past our site, and a father held his 1 year old son’s hand as they went for a slow walk. His son won’t remember it, but the father will. The KOA volunteers were busy making sure every need was being attended to, and the smell of a good breakfast was in the air. I imagine this scene repeated itself almost everyday during the summer there and for RV’ers like us – that was heaven!

We started our first full day but where else - at the monument. I thought if the sculptors spent 14 years ( 1927-1941 ) blasting, drilling, cutting, and shaping this tribute to 4 of our nations greatest Americans, then the least we could do was spend as much time as possible teaching our kids ( and ourselves ) about its significance. To make the trip into just a visual experience wasn’t appropriate. These great men and for what they each meant to the development of our country deserved much more. Wyatt had lots of questions as we toured the exhibit halls, gazed at the many photographs and attended a film presentation on the history of the monument. Mary was having fun trying to match our former Presidents names to their sculpture. Ultimately we want our kids to appreciate this great country we live in, understand the sacrifices and dedication of our former Presidents, and cherish the freedom we all enjoy today because of their wisdom and devotion. We know this will come with time and maturity, but for now, going there with them was a great first step. Being there again reminds me of how blessed I am for living in the greatest country in the world and having a family to share the experience. Four hours and 48 pictures later our kids had completed their first visit.

After leaving the monument we traveled into nearby Keystone where souvenir shopping was the agenda for the afternoon. In 1999 my family had spent a fair amount of time walking this town’s main street, sightseeing, and being tourists. I couldn’t help but treat Wyatt and Mary to ice cream and fresh homemade fudge (which we saved for later) at the same ice cream shop my wife and I discovered there six years ago. Back then her and I sat on a park bench alone eating ice cream. This year, we sat on this same bench with our two children. What a difference a few years makes in ones life.

When the sun fell behind Mount Rushmore, we went back to the monument for the evening lighting ceremony. The standing room only crowd was treated to patriotic music followed by a film called “Freedom – America’s Lasting Legacy” at the parks outside amphitheatre. It’s a short documentary created in 2001 by the Discovery Channel and tells of the making of Mount Rushmore, highlights our country’s struggles, and explains the reasons these former Presidents were chosen by the sculptor, Gudzon Borglum. If its purpose was to move the audience with its feel good theme about our country, then it worked on my family. Following the film was a singing of our national anthem which everyone in attendance participated, and during this adrenaline flow, park rangers lit up the sculptures with massive flood lights. Wow! The evening was capped off with the flag lowering ceremonies at which time park rangers invited all former and current military soldiers to come on stage. If there wasn’t enough pride pouring out everyone by now, each one of the 100 plus soldiers was given the microphone and asked to say their name, branch of service, and years served. When the microphone returned to the female park ranger leading the ceremonies, she was in tears and at one point couldn’t speak, having been wrought with unexpected emotion. I looked to my wife who I knew would be too. The theme for this night was freedom. I couldn’t help but thank God for our former Presidents.

I thanked God for the soldiers who have and are defending our country today. Finally, I thanked God for putting the right people in place that led to the founding of this nation, its growth, and its strength today. I left there being reassured that our nation’s origins were no accident. Least anyone forget what this country is about, come and visit for a reminder of history and renewal of faith. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but in the United States!

Our next day was spent taking in more of the sights in the Black Hills. We started out taking a ride on the 1880 Train. The train which takes its name from the year it was in service carries tourist passengers back and forth from Hill City to Keystone. We booked the 20 mile round trip, 2 hour ride. We’ve ridden old trains before at other tourist destinations and I would rate this overall experience as good. My best advice is get to the depot early since seating is not assigned. We were lucky to find cushioned seats but some of the cars had wooden bench seats and backs, which this may be a little uncomfortable for some. Also if you get there late your family may have to split up. Along the way we had several photo opportunities. One of those included a good view of Harney Peak, which is the highest peak (they say) between the Rocky Mountains and the Swiss Alps. In addition, we counted numerous scenes of wildlife such as deer and wild turkey. In 1999 we saw mountain goats perched in the rocks around Mount Rushmore, but this trip they had been unfortunately non-existent. All told our kids loved it and afterwards we visited the train depot’s gift shop for some keepsakes to bring home. We finished the day strolling the various tourist shops at Hill City. Tourism and timber are the two main industries in the Black Hills and they are serious about tourism. If you like gold jewelry, something made from Black Hills gold can be found almost anywhere. We needed something sweeter than gold after our long train ride so we ended up in another ice cream shop called Mountain Treats, owned by Pat and Dave Hollinger. This charming ice cream shoppe located at 321 Main Street in Hill City was the perfect ending to our day. The kids had their favorites and we enjoyed sipping on a local favorite – Sarsaparilla. When we got back to camp, my wife offered a menu choice between grilled chicken with baked potatoes or hot dogs and beans. In the true spirit of camping, the kids and I chose hot dogs. We finished this day off with another campfire and popcorn popped over hot open flames.

We started out Saturday with a trip to a local glass blowing shop, Black Hills Glass Blowers, on Old Hill City Rd. in Keystone. We would have never known about these artists if our train ride hadn’t traveled in front of their studio the day before. Most of the time my wife and I make every attempt to support local artists in the towns we visit. What’s the point of buying something that has no significance or connection to the area you are touring? We found their glass work to be exactly what my wife was wanting. Their work is incredible and we were able to buy many affordable gifts for family and friends there. From there we drove 55 minutes to Deadwood, SD. In 1999 my family visited and walked the streets of Deadwood. It’s an old town with a famous old west history ever since Wild Bill Hickock was shot in the back of the head while playing cards in 1876. He is buried there along with another famous person from that era, Calamity Jane. In 1999 we had lunch at a local restaurant that featured steaks, burgers, and great appetizers. We took our kids to this same restaurant with us this time, and I think I ordered the same “Cody Burger” as in 1999. The negative drawback to Deadwood that I found this time was the dramatically increased gaming facilities in the town. We couldn’t find many businesses on Main Street that didn’t have slot machines in their main lobbies. Even an ice cream parlor had fallen victim to the gambling allure as slot machines were installed on one interior wall while ice cream was scooped on the opposite wall. The whole experience was a let down for us as parents. Needless to say when we return to Mount Rushmore in a few years, Deadwood will probably not be on our list of places to take our family. On our way home from Deadwood, we found a rock store just north of Hill City. Our kids had been asking for native rocks ever since we arrived and they were able to find several small rocks which made a great visual aid to introduce them both to geology. That night we went back to the monument where Wyatt completed a Junior Park Ranger program and earned his certificate and badge. Being only 3 years old, Mary was not able to participate but the park ranger who tested Wyatt was kind enough to give her a badge too. The Junior Park Ranger program is for 5-12 year olds and offers 2 levels (depending on age) of learning. The program is designed to teach kids a variety of facts relating to the monument and the park ranger occupation. I highly recommend it for kids and parents, and similar programs are usually offered at other national parks.

After leaving the park Saturday night, we found the Iron Mountain Road which is a steep, winding road leading from Mount Rushmore into Custer State Park. It was dusk and many deer were feeding along the road making the drive exciting for our kids. In addition to the wildlife along this drive, the road features three single lane tunnels (drilled through rock) which offer engineered views of Mount Rushmore as you travel west into each of the tunnels. Each tunnel is single lane travel only so caution is advised before entering. We had no trouble with oncoming traffic, luckily.
Sunday afternoon was spent almost entirely in Custer State Park located about 30 minutes from our campground. Visitors can travel through the park without a fee if you remain on state highway 16A, which is the main road into and out of the park. If you want to see buffalo, breathtaking vistas, and other wildlife, a fee of $10.00 was required per car to access other park roads. We drove the “free” way once on 16A and then looped back, paid the fee, and spent 4 hours traveling the back roads, meadows, hill tops, and mountain tops. For our patience, we were treated to a herd of buffalo grazing on a public access road in the park. Apparently the herd is a tourist attraction inside the park and there are posted signs everywhere to not approach the buffalo. Someone needs to tell the buffalo to not approach the cars as over one hundred buffalo were resting along the road causing a dozen vehicle traffic jamb. Some drivers were actually getting out of their vehicles to get closer pictures, a stunt I don’t recommend.

Another famous site in the park is Needles Highway. It gets the name from the tall, upright shape of the rock formations and there is actually a rock which resembles a needle (with an eyehole). There is parking and photo opportunities along Needles Highway. Any trip to Custer State Park should include taking this scenic drive.

Sunday night was our last night at Mount Rushmore. We decided to let our kids choose the activity (with some coaxing from us). They wanted to attend the lighting ceremony at the monument one more time. As the ceremonies concluded, I couldn’t help wonder when we will return. I know without a doubt we will be back, if not next year then perhaps in another 6 years. As our family left the park that night, a new family arrived for the first time the next day. With each new family that makes the journey there, comes a wonderful memory for those families to take back home with them. This monument was clearly meant for every American to not just enjoy but also understand.