We decided we were going to do the highest quantity of touristy things we could today in Rapid City. The kiddos had endured Mount Rushmore, so today was their turn for fun things.
First on the list was Reptile City. This place had some pretty fun shows that involved birds, crocodiles and snakes. Andre absolutely loved the shows, and we thought they were pretty entertaining as well.
We also had the opportunity to enteract with the biggest tortus any of us had ever seen:
After Reptile City, we decided to become trapped in Bear Country. This was a (I’m guessing here) 2.5 mile drive that took 2 hours to go through because the drive only goes one way with one lane. If one person wants to watch a goat for 15 minutes, everyone waits.
There were a ton of animals, and the rules were the opposite of Yellowstone. The rules at Yellowstone say to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Here, 20 somethings were riding ATVs next to the bears, trying to scare them from the entrance.
Then we checked out this old mining tunnel where, in the mid-1800’s, the miners had accidentally struck water when they were searching for gold, creating a waterfall in the mine shaft. It was really interesting to walk down. The lights weren’t working in the cave, and the railing was a bit unsafe. Those things added a bit of adventure to the walk.
We tried to go to Storybook Island, but it started to rain with no sign of letting up, so we had to leave. Even though we weren’t able to stay very long, I would highly recommend every city in America develop one of these. It was a free park with a good amount of space that had a ton of cubbies, playsets, forts, etc.. CHECK IT OUT
It was a fun day for the kiddos and tuckered them both to an easy bedtime routine.
Tip #24 – So we have been doing some experiments on the trip with sugar. It is amazing the difference in Andre’s attitude when we heavily regulate the sugars. We aren’t really a soda or juice family, but fruit snacks, candy and desserts are definitely on the table. My recommendation would be that on days where you know you are going to do a bit of driving – NO SUGAR OR TREATS till you have the opportunity to let them run crazy in a park or kid activity.
