I just got back from a nine day family vacation with my husband, David, and son, Carl. We went to South Dakota and Wyoming and had a great time. We did lots of hiking -- at least three 10K hikes that were moderate to strenuous. We hiked around Devil's Tour in Wyoming and Spearfish Canyon in SD. From there we went to stay at 2 different lodges in Custer State Park - Sylvan Lake and Game State Lodge. We saw Mt. Rushmore during the day and lit up at night and hiked around the grounds. We were very lucky to be in SD the first full weekend of June which allows you to do a Volksmarch (people walk) up to Crazy Horse Memorial. It is THE ONLY weekend during the year that you can actually hike up to the top. We were standing on what will eventually be his arm. We did the lantern hike inside Jewel Cave. We hiked around Sylvan Lake, up to Little Devil's Tower and up to Harney Peak. We went a bit further south to Lake Angostura and rented a house for 2 days. Mammoth Site is only about 20 minutes from there. Our son got to do a junior paleontology dig. It is an actual live site that they are still uncovering. The kids get to find replica bones in a giant sand pit. We saw wild bison, buffalo, several varieties of deer, a big horned ram, wild prairie dogs and some very pretty birds. We also did some horseback riding.
