Some Final Pictures from the Roadtrip . . .

I wanted to put up one final "catch-all" post for all the pictures that didn't make it in before.

This was our third day on the road when we went from Casper, WY to Wall, SD, and in between we visited Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore.


Waiting for the adults to use the restrooms at the visitor's center at Custer State Park . . . so patient :)

The view out the right side of the van in Custer . . .

The view out the left side of the van . . .

The view behind us . . .

We got lucky because everybody behind us and everyone on the other side of the road got stuck in this buffalo traffic jam . . . we got all the pictures and we got to ride off when we were done. I don't know how long everybody had to sit there, but those buffalo did not look like they were interested in moving anytime soon!

Rushmore from a distance . . . driving in from the south.

Coming through the entrance and walking up the path to the viewing area . . .

So patient again . . .

We decided to have dinner at their restaurant. The adults had bison burgers and the kids had hot dogs.

This was our view for our little patio dinner . . .

Kurt, the girls, and I walked the path beneath the monument.

One for the Christmas card . . .

There was a huge storm coming closer and closer during our visit . . . we had thunder and lightning during dinner, and after our walk, we decided we'd better head to the van.

Literally five minutes after this picture was taken, the sky open up and poured on us! Luckily we made it into the van with seconds to spare.

Grandma let Ella play with the disposable cameras that were all used up and waiting to be developed . . . Ella loved pretending to take pictures.

This was at a rest stop right after we crossed the Missouri river on our way to Rochester, MN . . .

Crazy camera Grandma . . . this was at the rest stop too. They had a great display about Lewis and Clark.

Grace swimming at the Madison Concourse pool two nights later . . .

This was the bingo/dining area on the SS Badger, the car ferry we took across Lake Michigan. We had fun playing trivia and bingo, and the kids had a play room with a large mural on the wall they could color. Grandma also got us our own room, so Ella took a nap for part of the time. The trip took about 4 hours and saved us from driving from Madison, WI around the lake to Bear Lake, MI.

Ella got an eyeball sticker from Kurt's optometrist in Traverse City . . .

Grace on Grandma's chair . . . we were watching our new Wiggly Safari video we got resale shopping.

This was looking out the window of the Crown Plaza in Indy . . . I missed a better picture a few seconds earlier, but I still love this Daddy-daughter moment.

Kurt outside of the house he lived in during law school at IU, Bloomington. It was condemned when he left, but they apparently fixed it up.

Grace at one of our rest stop lunches . . .

This was at a hotel in Topeka, KS . . . dinner on the floor!

The girls danced around a mall in Wyoming to get some much needed exercise after being in the van for so long.

This playground was near a gas station/truck stop complex in western Wyoming.

Another mall stop for stretching . . . we drove from Cheyenne, WY to Elko, NV in one day, so we had to make a few stops for the kids. Overall they were great little travelers!