Sarah - I Can Sing A Rainbow

Sarah is the third from left in the front row.

2017 National Parks Road Trip - part 2

Day 8 - I was really excited to see Lake McDonald, which is known for its rainbow stones. It was windy and a bit chilly, but the kids had fun in the water anyway. We then drove part of Going-to-the-Sun road and took in the magnificent views.

Day 9  - This was our rest day, we went on a short hike near our hotel in Whitefish, MT, played at the park and went out for sushi.

Day 10 - We spent another day at Glacier National Park. We finished driving Going to the Sun Road to the east side of the park. Today's highlight was a boat ride on St. Mary Lake with a stop at Baring Falls.

Day 11 - Most of the day driving. We thought we'd make a quick stop at Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. We ended up spending quite a while there, we learned about historic ranching in the area, took a covered wagon ride, and talked to a ranger about chuck wagon cooking. We also stopped in Helena for some play time.

Day 12 - We spent most of the day in North Dakota. Our first stop was Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, this was a pretty small site, but if was fun talking to the ranger dressed in period attire about how trades were made. Then on to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We visited both the north and south units of the park, which aren't connected. The Cannonball Concretions were really interesting, and the soil around them was very sandy. The views were great, despite the smoke, which is evident in the sunset pictures.

Day 13 - We saw Mount Rushmore National Memorial and learned some about the history and making of it. We then went to Wind Cave National Park, a cave that breaths depending on the atmospheric conditions. Wind Cave is known for its boxwork formations, which we got to see on our guided tour. We then went back to Mount Rushmore for the evening presentation.

Day 14 - In the morning we visiting another cave, Jewel Cave National Monument. This cave has a lot of calcite crystal formations or various colors. We then went to Reptile Gardens where we got to pet a giant tortoise and see many alligators, crocodiles, and snakes.

Day 15 - We visited Badlands National Park. Driving out there was interesting because you couldn't see anything but fields from the highway, but as soon as you entered the park the views completely changed. The kids really enjoyed that we were allowed to hike out on some of the formations. Then we went to Minutemen Missile National Historic Site. Despite working at a nuclear laboratory, I don't know that much about it, and especially didn't know that at one point there were a thousand nuclear warheads underground, ready to launch, in the great plains.