Great Faces. Great Places.

By the time summer rolls around, many people will have already had their vacations planned.

Europe. Australia. Mexico. Hawaii. California. New York. Florida. South Dakota.

South Dakota?

We have recently learned that South Dakota is actually a great place to take a vacation. Not only does it have tourist attractions that actually give you places to go, but the fact that it isn't one of the first things on people's minds in regards with vacation spots makes it a prime getaway. It's hard to beat a place with so many attractions without having to fight off the millions of tourists that thought the same thing you did.

The drive to South Dakota took a little more than seven hours. That included three rest stops, visits to the gas station, and a screaming one-year old with a short attention span and can't sit still. It was a beautiful drive, especially through the Black Hills. To the naked eye, the Black Hills feels like the Rocky Mountains, which I totally try to avoid driving through. But really the Black Hills are a welcome site because of the many green trees, the green back drop, wildlife, and it is much easier to drive through. It just feels very quiet in the Black Hills.

We stayed in Custer, which was an old town that had a saloon and wild west feel to it. We went to some great tourist locations. The first day was spent in Custer so we walked around their old town, had dinner and ice cream there, and just got a feel for where we were staying.

Day two was what we called president's day. We went to Mt. Rushmore and the National Presidential Wax Museum. In the evening, we went to Flintstones Bedrock City, which was definitely a trip back in time. It was great for picture's sake.

Day three was animal's day. We went to Big Bear Country USA, which was Mindy's Disneyland, and Old MacDonald's Petting Farm. At BBCUSA, you would get to drive in the wildlife, animals would come near your car, some cars got circled with bears, and it was just amazing to see these "wild" animals up close. Old MacDonald's Petting Farm featured pony rides, pig races (Oscar Meyer won, for those who were wondering), and other farm life, which was a treat for Maile since she has really gotten into farm animals. If anyone says "Old MacDonald has a farm" to her, she will respond accordingly with E-I-E-I-O. On the way back, we went to Mt. Rushmore again since, well, that is Paolo's Disneyland.

Day four was the drive back to Colorado. This time, it took almost exactly six hours to get back. Why the discrepancy? Well, Paolo obviously felt a lot more comfortable driving back than driving there so he spent most of the time going ten over the speed limit, at least that's what I'll say on the record. Besides that, the drive back was timed so perfectly with Maile's nap and eating time that only two stops were really necessary.

Overall, South Dakota was a peaceful getaway from the busy streets of Colorado and the relatively busy lives we all lead. Maile's first vacation is officially in the books with the second one probably not too far away.