Day 11 - The Big Dig (and The Big Purchase...)

Several of us slept in (at least a little bit) this morning. Bob and Don had to head back up to Rapid City to talk to the people at the Ford dealer and try to figure out what was wrong with Bob's truck. After a few hours, Don came home, but Bob did not return for several hours. What was he up to? All in good time.

I spent the morning trying to make reservations for various activities that we wanted to try during our week in Custer. It was a wee bit frustrating because of poor cell service and ticket booths that didn't open when they were supposed to. However, I finally got everything scheduled. It will be a full, busy week for us, but there is so much to see and do here!

After lunch, Don, Mom, the kids, and I drove down to Hot Springs, SD to the Mammoth Site. It is the location of an ongoing paleontological dig in a prehistoric sinkhole. Over a period of a couple of hundred years, hundreds of mammoths, short-faced bears, and other animals became stuck in the sinkhole and their bones were preserved in the sediment and limestone. They constructed a building around the majority of the site and you can view the people still searching for bones and other fossils.

During our guided tour, the kids got to carry a mammoth femur replica for everyone to touch.

part of the dig site

"Napoleon" - A replica based on a complete set of mammoth bones found at the site

Replica of a hut that Natives made from mammoth bones

One of the kids (not sure which) took some shots of the inside of the hut so you can see the bones and animal hides

Gabriella and Daddy were fooling around while Gavin and I were looking at the exhibits. I'm sure that the museum people love it when the children are running around and screeching. But as long as Daddy said it was okay.

The kids then got to participate in a Jr. Paleontology dig. They dug for replica bones and then had to identify what they found. Both kids found huge mammoth rib bones that took quite a while to unearth. After, they were presented with certificates declaring them official Jr. Paleontologists.

They loved taking off their shoes and getting right in the dirt

Gavin was very excited to find his first rib bone!

Teamwork

Gabriella in her supervisor role as she has the boys do the dirty work for her

We even had fun in the gift shop!

After a stop at the local Dairy Queen for milkshakes (it was hot in Hot Springs!), we took the scenic route back through Custer State Park.

A few days before we arrived, a lightning strike ignited a forest fire in and around the park. Conditions are so dry around here that all open flames are banned, including grills and cigarettes. After much hard work, the firefighters have the fire mostly under control, but we did see planes and helicopters that were still dumping water on the smoldering areas. As we drove through, it was just heart-breaking to see the acres upon acres of destroyed trees and vegetation.

Mom's photo through the truck window

In other areas of the park, though, we were able to see places that had burned many years ago that have shown tremendous regrowth. We've since learned that forest fires, as long as not too widespread, can actually be beneficial to the forest, as it allows for reseeding and attracts new animals to the area to eat the new growth. These days, though, everything is so dry that any fire is very scary and difficult to contain.

When we got back to the campground, Bob was finally back - with a brand-new truck! Apparently, the issue was with the wiring and the garage said that they couldn't get the truck in to work on for at least a week, then the work to find and repair the problem would take at least a couple of weeks after that. Rather than moving to South Dakota for a month, Bob opted to just buy a new truck! I don't have a picture yet, but will post one soon.

As it was our fourteenth anniversary, Don and I had date night while the grandparents took care of the kids. We went into Custer and had dinner at the Sage Creek Grille. Oh, yum. We shared the Spanish shrimp to start and both had the bison NY strip. It was absolutely delicious. Didn't take any pictures of the food, but I did run outside to snap this one.

After dinner, we decided to take a stroll down the main street of town. Most of the shops were already closed for the night, but we could still peek in the windows and enjoy some grown-up time. Unfortunately, it was about this time that the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning began, so we high-tailed it back to the truck and went back to the campground. Even though it ended early, it was a great night. As Gavin said, "It's not everybody that can celebrate their fourteenth anniversary in Custer, South Dakota." So true :-)

Who needs the Hollywood sign?