Our family road trip out West is going great! We are having a marvelous time and making memories left and right. We usually do one fun touristy thing on the way out to Grandpa and Grandma's house, and this year we decided to do the Badlands loop in South Dakota. On the spur of the moment we decided to do a quick helicopter tour first, and it was totally awesome! It's completely different from the air, and very cool to see. The kids had never been in a helicopter before, either, so that was neat for them.
We drove the loop after that and saw it the more traditional way. We got to see buffalo and wild mountain goats there, and later as we drove into Wyoming, lots and lots and lots of antelope! Everything was super green because it's been a good wet year with lots of late spring snowfalls. It was gorgeous, especially up on the mountain where I saw wildflowers that rarely bloom in a normal year.
Had to stop at the corny tourist traps like Wall Drug and the Corn Palace, of course! It's tradition! When we got to Casper, we settled down to the serious business of spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and my beloved 87-year-old Grandma Norinne and my step-grandpa Carl. This picture was taken at our annual four-generation girls' lunch. Love the women in my family and the strength, faith and humor that connects us all with those who have gone before and those who are yet to come.
No trip to Casper is complete without some time up on the mountain, hiking up to the falls, a roaring campfire, hot dogs and s'mores, and a family photo at dusk off the Overlook.
Dad brought along an air rifle BB gun for Dan to play with, and I tried my hand at it. I forgot that I am actually a really good shot! By the end of the evening I was popping the heads of dandelions. Who says girls don't like guns??
This last picture is coming over the hills and seeing "my" mountain in the distance with the city of Casper spread out along the river valley below. It is always such a welcome sight after a 17-hour drive from Wisconsin! More photos to come… we had an absolutely mind-blowing dinosaur experience yesterday, but it needs it's own post!
So interesting to see your holiday post Lyssa! I follow you as a SU! demo, and also because our daughter now lives in Wisconsin – we live near Melbourne, Australia. We will visit her again in October, taking the train from LA to Chicago this time (our 5th trip). Love your SU work – thanks so much for sharing. Have a great family catch-up. hugs, Ann
Interested to see this, as we are making a trip-of-a-lifetime holiday this summer, from the UK to (mainly) Wyoming, and were considering the Badlands Loop. It’s unfortunately become one of the things we won’t have time for on our tour…now I know we’ll have to come back!