Road Trip : Day Three

For day three, we drove down to Hot Springs, which is just over an hour, and we went to the Mammoth Site, the worlds largest mammoth research facility.

The tour guide takes you through the dig site, pointing out bones and other fun facts...then you get to cruise the museum on your own.  One fact i found interesting, was that all of the mammoths found so far are male....why do you suppose that is?  Perhaps they didnt want to stop for directions :)

This bone house replica was interesting...i had no idea that people lived in these thousands of years ago!

Here is more info on the bone houses...

Bones, bones and more bones...

 

Heres Jake with a woolly mammoth femur bone.

and Jordyn has a tooth!

and then it was time for Jordyns Jr paleontology dig...she was very excited about this, and couldnt wait to get in the dirt!  Her guide, Sam, is showing the kids how to use the different tools.

Ready, set, dig....WOW...looks like youve found something Jordyn...what is it?

The rib of a woolly mammoth...good job Jordyn!  Now you have officially earned your Jr Paleontologist certificate! 

Now its time to go shopping...looks like Jordyn has already chosen her next plush toy...a woolly mammoth!  He should get along great with the prairie dog we picked up at Devils Tower...you can never have too many plush toys :)

say cheese!!!!!!!!

Our next stop was supposed to be the wind caves, but since the temperature was 107 (yep, you read that right, 107!), everyone wanted to go on a breezy cool tunnel tour.  I didnt realize you could take a reservation, so by the time we arrived the wait was almost 2 hours...which none of us had the patience for, so we decided to leave and do something else on our fun list!

We decided to cruise needles highway and check out all the tunnels and interesting road ways!

The needles eye was beautiful, and the late afternoon sun cooperated just in time for me to take this fun photo!

Here comes another tunnel.........make sure you honk first to clear the oncoming traffic!

Cathedral Spires was lovely, and i was inspired to sketch...but sadly i did not do any artwork on this adventure.  No time to drag out the art supplies...guess ill just have to use my memory and photographs as references :)

And finally another tunnel...there were 6 all together, and the last few open up directly facing Mt Rushmore. 

Heres another flashback moment...one of the coolest things i remember from my trip 35 years ago, was coming around a turn to a tunnel, only to see Mt Rushmore poking out at the end of the space....we were in a winnebago, so naturally we were laying in the bed up top looking out the front windows...it was just one of those things that stuck in our minds as kids, so it really brought back fond memories of our trip way back when!

After all the driving, we went back to our hotel to enjoy the super cool pool!  Then it was time for the night blast at Crazy Horse.  The night blast, which is done only twice a year, was to celebrate Ruth Ziolkowski's 86th birthday as well as commemorating the 136th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn.  Ruth was there and spoke to the crowd...then we sang happy birthday to her, and then it was time for the laser show and night blast.  I couldnt get any photos, so you'll just have to take my word for it...it was amazing!