Summer vacation started out early...or late depending on how you look at it. A 12:50 red eye flight from Portland to Minneapolis in which only the kids managed to get a little bit of sleep left us looking like this upon arrival at the airport.
We then had a long drive from Minneapolis to South Dakota the next day. The kids tried to recover as best they could in our 15 passenger van. 
Our first lunch stop was at Nellie's Cafe in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. For those of you Little House on the Prairie fans, yes, Walnut Grove is where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived and the town was featured prominently on the tv show. Nellie was the spoiled girl on the show. The restaurant was fun but the food left much to be desired. This is a theme we've noticed throughout these parts.
Next stop was De Smet, South Dakota. This is the childhood town of Laura Ingalls Wilder (LIW) and featured prominently in her books. Yaya is trying out the desk in the town's schoolhouse.
Papa Ron is checking out an old building.
Here we are in front of the surveyor's house, which is also the info center for all things LIW.
On to the LIW homestead just a half mile outside of town. Yaya and Siena are on top of the view platform at the homestead. The surrounding area is beautiful. You can see for miles in every direction.
There are lots of hands on activities at the homestead like this replica covered wagon the kids got to climb in.
Luis and Yaya are in the dug in sod house. This was a replica but the design and diminsions were just like what people lived in. Lets just say I don't think the Cruz family would last too long in there.
Heidi and the kids in the dug in. 
Mason and Siena are checking out the bed in the next house...a one room wooden shanty. I don't think the Cruzes would last too long in here either. You'll notice Siena's shoes are off. This has become a common theme of late every time she attemps to get comfortable. Even if it is for just a second.
The barnyard group.
Papa Ron checks to see if the water pump works. It does.
The lady in the final LIW house teaches the kids how to make button toys like kids would play with in olden days.
Then we got to go out and do some laundry. We should have done ours instead of the ones on site. Mason is working the ringer pretty good.
And of course you then must hang your clothes out to dry. Notice the wind. It was very very windy there. I suppose having no hills to break the wind doesn't help.
Time for the horse drawn carriage ride!
The carriage driver let each of the kids have a turn driving the horses. Needless to say there were pretty tame horses who knew their route.
Even race car driver Mason had no trouble keeping them on track. And do I even need to say how much fun this was for the kids?
The carriage took us to the old Johnson School house. The kids got dressed up like prairie schoolkids.
Siena looks like she's just off the set of Little House on the Prairie.
There was a school teacher there who showed the kids what school and lessons would have been like for the kids. At one point she said had this exchange with Mason:Teacher: As a boy, you would have been lucky to come to school today because normally you would have to be working in the fields. But today your pa let you bring the wagon. Do you have a sister?
Mason: Yes, Siena there.
Teacher: Siena would have gotten to ride in the carriage with you. She would have held a hot potato on her lap to keep her warm. Do you know where she put the potato when she got to school?
Mason: No.
Teacher: She and the other kids would set their potato on the oven to keep it warm. And Mason, what do you think you would eat for lunch then.
Mason: Um, a tuna sandwich!
Yup, that's my boy!
Here's the kids lined up learning a song from the teacher.
The carriage from the front.
Daddy and Mason on the carriage.
After spending the night (actually crashing out) in Huron, we went the next morning to Mitchell, home of the world's only corn palace. Yes, the facade of this building is made entirely from corn and is changed annually. I like the Seque on the left.
The kids outside of our van outside the corn palace, looking cool in their sunglasses.
Get used to seeing these 4. We love taking pictures of them!
We stopped in a little town called Murdo on our drive west for some ice cream. This was a cute little town with a car museum. Right up our alley. En route, Mary Lou had activities for the kids and one of them was to make the visors they are wearing. 
This is a suped out, pimped wagon, complete with a Ford Engine. Definitely a Papa Ron kind of ride.
Mary Lou ordered her sundae from someone who apparently had never made one before. It was all ice cream with a drop of chocolate on top.
The kids helped Yaya with her ice cream after finishing theres. Mason even helped Ellia with hers after that.
Mason found an elephant!
And a pretty cool old fire engine.
A couple hours later, we made it to the Badlands. To be clear, there's nothing bad about them, unless maybe you're a fur trader trying to travel across them (hence the name). Crazy Ron tip toed his way to a peak no one else was brave enough to wander out to.
Now I'm not so sure about this place.
Balance...balance...
This looks like safer ground. Just watch that cliff to the rear.
Rattlesnakes or not, this is AMAZING!
Sometimes you have to sit down and take it all in.
Or just climg a railing. To each their own.
Or lift heavy rocks and get dirty.
If you've ever driven across SD, you'll note no less than 8000 signs for Wall Drug. Well after all the signs, we had to stop there. Follow the signs, Wall Drug is pretty fun. What do you think, Cruz family Christmas card for 2010?
Sitting with funny man...
More climbing by the fab 4some.
Uh, not sure what Yaya is doing to her cowboy.
I of course am always up for some bronco riding.
My little prairie kids.
And cowboys apparently.
Cue the Little House theme song.
Finally at 9 that night we made it to Rapid City and eventually found our hotel. Next day...on to Mt. Rushmore. Oh, and Happy Father's Day!
The big group at the entrance.
Yes, Mt. Rushmore is very cool.
Even more cool for Luis was meeting an Italian soccer star at Mt. Rushmore - Marco Materazzi. He had Marco sign our souvineer Mt. Rushmore mug. For soccer fans, Materazzi was famous for being the guy headbutted during the final of the last World Cup.
Buffalo burgers and horse riding for lunch in Keystone (just a few miles from Rushmore).
Waiting for out train ride with her souvineer train.
My boys on the train.
Keeping Berren from jumping out of the train.
Whew. This is how Berren spent half of his train ride.
The family.
There were some amazing views from the train.
Siena too spent the majority of her train trip asleep.
The clouds came in and it cooled off. Mary Lou was the only one with a sweatshirt so the kids all flocked to her to stay warm.
The old moving man at dinner.
And check out where we at dinner...uh huh.
Stay tuned for trip installment #2 in a couple days!
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