Day 8 - Saturday 7/21

Up-and-at-‘em for another fun filled day in South Dakota. Today we are going to Bear Country USA. I went here as a child and have never forgot about it. I am thrilled to be bringing my kids to a place that I have such fond memories of. Alex and I took all 6 of the kids. Lance and Amy stayed back to hold the fort down and enjoy a little R and R. We drove through the wildlife park and saw a lot of animals. There were elk, antelope, grey wolves, dall sheep, black bears, brown bears, and mountain goats. The twins have been here before during mating season so they were thrilled to see it at a quieter time. The best part is at the end where you walk through a little zoo area and they have the bear cubs. There must have been about 15 bear cubs, they were running, wrestling, swimming, and chasing each other up and down the trees. We could have stayed there all day and watched them. It is about 11:00 am and the temp is reading 103….it’s a real hot one today!! We picked up Lance and Amy and headed down to Custer, South Dakota to have lunch (Alex had Buffalo ribs as an appetizer and a buffalo burger for lunch…when in South Dakota!!) and do a drive through of Custer State Park, which is part of the Black Hills National Forest. We stopped at Central Lake and went for a swim. The water was pretty cold but it was so hot out it didn’t matter. This lake had so many fish in it, as you stood in the water they would come over and starting sucking and/or biting your legs….it was a tad creepy. Surprisingly Steven went in the lake and didn’t seem to have any trouble with the chomping at the ankles fish!! After our swim we took a drive on the Wilderness Loop and found a herd of a couple hundred buffalo. You should of seen us in the car (10 of us) all trying to get there attention and also examining why these creatures are doing what they are doing. We headed back to camp so the kids could bike, fish and swim while we made dinner. There was a passing storm along with a rainbow and not a second rainbow but a reflection….I tell ya, you can learn something new everyday! Alex made a great mix o’meat sauce (with chicken, pork and steak) over pasta with salad. The kids headed back to the pool for their night dip and the adults hung by the fire with drinks in hand telling fun family stories and enjoying our last night together. The kids ended their night in the RV with a movie and another slumber party. It is really hard to believe we are half way through our trip already.