Mom and Alex wading through the creek at Cascade Falls just outside of Hot Springs, SD. We found this little pull-off after spending the morning at the Mammoth Site (which is a very cool place and definitely worth a stop). We hung out for a bit, waded through the cool waters, and decided this would be a great swimming hole during the hot Summer (just beware of the leaches!)

Mt Rushmore in the Black Hills of SD.

The whole crew (plus a few others) along the entry way to Mt Rushmore National Monument.

Niko at the world famous Wall Drug in SD. Where else you can ride the famed South Dakota Jackalope, and get your fill of fudge, dinosaurs, free ice water, and old Western "stuff" all in one stop?

Happiness...I think that's the best way to describe how I feel when I see this picture.

Niko enjoying one of the rides at Wall Drug....Niko was the biggest fan of Wall Drug, and wanted to return each day. He even got a free Wall Drug bumper sticker, which he says is going into his middle school locker next school year.

One of the cool things about Badlands NP is the wildlife...it's everywhere. Although the place looks forbidding, and almost martian in places, we saw more wildlife here than in any other National Park. There are buffalo all over the Sage Creek area, and this one walked right past our car so that he could meet up with his Mom and Dad on the other side of the road. We also saw pronghorn antelope, snakes, rabbits, prairie dogs, and a whole variety of birds.

Looking down on the Yellow Mounds and some of the surrounding area.

The whole crew taken on our hike through the Yellow Mounds river bed.

One of my favorite areas within the National Park was along Norbeck Pass. The mountains are big, intimidating, and seem to go on forever. The colors were especially dark when I took this picture because it had been raining all day, which turned the reds and pinks to a burgundy / purple. The sun managed to peek through the clouds for just a minute, and illuminated some of the higher peaks in the background making for one of my favorite shots from the trip.

Vampire Peak taken from the Cedar Pass Lodge where we stayed during our trip to Badlands NP. This is a striking peak that is probably the most photographed in the park. Unfortunately, I was never able to get "the shot" because the cloudy skies always prevented the sunrise and sunset photos that I was hoping to get. Guess this gives us a reason to come back again!

Taken along the Fossil Trail just past Norbeck Pass. The Badlands are one of the most fossil rich places in the world. They continue to find large mammal fossils buried, and have active sites within the park today. We saw remains of ancient bears, rhinos, and turtles marked along this trail.

Dad and Alex showing their serious side...

Niko feeling on top of the world. He had a great time on the trip, mostly because Nanna joined us and so he had someone to keep him company. Thanks for coming with us Nancy!