205.365-207.365 Madison

 Oh my!  How we loved the city of Madison!  How we love Madison in the summer!  The girls and I took a road trip of our own to see my niece (the girls' cousin) where she has been getting her phd at the University of Wisconsin.  She showed us the town, ate the most amazing ice cream on the planet (Zanzibar, Zoreo and Lemon Meringue were among our favorites at The Chocolate Shoppe) and just had a blast being together.  Thanks for a great time!

 On Saturday we went to a fantastic Farmer's Market at the capitol.  We ate some insanely big pastries and treats.  I got some cheese curds, jerky and veggies to bring home.

 We went to the capitol and looked around.  We had fun admiring the beautiful building and were  treated to songs from a choir of Amish on the second floor.

 Later that day we went to the Terrace and soaked in the sunshine and got moss pedicures on the steps from the girls.

 We watched a group of kayakers learning in the lake.  It was a beautiful day!

 Later that evening we went to stay with a friend of mine from nursing school.  It had been years since we have seen each other and so fun to catch up over dinner.  Our children quickly became such good friends too.  It was so fun to stay with them!

On Sunday, we went for a quick lunch of pizza and then stopped for ice cream to round out a great stay.  The girls were so sad that our weekend went so quickly.  They adore their cousin and had a great time seeing Danielle's lab.  They all want to be scientists and were so inspired by her.  Thanks for showing us such a great time in Madison, Danielle and Ann!

199.365 Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Buffalo Safari, Stagecoach Dinner

We just can't believe it is our last day of a wonderful vacation.  We feel so blessed to see this beautiful part of the country!  We had a great time and made special family memories.

 South Dakota has had a lot of rain this year making the Badlands rather green and lush that isn't typical this time in the season.

 We couldn't have had better weather this week!  Today was sunny and in the 70s.

 You would think the girls would be worn out by now, but had a blast scrambling all over the formations.  You are allowed to hike anywhere in the park although there are boardwalks that take you on some trails.

 The rock is very fragile and you had to be careful how you hiked because it would suddenly crumble.

 These clouds!

 We had to be careful which areas they would be because sheer cliffs and drop-offs were often on the other side of where they were climbing.  

 A sign giving information on the formation of the Badlands.

 Noted

 Showing a piece of a broken area she climbed.

 After a few hours there (we could have easily stayed longer!) we went west toward Custer National Park.  It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to State Lodge where we reserved a jeep tour through the park called "Buffalo Safari".

 We all received hats and bandanas for the Stagecoach dinner later and the girls were super excited about them!

 Juliette wasn't thrilled about the hat and wanted a different look.

 We called Juliette, "Axl" the rest of the night.

 Pronghorn

 The jeep tour took us on back roads and deep into the bison herd.

 Male bison were grumbling and frisky as it was mating season.

 Tensions were high in the herd as occasional fights would break out amongst the bulls.  

 We were so close it was quite intimidating.

 Mountain bluebird

 Prairie dogs everywhere!

 This tour was a perfect finish to an already amazing vacation.  

 The girls loved going fast over bumpy back roads.

 The tour took about 2 hours and Casey, our guide was full of jokes and information.  He actually is originally from a small town near where Jamie grew up in Iowa.  

 We drove to a beautiful valley where dinner and music were set up.

Sweet child o' mine

 You could choose from steak or hamburger.  It was a delicious meal.

 The girls danced to the music.  It was a beautiful evening.

 Scarlet globe mallows, bright prairie coneflowers, wooly verbena, place purple coneflowers and blue stem prickly poppies dotted the land.

 At the end everyone formed a circle where we did the hokey-pokey and the chicken dance!  Too fun!

 The Black Hills get their name from the dense ponderosa pine needles absorbing the light so it appears black from a distance.

 A lot windy and a little cool in the open air jeep!

The girls and our fun guide, Casey.

We traveled back to Rapid City and packed our bags to head home the following day. We all had a fantastic trip...one for the books.

We have seen some gorgeous sunsets this week, but this one wins...amazing cotton candy skies.  Thank you for the beautiful farewell, South Dakota.