Bronwyn Brestle

Day 23 From Badlands to the Cold War, from Rushmore to Wyoming

After a nutritious breakfast of orange juice and Wall Drug’s homemade donuts 😂, we headed into Badlands early. Between the beautiful geologic formations, prairie dogs, and getting to hike around the rock, we had a wonderful morning. At most of the viewpoints, we were the only family there. The girls enjoyed the peaceful morning overlooking one of the canyons while working on their Jr. Ranger books. We then headed back to the ranger station to be sworn in, view the fossil lab, and hike around a bit more. The girls all wished we had more time there to explore. After the heavy rains, the rangers told them that there would be a good chance of finding fossils. My little paleontologists really wanted to stay, but we had to move on.

(Click on the first picture of the gallery below to step through the photos at full size)

Just outside of Badlands is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. We decided to stop in, learn about the missiles hidden in plain sight, and the role these silos played during the Cold War era. It was definitely all new to me and eye-opening in it’s magnitude. For 30 years, Air Force airmen descended underground into the silos for 24 hour shifts ready to deploy the missiles if needed. To my surprise, there were one thousand of these silos all throughout the Great Plains. It was a humbling experience to be at the site, learn about the assignment and even meet a former airman who, when the silos were deactivated, became a park ranger.

For many, this would be a full day! For us, we had miles to go. We also were not going to travel through South Dakota and miss Mt. Rushmore. When we arrived, many of the parking structures were mostly empty. We were fortunate to experience this breathtaking site without huge crowds. Between the magnitude of the sculpture, the historical significance, and the beauty of the Black Hills, the site was magnificent. We took some time to hike around, explore the exhibit hall, and watch the movie. Our only regret was not being able to stay for the evening lighting ceremony.

We reached our destination of Gillette, Wyoming, tired, but excited by what we experienced today. This was a triple-junior-ranger-badge-day and we all know that doesn’t happen everyday. Excited to head into Yellowstone tomorrow!

Day 22 South Dakota Bound

While some may say that driving the flat, straight roads of Minnesota and South Dakota are less than exciting, they may not realize that they could have visited the one and only Jolly Green Giant!

Our Jolly Green Giant visit was just in time as the remaining miles were through horrible rain storms. Visibility was awful and the spray coming off the trucks was blinding. We had planned on stopping at 1880s Town, but due to the storms, they had closed it that morning.

Thankfully, we made it to Badlands on the other side of the storms and enjoyed a scenic drive up to Wall. Badlands was a surprising park in many ways. First, it’s a free roam park meaning that you’re allowed to hike anywhere you’d like. Second, they encourage visitors to help the paleontologists find fossils. There are bulletin boards filled with pictures of visitors who discovered fossils while hiking and reported their findings to rangers. Paleontologists then head out to the sites and determine the validity of the findings. Amazingly enough, hundreds of new fossils are found each year by visitors.

Knowing we were planning to visit Badlands the next morning, we didn’t spend too much time there. The visibility was awful from smoke and we were definitely curious about Wall Drug. As it turns out, we could have spent much longer at Wall. Although it’s 100% tourist-driven, it was entertaining learning about the mix of history and tourism. The girls loved all the little shops and quirky bits. We ended up enjoying dinner in their cafe before heading to the hotel for the night.

Day 21

On the road again…from Ohio –> Indiana –> Illinois –> Wisconsin! Over 600 miles driven today. Our favorite stop of the day included Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. Ranger Rudy provided the girls with three Jr. Ranger opportunities and also gave great advice for seeing the dunes. After the stormy days in Cedar Point on Lake Erie, a warm and sunny day on Lake Michigan was a welcomed treat.

After a lovely excursion to Indiana Dunes, we continued East. We decided to stop for the night in La Crosse, Wisconsin. And wanting to get out of the car and do something, we found an escape room! The Great Escape of La Crosse had a candy themed escape room and we stole the secret candy recipe with over a minute to spare! On this trip, we’ve successfully “escaped” from Tennessee, New Jersey, and now, Wisconsin!

The little town of La Crosse, Wisconsin…

Day 15: At the shore

We started our day with a bike ride to the point (end of the island) and quickly decided that with the humidity, we needed to head home and get to the beach. Playing at the beach with all of the cousins was definitely a hit. Our girls have learned to boogie board and build ball castles thanks to their Dad, Poppy, and east coast cousins. After many hours at the beach, we all enjoyed a Japanese dinner, mini golf in Margate, and ice cream at Two Cents Plain.

(Click on the first photo of each gallery to see the photos in more detail)

4,346 miles

We made it!!! From the Pacific to the Atlantic. We were quite giddy pulling into the driveway in Longport. Now for a few days of rest at the shore with family. ❤️

Shenandoah National Park

After all the driving we have done, Shenandoah National Park didn’t help us much with it’s 105 mile long, windy “Skyline Drive”. With only four places to enter the drive, it’s pretty much a requirement if you want to get in and see the park. We entered about 1/3 of the way in and drove to the top. Along the way, we saw a bear cub and enjoyed a short hike to a scenic overlook. We all agreed, while the park is beautiful, thanks to where we live, it’s not much different than the views and hikes you get on our own trails around the Maple Valley area. Nevertheless, the girls acquired another badge and we all appreciated it’s history.

Appomattox Court House

Written by Emily

Day 13

On our way to Waynesboro, Virginia we made a pit stop at Appomattox Court House. The Appomattox Court House is where the Civil War ended. In the parlor at the McLean house, General Lee surrendered to General Grant, ending the civil war. We saw exactly where it all happened and could imagine the scene. It was so incredible to walk in and around the buildings. We looked at artifacts and touched the walls of buildings that were built in the early 1800s. I loved learning about all of the history behind the Appomattox Court House. My favorite thing that I learned was about the Silent Witness. The Silent Witness is a doll that was left in the parlor by Lulu McLean. The soldiers that were in the room at the time of the surrender called this doll the Silent Witness and one of the soldiers took her home as a souvenir. In the late 1990s the doll was donated to the museum at the National Historic Site. Appomattox Court House was one of my favorite stops on the trip so far. I can’t wait to study American history next year!

Badges

By Maelle

“I’m so excited to get the badge! I love earning badges! Just one more page to do!”

At each National Park or historical site, my sisters and I do the Jr Ranger program. We get a little book and if we finish the book we get a Jr Ranger badge. So far we have gotten 12 badges on this trip. The books have activities and challenges to complete. I like the drawing pages and the crosswords the best. Sometimes we have to go to a Ranger program and learn about one small piece of the park. My favorite ranger talk was with a ranger in Zion National Park. She taught me about Bob the Boulder who broke off a cliff during a heavy rain.

I have also used my own spending money on two Jr Ranger things- a hat and a vest. I put most of the badges on my hat. Some have to go on my vest. I also like buying pins and patches for my vest.

I hope to earn a couple more badges before we get home. National Parks are so fun!

Catfish

Scene: At Granny’s cafe. Family is enjoying a buffet dinner with southern classics…

Maelle: These are the best chicken fingers I’ve ever had.

Mom: Glad they’re tasty!

(Maelle finishes two pieces and then breaks a piece in half. It is clearly not chicken)

Maelle: What is wrong with this chicken?

Waitress: That’s fried catfish, honey.

Day 10: Pigeon Forge

Just a short drive for the Brestles today! Short for us is under 6 hours. 🤣

Our day started with an unexpected treat- breakfast with Kris and Sam. It was also our first trip to a Waffle House and will likely be our last. 🤦🏻‍♀️

We made it to Pigeon Forge and headed straight to Dollywood for the evening. The park was empty and we rode everything we wanted, walked the whole loop, and enjoyed the friendly and wholesome nature of the park as a whole.

No driving for us tomorrow! We’ll head to Splash Country and beat the heat for the day.