Good bye Montana and Wyoming....Hello South Dakota!!

So we finished up Monatana and Wyoming with a family float trip down a small, peaceful portion of the Madison River and a tour of the Battlefield of Little Big Horn. For those of us who needed a refresher on a portion of American history that we had forgotten...the Battle of Little Big Horn occurred in 1876 between the US millitary and the Indians of the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes. It was lead by Lt Col George Alexander Custer and his men and by Sitting Bull of the Lakota Indian tribe. When the intense battle was all said and done, the Native Americans has overwhelmed and killed 262 soldiers, Custer included. This was a most wonderfully preserved National Monument and we spent almost three hours touring the site in the late evening on Sunday. It was quite sureel to be standing on the very ground where so many men on both sides of the issues fought so bravely to defend the causes they believed in. It was "hallowed ground" for sure! We very much enjoyed seeing the vastness and beauty of the land where this famous battle was fought and relearning the details on the actual site, and not just from a book. I went to bed feeling overwhelmed with thanksgiving for all of the brave men and women of the past who have made my freedom in this country a possibility. Monday was a hard day of traveling spent getting to Custer, South Dakota which is about 30 miles outside of Rapid City. We have a wonderful campsite in a state park close to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse and we will be here for about a week. We have taken today (Tuesday) to relax and recalibrate a bit and research all of the things we might want to do while we are here. Each person has their own "recalibration" routine, but mine includes spending time taking walks, extra cups of tea, tidying up and organizing "house", and a bit of cooking (a "dump soup" kind of day!). Madeline recalibrates herself by spending acouple of hours playing piano (or keyboard, of that's all you have) and the rest of the kiddos have spent some of the day riding their bikes and most of the day playing inside with Legos covering their bedroom floor and creating new "inventions". Sometimes you just need days like this!! A bit of down time and not rushing out to go anywhere was just what the doctor ordered! So, tomorrow will hold new adventures here in South Dakota and we will be ready to go out and conquer them! Blessings to all of our friends and family...we sure do miss you :-), Lioness