December Hiking in S. Dakota

Last week it felt like winter had finally arrived -- we had a couple days where it didn't break freezing (accompanied by LOTS of very cold wind) and even some snow ...

Then Sunday, we had fabulous weather -- over 60 degrees, sunny and very little wind! Immediately after church we headed up to Buzzard's Roost, a popular hiking spot just a few miles out of town to enjoy the lovely day.

We'd forgotten about the fact there might still be snow up there and weren't wearing the best foot gear, but it worked out just fine and we had a great time enjoying the sunshine!

Goin' on a tree hunt!

This weekend we got to take advantage of the National Forest's Christmas Tree program and headed out to the Black Hills National Forest to find our very own tree. It was a beautiful sunny day and Jason had found area for us to look that ended up being completely deserted so the kids could roam freely while we hunted for the "perfect" tree.


















































































This one looked just a tad too big --

Finally found the right one! Luke helped carry it for about a minute - glad to be married to someone who can carry the whole tree by themselves :)

And, the finished project. It was really fun (& kinda stressful) to have BOTH kids "helping" decorate the tree :)

Feeling GOOD at Badlands National Park

Saturday was a pretty decent weather day and with the bonus of it being a National Parks "free weekend" we decided to check out Badlands National Park.

It is a really bizarre piece of landscape. Very cool, but very weird too. Sort of felt like we were on the moon. The lack of anybody being around added to the eerie feeling :)

 

We came across this and were pretty impressed by whoever must be pedaling it across the country.


























Owner of this fine piece of transportation in the far distance. Pretty hard core, but we weren't jealous.

We were super excited to see this guy emerge from one of the canyons -- first big horn sheep sighting for us in S. Dakota!

It wasn't our last sighting for the day --

No outing in S. Dakota would be complete without seeing at least one bison ... and a coyote :)

Since we'd heard that Wall Drug in Wall, S. Dakota was a "must-see" and it was on our way home, we decided to check it out. The kids really enjoyed it! We enjoyed our 5 cent coffee and were super glad to be there in the off season when things were empty.

We clearly tired Mabel out with all our sight seeing.

First Real Snow!

We had our first real snowfall on Thursday!
Mabel must have said at least 200 times "it's snowing outside!"
It does make things look a little bit prettier, but I am SO not ready for winter to begin yet!

Exploring the Black Hills with our first visitors!

After only six days in our new home, Jason left last week for his first work-related trip of his new job. It would have been a little depressing, but my parents arrived the very next evening to keep me & the kids company! They stayed for over a week, helping us get a bit more settled in and doing a bit of adventuring together.

I will sheepishly admit that this area has completely surprised me with it's beauty. Of course, we have arrived at a great time of year with everything dressed in it's Fall glory and most of the tourists gone for the season ... but still, this place Jason has brought us is pretty spectacular!

Our first day out, we headed for the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway -- a feast for the eyes at every turn!

Then once Jason had returned we headed to some of the area lakes - Horse Thief and Sylvan - with views of Mt Rushmore from the road (I had no idea!).

Horse thief lake --

Sylvan Lake --

We even got to celebrate my Dad's birthday (a little belatedly) -- Luke looks pretty excited about the candles :)

We also had the pleasure of touring Custer State Park on a nearly deserted Sunday. Amazing. I was really impressed with the park. It seemed more like a National Park with the variety and scope of attractions and I'm really looking forward to spending more time there in the future!

Bison along the road even before we reached the park gate! They really make our subaru look small!

The wildlife along the Wildlife Loop Road was a real highlight -- many, many buffalo, antelope, donkeys, coyote, prairie dogs and even wild turkeys (of course!).

Leaving the park along the Needles Highway - very cool landscape!

We had a lot of nice time in and around our home in Rapid City as well ... 

Nana taught Luke how to make rhubarb pie from the rhubarb growing in our backyard. SO delicious!

The Dinosaur park is just a short drive up the hill and a great place to spend our last evening with my parents ... watching the sun go down over the Black Hills and the city.

And then all too soon, it was time for our last breakfast together and goodbyes at the airport :( So glad that they were able to come out and welcome us into our new home!!