We learned that although the LDS Church had attempted to purchase the Cove, it was stalled and then denied by the federal government and today remains BLM land. However, they were able to purchase Sun Ranch approximately 2.5-3 miles from the actual Cove. We decided to take on the adventure of pulling a handcart...of course when I say "we" I really mean Jacob and Zach actually pulled the handcart (haha!). Being there in person really gave me an appreciation for what our Pioneer ancestors actually endured while they were there...of course we were there on a beautiful 70 degree summer day and not in the middle of a late October blizzard, and I had the thought that it might be a little symbolic that visitors to the Cove have to "hike" into the site...and maybe experience on a small degree what those early Church members went through and where so many of them lost their lives on their way to Zion. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.
Zach and I also went on a short hike to Devil's Gate.
Our next stop was Spearfish, South Dakota...the most exciting part of our stop here was that the hotel had a pool for the kids to swim in!
We got up Sunday morning and drove into Sturgis for church. They have a little branch of about 50 people. They were very excited when we walked in and they saw Jacob and asked if he could pass the sacrament, so he did. He was the only young man in the building and he accompanied two High Priests in passing the sacrament that day. It was very fun to see him exercise his priesthood even while we were on vacation.
Some of you may know that Sturgis has the distinction of holding the largest annual motorcycle events in the world...and by default the largest biker bar in the world as well, Full Throttle Saloon ! So, of course after church...we went bar hopping!!
Abby found a new friend...
Our next stop was the beautiful Badlands!
The kids had a great time hiking around and climbing on the rocks...Makayla gave her dad a little stress with some of her daredevil climbs, but we all survived unscathed.
Next we headed over to the Mount Rushmore National Monument. This was a place I had always wanted to go and was so excited to finally get to see it in person. In a way, it was both bigger and smaller than I had imagined.
We got there just in time and hiked around before clouds blew in and covered all of the Presidents' faces...but even that was gorgeous!
We drove back to the hotel in Spearfish absolutely exhausted...well...not so exhausted that the kids missed out on getting in the pool again of course!
Monday morning we got up early and headed to Devil's Tower. Of course, all of you "Close Encounter of the Third Kind" fans will recognize this place immediately, especially if you visualize it being made out of mashed potatoes! It was absolutely breathtaking...the surrounding mountains and hills were green and lush and then the actual monolith was amazing! We walked around the base, which is about 1.5 miles and the kids had a great time climbing on all of the rocks and boulders. Jacob came within about 12 inches of stepping on a rattle snake, but managed to side step it just in time.
There were several rock climbers inching their way up the face of the monolith and we were also able to spot the original wooden ladder that was first used to summit back in 1893... and even though we have adventurous hearts...we decided we didn't want to climb that ladder after all.
All in all, we had a wonderful time...and one thing I learned being a new step-mom...is that after all of this...I think the kids would have been just as happy if we had rented a hotel room in Ogden and they were able to swim in the pool!
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