Expectations Exceeded!

Adam and I decided that for his annual vacation we wanted to take a trip to the Black Hills. I was thinking that it would be nice to get away, and of course I wanted to see Mount Rushmore because it is one of America's trademark monuments...

Little did I know that I would be blown away at the Beauty and extravagance of beautiful South Dakota. I was in awe and admiration the whole time soaking in the elegance of true nature!

As we arrived late on Thursday night we went and viewed Rushmore, it was awesome with the lights shining upward at the monument... But when we woke up the next morning we really saw the beauty of all that surrounded us. We spent the next two full days taking it all in and appreciating ever second of it. All the while taking 300+ pictures! I know, I know, a little much BUT I couldn't help it. It was all so amazing. I had to capture the moments. After all, memories last a lifetime! Photos are tangible memories, and they are what I live for!

We stayed at Super 8 in Keystone, SD - the closest that we could get to Rushmore. It was a cute place with very friendly staff. We did so many fabulous things... We started out Friday Morning and toured Mount Rushmore state park, and viewed the monument, it was spectacular to say the least. Later on in the day we went to Bear Country and got to see all of the amazing wildlife, including Bears (yep two feet away from my car - it was crazy), buffalo, elk, and so much more. That night we strolled through Rapid City, Sturgis, Deadwood and back to Rapid city - driving through the canyons, it was amazing! It really gave us a feel for how truly small we are in comparison to Gods wonders. The next day we started out by touring the Rushmore Caves, it is amazing what nature can create. We then headed through some beautiful back roads, canyons and mountains to Hill City. Then we continued on our way through, passing by Crazy Horse Memorial, which was another awesome view. Then we drove through Custer and took a scenic highway that led us to Highway 16. We saw so much wildlife on the way: multiple deer, turkeys, rams, and more! We took the most amazing route ever on 16A back to Keystone. It was Iron Mountain Road. Toward the end of the route we hit the very tip top of the mountain and climbed up the rocks. The views were phenomenal - it was my favorite part of the trip! The mountain overlooked the Black Hillsand gave us an amazing far view of Mount Rushmore, it was breathtaking!! God is so awesome, he created a beautiful place for us, my mind was blown!! We then went into Rapid City for the night, Had a fabulous dinner in downtown. We walked through Art Alley, it was pretty cool to see all of the walls painted and graffitied.
The next day we headed home on the ten hour drive, it was a good time.

I will go back - Keystone was a cute quaint town. I would love to experience it all in the summer when we can do all of the summer festivities like gold panning, taking the train tour, and doing all of the fun outdoor things.

I look forward to heading back again someday... And I look forward to future trips to come!