I found a few missing photos from the trip that I added to flickr today. This is from a rest area along the I-90 in South Dakota overlooking the Missouri from the east side. It was a beautiful rest area with an extensive (and free) Lewis and Clark exhibit. My little ones especially enjoyed playing around in the tents.
More photos here
Showing posts with label South Dakota Trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Dakota Trip. Show all posts
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Last Night of the Trip
Before I get into more details of our love2learn get together - which may take quite awhile - I'm going to skip ahead to the last day of our vacation. We broke up the last leg of our trip with an overnight stay in western Wisconsin with a family of TAC friends who were hosting Nutmeg and family at the same time! (She has some pictures of their visit here).
Now, I have to say that the advantage of spending the night at friends' houses is that there is plenty of time to chat with said friends after all the kiddos had gone to bed even if this does add up to a certain amount of sleep deprivation. Such was the case at this house, though I thought Nutmeg and I were very restrained in only staying up til 12:30 (at one of our other stops I managed a chat until 2:30 in the morning). It was delightful to catch up with her in real time and I enjoyed comparing notes on children, homeschooling and various challenges that make up those two.
The next morning consisted of several amazing large-scale meals with loads of munchkins, some bow-shooting on the part of John and most of our kids (they had a blast!) and a mini-15-year-TAC reunion (consisting of a great deal of reminiscing and laughing out on the enormous front porch) with my classmate Elizabeth. It was great to re-connect with her (I also taught with her for a year after we graduated) and we've already made some tentative get-together plans for the future. The kids were excited to hear this as they instantly bonded with new friends galore.
What a terrific way to end our incredible journey of faith, friends and family - especially with only a handful of hours to drive on the last day. We are indeed blessed!
One other thing that struck me on this trip (besides the blessed part!) is the richness of people and places to see that aren't so very far from home. I've sometimes had a touch of envy regarding friends who took major European tours for their honeymoon (John and I camped at Monterrey for just a few days) and I certainly dream of leisurely tours of foreign lands. But at the moment I can hardly imagine a more pleasurable or enriching vacation than what we just experienced - scenery, history, culture, science, friends, family-time, pilgrimage and more all wrapped up into a great feast for body, mind and soul.
Now, I have to say that the advantage of spending the night at friends' houses is that there is plenty of time to chat with said friends after all the kiddos had gone to bed even if this does add up to a certain amount of sleep deprivation. Such was the case at this house, though I thought Nutmeg and I were very restrained in only staying up til 12:30 (at one of our other stops I managed a chat until 2:30 in the morning). It was delightful to catch up with her in real time and I enjoyed comparing notes on children, homeschooling and various challenges that make up those two.
The next morning consisted of several amazing large-scale meals with loads of munchkins, some bow-shooting on the part of John and most of our kids (they had a blast!) and a mini-15-year-TAC reunion (consisting of a great deal of reminiscing and laughing out on the enormous front porch) with my classmate Elizabeth. It was great to re-connect with her (I also taught with her for a year after we graduated) and we've already made some tentative get-together plans for the future. The kids were excited to hear this as they instantly bonded with new friends galore.
What a terrific way to end our incredible journey of faith, friends and family - especially with only a handful of hours to drive on the last day. We are indeed blessed!
One other thing that struck me on this trip (besides the blessed part!) is the richness of people and places to see that aren't so very far from home. I've sometimes had a touch of envy regarding friends who took major European tours for their honeymoon (John and I camped at Monterrey for just a few days) and I certainly dream of leisurely tours of foreign lands. But at the moment I can hardly imagine a more pleasurable or enriching vacation than what we just experienced - scenery, history, culture, science, friends, family-time, pilgrimage and more all wrapped up into a great feast for body, mind and soul.
Field Trip to EROS
While in the Sioux Falls area, we took a tour of the U.S. Geological Survey's "Earth Resources Observation and Science" Center.
Here is an explanation of what EROS is.
This was a fascinating place and we particularly enjoyed the enormous globe (pictured here), the satellite model (Frank says: "It looks like a camera." - smart guy) and the interesting maps. Frank was a bit distracting during the tour so I missed a few parts here and there.
The tour guide sent us home with a generous selection of teacher's resources and photo cards for the kids.
More photos here.
Official website here
Here is an explanation of what EROS is.
This was a fascinating place and we particularly enjoyed the enormous globe (pictured here), the satellite model (Frank says: "It looks like a camera." - smart guy) and the interesting maps. Frank was a bit distracting during the tour so I missed a few parts here and there.
The tour guide sent us home with a generous selection of teacher's resources and photo cards for the kids.
More photos here.
Official website here
We did get a photo!
These are the airplanes flying over the Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Wow!
The Badlands
The Badlands were incredible - a real treat to us mountain-deprived Wisconsinites. Everyone was entranced and Frank expressed his enthusiasm with great volume a number of times during the trip. We took loads of photos - particularly on the return trip. View the photo set here.
We have a lot yet to learn about this fascinating place. Here are a few sites that look interesting:
National Park Service site on the Badlands
NPS Page on Badlands Geology
USGS Site
Aerial Photographs of the area
We have a lot yet to learn about this fascinating place. Here are a few sites that look interesting:
National Park Service site on the Badlands
NPS Page on Badlands Geology
USGS Site
Aerial Photographs of the area
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Air and Space Museum
South Dakota Air and Space Museum, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota
Terri says: "I liked the gift shop because it was really big. The planes were huge - it was really fun seeing them even though we couldn't go inside. I wish we could.
I liked the exhibits inside. It was fun going inside that airplane thing."
Bernie says: "It's cool and awesome. And I liked the gift shop."
Kate says: "The airplanes are really big and also I liked the rocket and the helicopters. That's it. Wait. I also liked the thing that Terri said."
More photos here
The part Mommy liked best was a flyover of four airplanes that included a B-2 Spirit - it looked like something out of Star Wars flying overhead.
South Dakota Museum of Geology
This was one of those terrific little free museums that makes you want to buy a fair share of educational materials in their very nice gift shop to support their work (prices at the gift shop were quite reasonable). What more could a homeschool family ask for?
I had no idea what to expect from this once (located on the campus of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology - in Rapid City) except that I had heard from several sources that it was quite good.
Several dinosaur skeletons; lots of fossils, rocks, minerals, etc. nicely displayed; a dark room for checking out phosphorescent materials - lots of great stuff to make the field interesting even down the youngest member of our clan.
It's an easy stop for an hour or so while you're in town to see Mt. Rushmore.
More photos here
I'm very grateful that we had such a science-and-nature-filled vacation since that is one of the weaker educational areas for our family.
The kids have something to say about this place too:
Terri: "I really liked how some of the rocks glowed in the dark. There were a few dinosaurs that looked really huge."
Bernie: "I really liked the rocks. I bought a rock that's called 'fool's gold'. It's shiny and pretty."
Kate: "I liked the little dinosaurs (they were really cute - especially the newborn baby one). I liked the rocks that glow in the dark." [editorial note: Kate and Frank spent a good deal of the time at the museum, lying on their bellies, ooing and awing over the toy dinosaurs in the gift shop - one of the many joys of a small museum!]
Heard Somewhere en route to South Dakota...
...a major discussion between Terri, Bernie and Kate about whether you could misunderstand yourself. :)
Dinosaur Park
This was a charming little park perched on a hill overlooking Rapid City. The creatures were constructed by an enthusiast in the early 20th century and donated to the city who incorporated them into a park in 1936.
We stopped at this little spot (marked on many of the tourist maps) because a) it was free and b) it sounded like something Frank would enjoy. It exceeded our expectations - particularly since the dinosaurs were climbable and made for some rather unique photos.
More photos here
We stopped at this little spot (marked on many of the tourist maps) because a) it was free and b) it sounded like something Frank would enjoy. It exceeded our expectations - particularly since the dinosaurs were climbable and made for some rather unique photos.
More photos here
Mount Rushmore
I thought this was a cute and funny photo of Frank posing with the greats. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit here.
Lots more photos here.
There are lots of interesting photos of rocks that I can't identify yet (though I might if I put some more effort into it!). Feel free to help with the effort. :)
Fatima Family Shrine, Alexandria, SD
This was a beautiful little shrine in very rural South Dakota, a few miles east of Mitchell (famous for its Corn Palace) along the I-90. We only noticed this shrine from a roadside sign just before the exit and it was a nice time to take a break and walk around. We were delighted by the variety of outdoor statues and monuments and the beautiful parish church (which dates from 1905) is gorgeous! We were surprised and delighted to find that it was listed in Roadside Geology of South Dakota because of its use of rose quartzite on the exterior.
This shrine was founded by Fr. Robert Fox when he was pastor of this little parish (unfortunately I can't remember the name of the parish).
Not only was this a great place to walk around, but they were very nice about letting us make a bathroom stop and pointed out the adjacent Carmlite Monastery and bookstore where we picked up a few items of interest.
We took loads of photos of the outdoor statues, stained glass windows, etc. Click here to see the photo set.
This shrine was founded by Fr. Robert Fox when he was pastor of this little parish (unfortunately I can't remember the name of the parish).
Not only was this a great place to walk around, but they were very nice about letting us make a bathroom stop and pointed out the adjacent Carmlite Monastery and bookstore where we picked up a few items of interest.
We took loads of photos of the outdoor statues, stained glass windows, etc. Click here to see the photo set.
Love2learn Photos
Though I'm working slowly through my back-posts one at a time, I thought I'd point out that Ana has a bunch of pictures from our get-together posted on her site here and here.
God is good!
By the way, my three youngest were all in tears during the kid photo shoot pictured in the second link above. Bernie had just fallen and scraped her knee, Kate didn't want to cooperate and was turning sideways and by this particular photo the Munchie Man had already bailed. Sigh.
God is good!
By the way, my three youngest were all in tears during the kid photo shoot pictured in the second link above. Bernie had just fallen and scraped her knee, Kate didn't want to cooperate and was turning sideways and by this particular photo the Munchie Man had already bailed. Sigh.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
De Smet!
I've always wanted to see the little town on the prairie described in so many of Laura's famous books. We took a day trip there on our first full day in South Dakota (and took a handful of Braga-Henebrys along for the ride).
I'd like to start by saying that I wish I had planned for this a little better ahead of time. We had a great time and it was really neat be "on location", but I know there were other spots I missed as I look over the town literature and such and we didn't allow enough time to visit the Ingalls homestead...
Laura Ingalls Wilder Tour... This was a little pricey for a crowd, but seemed like the heart of what we were visiting de Smet for! :) The tour included the Ingalls home (pictured here), the Surveyor's House and a replica of the Brewster school. You can't take pictures inside, but the buildings were quite interesting, the guides passed lots of historic pictures around for us to look at and it was neat to be able to touch things that had actually belonged to the family (like the big cupboard set that Pa had built for Ma). The stories our guide told were quite interesting (and in many cases added to what we knew from the original books) and she was able to answer the additional questions thrown at her from those on the tour.
More photos here
We also saw the old main street, a big statue of Fr. De Smet (a great missionary worth reading about!), the Loftus Store and the De Smet Depot Museum.
A fun and memorable time was had by all. I was also happy to find postcards of some of the Ingalls photos and sites at the above-mentioned Loftus Store.
Also, as reported by Melissa Wiley, both the Loftus Store and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Society Gift Shop have copies of the unabridged Little House Prequels (get them while you can - reprintings will only be available in an abridged format). Read the details here.
I'd like to start by saying that I wish I had planned for this a little better ahead of time. We had a great time and it was really neat be "on location", but I know there were other spots I missed as I look over the town literature and such and we didn't allow enough time to visit the Ingalls homestead...
Laura Ingalls Wilder Tour... This was a little pricey for a crowd, but seemed like the heart of what we were visiting de Smet for! :) The tour included the Ingalls home (pictured here), the Surveyor's House and a replica of the Brewster school. You can't take pictures inside, but the buildings were quite interesting, the guides passed lots of historic pictures around for us to look at and it was neat to be able to touch things that had actually belonged to the family (like the big cupboard set that Pa had built for Ma). The stories our guide told were quite interesting (and in many cases added to what we knew from the original books) and she was able to answer the additional questions thrown at her from those on the tour.
More photos here
We also saw the old main street, a big statue of Fr. De Smet (a great missionary worth reading about!), the Loftus Store and the De Smet Depot Museum.
A fun and memorable time was had by all. I was also happy to find postcards of some of the Ingalls photos and sites at the above-mentioned Loftus Store.
Also, as reported by Melissa Wiley, both the Loftus Store and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Society Gift Shop have copies of the unabridged Little House Prequels (get them while you can - reprintings will only be available in an abridged format). Read the details here.
Father's Day across Minnesota
We had a lovely brunch with our hosts the Maks and the Dalys on Sunday morning followed by a visit to the very interesting Science Museum of Minnesota (so nice that they have a reciprocal policy with the Milwaukee Public Museum!). We all arrived in Sioux Falls in time for a wonderful dinner with Ana and family. They had recently returned from Rapid City and the Badlands and were able to provide us with a wonderful introduction to the geology of South Dakota. (It also helped that the Dalys lent us their copy of Roadside Geology of South Dakota). Following this up with a tour of the USGS EROS site upon our return from the west side of the state (more about that in a separate post) really made for an educational experience in that direction.
We stayed a couple of lovely nights with the Dalys who provided lots of trampoline time for the littles during the day and some fabulous star-gazing from the same location for the teens and moms at night!
I am so grateful for the amazing team of people who have stepped up to the plate to help out on our love2learn project. To me it is truly a sign that we are cooperating with God in this endeavor. This is what particularly struck me at this point of our trip.
We stayed a couple of lovely nights with the Dalys who provided lots of trampoline time for the littles during the day and some fabulous star-gazing from the same location for the teens and moms at night!
I am so grateful for the amazing team of people who have stepped up to the plate to help out on our love2learn project. To me it is truly a sign that we are cooperating with God in this endeavor. This is what particularly struck me at this point of our trip.
Margaritas with Margaret
We tore Ria away from the Chestercon Banquet (a little pricey for a party of eight, naturally!) to have dinner with Margaret and her family. Our cameras were out of batteries at the time, so you'll have to pay a little visit to Margaret's site for photographic evidence of our visit. Say, Margaret, any chance you'd be willing to share the recipe for that fabulous salsa? :)
Oh, and in case you were wondering who the Van Heckler's are...
Our family arrived for the first talk of the day on Friday of ChesterCon while they were preparing technical details for the first speaker. We piled into various parts of the first and second row (play dough in hand to keep Frank busy and reasonably quiet) and were immediately noticed by the speaker - Dr. Thursday. He laughed and declared - "Ah! The Van Hecklers are here." :)
Oh, and in case you were wondering who the Van Heckler's are...
Our family arrived for the first talk of the day on Friday of ChesterCon while they were preparing technical details for the first speaker. We piled into various parts of the first and second row (play dough in hand to keep Frank busy and reasonably quiet) and were immediately noticed by the speaker - Dr. Thursday. He laughed and declared - "Ah! The Van Hecklers are here." :)
Chesterton Conference
As I mentioned briefly in previous posts, the Chesterton Conference was wonderful. We stayed with friends off-campus, but Ria was able to stay on campus with our friends the Dalys and thus participate more fully in this joy-and-laughter-filled conference. One of the highlights, surely, was meeting Dr. Thursday, though I can't fail to mention (again) Ria's recitation. I was very moved by the recitation of course (by the way, she decided to go for a bit of a medieval look as seen in the photo), but must admit that I was worried about the length. The amazing standing ovation quelled my fears. Such an enthusiastic bunch and SO supportive of young people interested in Chesterton. I am extremely grateful!
More photos here
More photos here
Caddie Woodlawn's House
This was our first major stop on our "Dash through the Plains" (and the third time we've been to this site). Caddie's house is on our way to St. Paul and since we weren't in a hurry, we had a leisurely visit. The only disappointment this time was that they had boarded up the door to the attic, making it completely inaccessible. :(
More photos of her house here.
More photos of her house here.
Monday, June 25, 2007
I know we haven't been able to tune in for the last ten days or so...
...but this is ridiculous!
"No More Classical Music Radio"
more here
Our one local classical station is switching to "smooth jazz" tonight at midnight. I am majorly bummed.
By the way, we just arrived home and are all well. Hope to do lots of trip blogging (including lots of photos over the next few days - though I feel like we've just packed about six months worth of life into ten days!).
"No More Classical Music Radio"
more here
Our one local classical station is switching to "smooth jazz" tonight at midnight. I am majorly bummed.
By the way, we just arrived home and are all well. Hope to do lots of trip blogging (including lots of photos over the next few days - though I feel like we've just packed about six months worth of life into ten days!).
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Dashing Through the Plains
Blogging briefly here from South Dakota where a portion of the love2learn reviewers are getting together for fellowship and conversation. Mary Daly and Ana Braga-Henebry are hosting three additional families and it's been an amazing visit. Hope to catch up a bit on our whirlwind of a week as well.The Chesterton Conference was really wonderful: engaging talks, good friends, fun conversation (with lots of laughter) and LOTS more. I particularly enjoyed the talks by Geir Hasnes (on Sigrid Undset - I think he pushed me over the edge to finally go and read Kristin Lavransdatter) and Dawn Eden. Can't say I'm biased or anything (wink,wink), but that recitation of the first book of the Ballad of the White Horse moved me to tears.
Minnesota Mom graciously hosted us for dinner (great Margaritas by the way!) and it was a real treat to meet her beautiful family. That little Camille! :) John pointed her out and said "That little one - she wants the world!" My immediate thought was - how like St. Therese.
We caravaned with the Dalys to South Dakota where we spent a lovely day in de Smet before heading across the state to visit Mount Rushmore and other sites in Rapid City.
Here is a brief list of some lovely places we visited throughout the state. Overall we took loads of pictures - hope to upload some eventually:
de Smet:
The Surveyor's House and the Ingall's home (a little pricey - but nice to experience the real thing - too bad they don't let you take pictures inside!)
The Train Depot Museum - this museum has forever confirmed in my head the notion that free little museums put together by enthusiasts are often my favorite. Loaded with goodies of all sorts and SO friendly!
Along the I-90
Alexandria:
There's a little Fatima family shrine at a little parish along the 90 a little East of Mitchell (a large billboard makes it easy to spot). It includes many beautiful outdoor statues and memorials, a cute little outdoor chapel, a beautiful church and a tiny cloistered Carmelite Monastery (with an adorable little bookstore). This made a nice little break in our driving. This was Fr. Fox's parish for many years (my husband went on one of his Fatima pilgrimages for teens many years ago).
The Missouri River:
There's a gorgeous spot overlooking the Missouri River on the East Side with a huge rest area and a permanent Lewis and Clark exhibit. The view is absolutely breathtaking!
The Badlands:
We liked the Badlands so much that we drove through the loop both directions of our trip. It takes about 60 minutes (compared to 20 minutes on that section of freeway) but what an hour! Of course it didn't hurt that we had a bit of prepping by our friend Mary who is currently working on a Geology textbook. We are so very blessed! We were all awed and amazed at the strange beauty of this land, but it was particularly fun to see Frank's great enthusiasm (captured on film - hope to share later).
Mt. Rushmore:
They've totally redone the entire viewing area at Mt. Rushmore. The new set-up accomodates so many people and allows for closer viewing (and fun photos!). Ria brought her sketch book and a pencil and got many interesting comments and glances. We stayed for about four hours and enjoyed it very much. One of the neatest parts was driving up because the mountain roads slowly reveal the entire monument beginning with only Lincoln's face from the side. There was a great deal of cheering from our car! :)
TO BE CONTINUED...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Briefly Checking In ...
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