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As we made our way from MN to OH, we stopped at a small campground in Michigan – between storms & right at sunset.

Sadly, we had a change of plans when Drew’s grandma passed away. We were still at Voyageurs Park when she passed. We tried to think of anyway that we could all make it home, but due to our remote location & short timeframe, the best we could do is pool our resources to get Drew home. It was really important to both of us that he was there to support his aunt & uncle. So we got up at 5a the next day to drive to the Twin Cities. Once we got Drew dropped off at MSP to catch his flight, the kids & I went back to get moved into our campsite & setup camp.

The morning of her memorial, the kids & I had a moment of quiet to honor Gma and to let all of those at the memorial know that we were with them in spirit.

We spent the next few days working on school work, taking multiple bike rides a day, and soaking up some pool time.

After a few days back in AR, Drew flew back into MSP. I drove the camper into the city so we could continue east the next morning.

It is appropriate that Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, is home to a national park made mostly of islands and lakes.

This is our yearly aviation pilgrimage to Oshkosh, WI. The EAA (Experimental Aviation Assoc) AirVenture is the largest aviation gathering in the world. It is a tradition that started with Drew’s family – he has been every year of his life except 2yrs, so this was his 35th Osh. And is now a tradition for our family – our kids have been every year of their lives. While it is always super busy and a lot of work, we also get time to share the love of aviation together as a family.

This year was no different – the week starts with booth setup, house setup, meeting up with old friends, and watching airplanes land from the fly-line.

Once the show starts, the crew is busy with working two booths. When we can, we get time with Drew to tour grounds.

The highlight of this year was Drew being presented with the Freedom of Flight award by EAA at the annual member mtg. This is a very big honor & we are super proud of him.

The rest of the week was filled with lots of activities including KidVenture & helicopter rides over the grounds –

After visiting 18 parks in 6 weeks, we were ready for a break. We setup camp at a small lake resort in Milton, WI. Then drove Drew to ORD (Chicago) to catch his flight back to AR. He had a busy week of Osh-prep back at the shop.

The kids and I spent the week getting caught up on cleaning & organizing the camper, doing some school work –

Swimming in the lake & pool –

Going on lots of bike rides –

Playing on playgrounds –

And getting much needed hair cuts –

The biggest challenge of the week came once Drew determined that he needed to fly the RV-10 back up to Oshkosh – instead of coming back to ORD. This meant it was on me to pack up camp, hook up the jeep, and drive the camper up to Osh by myself! Fortunately I was able to hook up everything the night before (with Drew’s remote help – thankfully) and we rolled out the next morning with no prob! Whew!

Since we visited this park a few years ago, we decided to start this visit on the west side of the park at a more remote entrance then drive a jeep road to Sheep Mountain.

As we headed into the interior of the park we stopped at the Fossil Loop trail & then did the more challenging Saddle Pass trail – straight up a Badlands wall. The terrain is so crumbly and loose, it is very hard to keep your footing!

As you can tell, by this time it was quite warm outside – whew! So we headed to the visitors center to check it out & get Jr Ranger badges.

On the way back to camp, we stopped at an indoor water park to cool off a bit.

On the way back to camp, we stopped for a lil fun at Rush Mountain Adventures.

We took the kids to Mt Rushmore a few years ago, but we decide to stop by again since it was otw home.

Just south of Wind Cave, is a on-going archeological dig of a site that contains as many as 50 almost complete mammoth fossils. It is the site of an ancient sink-hole that was fed by a hot spring. Because the water was warm, the mammoth would come to drink the water or feed on the grass surrounding the hole. But due to the unstable ground around the hole, they would often fall in and not be able to get back out. Most are fossils of Colombian mammoths which were much bigger than Wooly mammoth. There are also fossils of short-nosed bears which are almost twice the size of grizzly bears.

Long before European fur traders and eastern miners arrived, Lakota Sioux considered the area now known as Wind Cave National Park sacred. They spoke of a “hole that breathes cool air” and left tipi rings near the cave’s only natural entrance. Sioux legend describes this opening as the site where bison first emerged to roam the prairies. The reason the cave is so “windy” though is all about air pressure. Air flows into the abyss when pressure outside the cave is greater than pressure inside. However, when pressure is greater inside the cave, gusts of air blow out of its natural opening. The cave itself is unique because it doesn’t have the typical dripping water & limestone cave creations like stalagmites & stalactites – instead it features an unusual type of calcite crystal formation called boxwork, which creates a honeycomb appearance.

After much of the wildlife in the area was eliminated due to over hunting, today the park is home to one of four free-roaming, genetically pure bison herds on publicly owned lands. Pronghorn are seen in the prairies and elk can be heard bugling in the backcountry.

This often overlooked park is a small area that pays tribute to the visionary man who created the National Park System. It is his old home & cattle ranch in North Dakota. This uniquely beautiful area is filled with prairie dogs, bison, rattlesnakes, and wild horses.