Reptile Gardens and Mount Rushmore

Monday, June 6th, 2022 we headed into Rapid City again to go to Reptile Gardens, but again the pictures loaded backwards.  So Mount Rushmore was actually our second stop of the day.  Jubal, Efraim and Nicolas were not feeling it by this time and were being a bit of a handful, so while Leo went with the older kids on the little hike at the base of Mt. Rushmore, I stayed with the boys in the promenade area (I really don't know what to call that.). But you can tell by the group picture, just how much everyone wanted to be there.  

Not so fun boys.  

Sebastian loved this sign at Reptile Gardens. 

I think the turtles or tortoises (whatever) were my favorite part.

There was also a bird area.  

Falcons or hawks or whatever is this, is so cool.  I want to do a costumed photo shot with hawks some day.  

Petting baby alligator.

The alligator show was okay, not as good as I remember Gator World's being.  There was a snake show too that the kids really liked, but I sat out, I can't remember why.  But I am not of snakes.

I hate snakes, but this is a cool pattern.

Ugh.

Double ugh.  Sebastian, I hope you know that I'm just including these photos for you.  

Lizards on the other hand are kind of cute.

I was playing I spy the lizard in their open green house little place.  

Sebastian was sooooo thrilled to see Maniac, the saltwater crocodile.

Yep, adder for Sebas.  🤢🤢 

So this was the main cabin Leo and I were in.  I was so grateful they had cabins open.  I really felt extremely blessed on this trip, when something would go wrong we kept getting small miracles, like the one camp spot open in Colorado (the only opening for weeks), and then same with these cabins.  We got the perfect for us and they were fully booked for weeks afterwards.  There was one night, I think the first night we got there, I had all the kids shower because we still were covered in sand from Colorado sand dunes, and then I started laundry in their facility and then at midnight, I finally went to take a shower myself, and covered in soap and shampoo, their water pump broke or something (the manager told us what it was the next day, but I forgot what) and so then I was trying to wash off for a good 30 mins a tiny, freezing cold trickle of water.  It was horrible. And then all our batches of laundry (like 4) were NOT washed and I had to take them into Deadwood the next morning to do laundry at a laundry mat there.  I JUST figured it out.  It was Hidden Valley Campground.  Highly recommend.  

Some where driving around, we saw this awesome Bigfoot.