South Dakota: One RV, 4 nights, 6 People-My FIRST of (hopefully) many RV trips:

For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to see Mount Rushmore. How the faces were sculpted in to the side of a mountain always filled me with wonder & it was just something I had to see for myself.  My husband had always wanted to go on an RV trip & being the problem solver that I am, I began to figure out a way for both of us to make our dreams come true.  For a girl from Miami, South Dakota seems slightly secluded even though it is surrounded by 5 states while Florida is surrounded on 3 sides by water.  When people think tourist destinations they don’t immediately think South Dakota, afterall is it the 5th least populated state.  After a quick google search of the above facts I knew I had to make it happen.  I love a planning challenge.  How were we going to see Mt. Rushmore, have an RV experience, with a one year old, on a one flight no stop over requirement? 

Much to my surprise, South Dakota has a lot to offer, and I wanted to see it all. We also like to keep things as simple as possible, so the one flight no stop over rule was a must for this one, with a driving the rest of the way kicker.The best option seemed to be fly to Denver, rent the RV from there, drive to South Dakota, see everything, and drive back.Trying to utilize the kids’ excitement for the RV we decided to make the longest drive the first day.Genius! The kids didn’t mind the long drive at all; they actually enjoyed it! We made it all the way to Hot Springs, South Dakota in about 7 hours with a few stops. A benefit of travelling to this area in the summer is that the sun sets really late.It was still light out when we arrived to the campgrounds!We made a fire to cook our dinner, roast marshmallows, and then just sat back & enjoyed.The daily campfire after a long day was perfect. All in all, there were some spectacular drives, some awe inspiring landscapes, some wow wildlife, and amazing memories made.I have a new appreciation for our national & state parks.We saw bison on our drive to Wind Cave National Park. The Wildlife Loop at Custer State Park was a hit with the kids and Sylvan Lake was serene.The Badlands National Park was amazing, and before doing research for this trip I had never even heard of it! Mount Rushmore was incredible. It was every bit as awesome as I expected.There’s no way to fully describe driving towards a mountain & seeing the true scale of the sculptures.Overall this trip was the trip of a lifetime. My daughters loved all the time in the RV, the changing landscapes and most importantly, the quality time together. We will for sure be doing another RV trip in the near future.