family and buffalo.

 We met my uncle and aunt while we were in South Dakota, for a visit over lunch. Very enjoyable, and it was fun to see them again!

 Seeing buffalo was the twins' favorite part of the trip. It was always a surprise in Custer Park, when you'd go around a curve, and their they'd be, grazing next to the road.

 To appease my guilt for taking the kids out of school, they completed the Junior Naturalist program at Custer State Park. They had to attend some programs, fill out a booklet and do some activities. We all learned. They probably learned more since we could have discussions about it as a family.

And the twins became Custer Park Pups. They were pretty excited. It was a nice aspect to our trip- the education. We spent four nights in Custer Park.
 
We stayed in State Park camper cabins throughout our trip. The photo above shows the inside; they were all variations on the same. This one near Belle Fourche was really new, and it seemed like they've perfected the design over the years, as it had the best features. The cabins provided a roof over our heads, beds, and space for our stuff. Each one had a table inside too, so we could eat inside if weather was yucky. All cooking had to be done outside.
The best item we brought along was an electric fry pan (what we used to call it)/electric skillet.  With the sides on it, we could make chili or soup, but could fry pancakes in it too. We just plugged it in. I also brought an electric tea kettle, but we didn't use it much.

Below is the outside of the camper cabin at Rocky Point Recreational Area, near Belle Fourche. It was a new place developed near a reservoir lake. It would have been really nice to have chairs here.
We figured it was worth getting the cabins, versus hauling a trailer or tenting.