Road Trip Day 15: Wall Drug – Cosmos – Mt Rushmore – Crazy Horse

Ride 'em Cowboy Thomas!

Wall Drug in South Dakota:   We drank free, cold ice water, Jake turned into a cowboy with his new cowboy hat, Thomas learned to ride a bucking bronco, and Christopher turned into an Indian riding a horse, and even Sandy rode the bucking bronco in the little town of Wall, South Dakota.

Benches donated by Lions Club in Wall, South Dakota

Riding a horse is NOT as difficult as it looks! (especially when it is NOT real)

We spotted a Lions Club bench in Wall so Jake took a photo of me on their bench.

Thomas defies gravity at the Cosmos Experience near Keystone, South Dakota

Thomas requested the Cosmos Experience so we stopped on our way to Keystone and Mt. Rushmore for the boys to be chosen as volunteers to defy gravity in several experiments!  Yes, this really was an odd turn of events!

Chris-Jake-Tom do 'Cosmic Height Experience' in South Dakota

Mt Rushmore National Monument

We met the 4 Presidents at Mt. Rushmore for ice cream,  and asked for directions to see Crazy Horse Monument about 20 miles away.

Deadwood, South Dakota

A drive to Deadwood to find our Hampton Inn lodging for two nights was accomplished and the boys carried all of our bags to our rooms while I parked the car across the street.

Thomas, Christopher, our new friend, Jake and Sandy in Wall Drug

After a nice dinner while we listened to a live band play cowboy music at an outdoor restaurant.   Our Hotel is located next to a Deadwood casino so Jake called to see how old they had to be to try their ‘luck’.  NO LUCK!   You must be 21 to gamble!   So, the 3 boys gambled with grandma’s good humor and each purchased a rubber-band gun to entertain themselves for the evening, after they went for a swim in our hotel pool!

Tomorrow off to see Devil’s Tower from the old film, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’  I think they’ll all order ‘mashed potatoes’ for dinner tomorrow night just like Richard Dreyfus in the movie!    One more night in Deadwood and then ON THE ROAD AGAIN…..

We love the sunshine and saw very little flooding after we left Chamberlain, SD today.