South Dakota Trip - Day 5

This morning was our first official day at the KOA. It was a little cold and rainy. We first got dressed and went to the Chuck Wagon Breakfast. We first chose our drinks out of the cold refrigerator. Next, we gave our orders to the cook. After that, we were given hot pancakes and crispy bacon. We ate them and talked to other people eating nearby. Afterwards, we took steaming showers and got ready for the day. When we finally left we headed for Jewel Cave. While driving through the winding roads we looked for wild life. When we got there we looked around and got our tickets for the tour. Mollie worked on yet another Junior Ranger. She completed several activities and walked on a nature trail with Daddy. She saw a bushy tailed chipmunk and chattering red squirrel. When they came back from the trail we made our way to the elevators and started the tour (1135). We traveled 250 feet below ground and finally came to the cave. The ranger told us all about the formations, rocks, crystals and how the cave was formed. We took a lot of cool pictures and then we went back up the elevators. We walked to the car and headed back to the cabin to pick up our video camera. After that, we had lunch at the Pizza Hut (buffet). Then we drove over to Bear Country, USA. On the way we got a good look at Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. When we got to the animal park we paid and then drove into the Elk area. We saw some and then noticed everyone was stopped in the Arctic Wolves section. We noticed a wolf right next to our car - he was so pretty. We saw Mountain Goats next. They were cool, but they were not attempting to show off. My favorite, and I think everyone can agree with me, was the Bears. They were everywhere! We saw some bathing, scratching themselves and flighting. We next saw some cool Buffalos - including a white one! Next, we went to Babyland (part of the park) and looked at lots of baby animals. When we were done we went to the gift shop and got souvenirs. Then we drove back to the camp site. We went to the camp headquarters and had ice cream. We also got to work on a KOA T-Shirt and KOA bags. We started watching the movie "Antz" but got bored. Back at the cabin we got ready for bed and snuggled in our bunk beds. Daddy told ghost stories. This was a good day - one we won't forget.