This morning we woke up pretty chilly, so we made some pancakes and hot chocolate-perfect for a cold morning.  Then we packed up our stuff to head towards the Badlands.  We only had to drive a couple hours and we were there.  We decided to take a tour of the Minuteman Missile launch facility.

Then we went to our campground in Interior.  We set up our tent and had a quick lunch, then we were off to explore the Badlands.  It was a great day for it.  Blue Sky and just a little hot.

Our first stop was the Ben Reifel Center where we walked through a little exhibit and watched a short movie about the Badlands.  Then we picked the kids some Junior Ranger booklets (a little homework for later).  We left to explore some trails.

We went down three trails.  It was pretty nice because they had markers along the trail so you wouldn’t get lost.  First we went down the Door Trail which took about 15 min.  It was short enough but got us all used to walking on the rock and being careful on the ledges.  Then we went on the Window Trail which wasn’t much of a trail at all, but more of a lookout.

Third we went on the Notch Trail.  It was a pretty long trail, so we decided just to go a little ways, but it kept getting more interesting as we went so we ended up going the whole way.  It probably took us about an hour.  The kids did really well.  We didn’t see any wildlife despite the rattle snake warning signs.  We had to climb a this long ladder up and then we held hands as we climbed the edge of the rocks.  At the end of a trail was a nice view across the Badlands.  Then we made the same trek back.  The kids really enjoyed climbing and exploring around.  By the end we were all ready to rest and chow.

We went back to the campground and roasted hot dogs and warmed some beans over the fire.  Then I had to do a couple loads of laundry and Jonathan was off to do some more homework.  The kids listened to me read more of “Just So Stories” and started making s’mores.  By the time the laundry was dry it was dark, so I folded it by lantern light, which was a new experience.

Then it was time for bed once again.