July 20: Colorado Springs

Colorado

The Focus on the Family Visitor Center holds more than meets the eye.

Dorothy at Whit's End

The Team USA Training Center

The Fencing Room

Balancing Rock, Colorado

July 21: Old Town, Colorado

Our gracious hosts from Manitou Springs.

A very interesting display on the hundreds of kinds of barbed wire.
There were reportedly 1200 patents on barbed wire by the end of
the 1800s.

An 1800s wheat thresher.

An Indian Tepee under fluorescent lights? Hmmm........

Joshua and Nathanial checking out the cells.

No Comment

The Streets of Old Town

After Old Town, we took a ride on the oldest, best preserved,
hand carved wooden carousel. It still costs only $0.25.

July 22: Breakdown

Kansas Sunrise

Well, we almost got home without a problem. In Missouri
the serpentine belt shredded, causing the engine to overheat.

After waiting for about an hour the tow truck finally arrived.

Bored

The whole delay cost us four hours.

Intro

Western Trip, Part 1

Since this blog seems to be almost over taken with dust, Isaac and I have decided to take it over for a little while, and do some posts on our trip out west with our sister Sarah and her family. We took what is known as the inner loop tour of the west which includes Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde and many others; it was simply amazing. We hope you enjoy all of the pictures, and we plan on having the rest of them up soon.

Enjoy!

P.S. Make sure to click "older posts" to view all of part 1.

July 1: Indiana Dunes Lakeshore

Where the trees meet the sand.

The Swimming Beach

The Non-Swimming Beach

Typical Tourists

Aaron struggles up a shifting sand dune.

Chicago Rush Hour Traffic

July 2: Spam Museum & South Dakota

"I wonder what's inside?"

The mighty Mississippi barges.

Hannah

The Spam Museum located in Austin, Minnesota

Aaron the factory worker.

South Dakota
Great Faces, Great Places

July 3: Ingalls Homestead & Corn Pallace

"The Worlds Only Corn Palace"

Good thing Dorothy doesn't read yet.

All of the decorations are done with cobs of corn.

This was the last good picture that I took before I was informed
"No Pictures!"

A typical school house, similar to one that Laura taught in.

Typical tourists who cant read a map.

The Wide Open Prairie

It was windy out there!

As you can see, we decided to change our form
of transportation along the way.

Mount Rushmore or Bust!

Minimum Maintenance: Drive at Your Own Risk

(That is actually what the sign said.)

July 4: Badlands National Park

A morning walk beside the Missouri river.

Prairie Dog

Badlands, SD

Aaron

Looks like he may have been bitten by one!

A lost child in the desolate waste.

One of the few life forms: buffalo grass.

Happy Fourth of July!

July 5: Badlands & Mount Rushmore

Morning Drink

The starting point of our hike.

The Exploration Team

Where the Badlands meet the prairie.

Wall Drug

We finally made it!

Art

Mount Rushmore after the rain.