Several months ago, we received this invitation, inviting us to attend my brother's wedding in Yellowstone.
I was pregnant at the time and we knew we'd be traveling with an infant if we went, but we love Uncle Adam (and Aunt Megan!), so we didn't hesitate to tell them we'd be there. We made our reservations. We rented a minivan. We even added a day at the park so we could see everything (however briefly) while we were there.
We had a baby. We packed a million bags full of diapers and bottles and changes of clothes and everything we thought a baby might possibly need in the week that we would be gone. We got antibiotics for the double ear infection Sarah developed the day before we left.
And then we got on the road.
Kate and Sarah both visited states that were new to them. On Tuesday, we crossed through Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska before entering South Dakota. Most of it was incredibly boring, but neither of them complained - Kate slept most of the trip and Sarah watched movie after movie in the backseat.
And then we got to the Badlands.
I had been to Badlands National Park before, but I remembered it as a hot, dry mound of interestingly shaped dirt. I was either really wrong, or we visited at just the right time! The goldenrod was in bloom and the bright yellows and greens of the grassland contrasted beautifully with the colors of the rock formations in the background.
Sarah even stopped watching movies to get out and explore...
The Badlands also offered us our first up-close encounters with wildlife (we had seen some antelope on our drive, but they were way out in fields). We saw an oh-so-exotic bunny...
...and a happy little bluebird!
After we checked in to our cabin (which smelled deliciously of pine), we crawled into bed, hoping to have the energy to put in another long drive before making it to Yellowstone the next day!
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