Summers are for vacation, time away from work, a time to do as you please.  It's time to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine, go to the beach and perhaps spend some quality time with those who want your company.  Sometimes we get crazy ideas to jump in the car and venture to places heard of.  Some do it alone; some take their children, newlyweds go sight seeing.... and then there is us who take it with parents, or my case the in-laws. 

We all know that road trips can get long, boring and tiresome.  I now know that throwing in the extra component of in-laws could make the trip a little longer, a little more tiresome but not necessarily boring.... if you catch my drift.

Greg, father-in-law Hartley, mother-in-law Carol and I packed ourselves tightly into one car and pointed it south.  Ah... South Dakota, we hear so much about it, a common summer family destination this year.  Every other person I spoke to had visited the area, it sounded nice and we were going to pack in all the sites in three days (plus the driving time to and from the Black Hills).

We made the trip to Mount Rushmore, stood in front to have our face mounted on a photo with the 4 famous president faces.  We made our way to see the 50-year progress of Crazy Horse, which was really just crazy. We winded our way 200 feet below the earth's crust in the Windcaves, seeing many paths that lead to nowhere.  We visited the captive animals, birds and reptiles at the Reptile Gardens and Bear Country.  Finally, on the way home it was a drive through South Dakota's barren and dry Badlands, where we once again posed for the almighty tourist photo. (You can check out all the photos in the photo album posted on the right hand side of the screen.)