Campvention Follow-up Pics; Travel Day; Mount Rushmore (Heartland RV Park, Hermosa SD)

As I said in my last post – I didn’t have time to include pictures of our last day (Day 5) at the FCRV Campvention due to computer issues.  So here they are now:

On Friday morning, I took a short break from packing up and we drove over to the Cam-Plex parking lot to view the FCRV Campvention Parade…

DSC_0948

DSC_0933

DSC_0936

DSC_0940

DSC_0938

DSC_0942

DSC_0943

DSC_0947

DSC_0945

DSC_0946

DSC_0949

In the evening we attended closing ceremonies inside the Wyoming Center building.

Where they handed out awards for the different events and activities that took place over the past week…

DSC_0977

IMG_9816

My stepmom Elaine, Linda, and Stilla handed out the left-over door prizes as the announcer called out names.  There were a dozen or so prizes left after all the drawings earlier in the week, so they used this opportunity to unload the rest…

DSC_0989

DSC_0973

DSC_0991

And when the ceremonies ended, the band kicked up and the dancing started…

IMG_9828

Here’s Stilla and Elaine doing a line dance…

DSC_1067

IMG_9834

IMG_9835

Once Stilla got her fill of line dancing, we (Stilla, Kaan, and I) walked over to the Monster Truck Show that was going on in the rodeo arena between the Cam-Plex and our campground.  We watched from the sidelines for a bit, before walking back to the Coach.  Here’s some pics of the trucks taken earlier during the daylight… my pics during the nighttime event didn’t come out very well…

DSC_0959

DSC_0960

DSC_0961

DSC_0962

DSC_0963

IMG_9838

And that’s all for the Campvention.  It’s was a great event, especially since we had the opportunity to hang out with my Dad & Elaine and our friends in the FCRV Rolling Springs Chapter.


Saturday morning we left the Cam-Plex in Gillette WY around 10 AM to head over to the Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, SD.  We convoyed with my Dad & Elaine along Interstate 90 towards Rapid City and then went south on 79.  Our total mileage for the day was about 160 miles.

IMG_9846

Here we are at the Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, SD.  We made reservations before we left Colorado under the direction of my stepmom Elaine who did the planning.  They accept the Passport America discount so we ended up paying ~$50 for two nights.

IMG_9847

The pull-through sites aren’t long enough for the Coach and truck.  We have to park the truck on the grass across from our site.

IMG_9848

IMG_9850
Elaine waving in front of their Coach parked next to us at Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, SD.

We met up with Biff & Linda Anderson who had arrived here at the same park earlier in the day to meet with some old friends of theirs.  We all drove over to the nearby Lazy R Bar & Grill for some dinner.

IMG_9851

IMG_9857

IMG_9861
Linda, Biff, and Elaine outside the Lazy R Bar & Grill in Hermosa SD.

Once back at the campground, we piled into my Dad’s Jeep and drove the scenic route along Custer State Park to get to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  We wanted to see the evening lighting ceremony.

IMG_9864

We stopped for ice cream at the parks entrance…

IMG_9867

And here’s the grand view…IMG_9868

IMG_9869

We took the 0.6 mile Presidential Trail loop.  Very nice.  Luckily, we took the clockwise route so most of the steps were down.

IMG_9870

IMG_9876

IMG_9878

We got back to the stadium seats just in time for the 8 PM show and lighting of the monument ceremony.  The seats were packed.

 

IMG_9879

After a ranger talk, we watched a well-made documentary on the big screen and then they turned on the lights…

IMG_9881

After the lighting ceremony, the ranger called all veterans down to the stage area.  I went down to the stage along with my Dad, where the ranger walked along the line of veterans as everyone said their name and branch of service.  Afterwards, a selected few helped lower and fold the flag.  It was a nice gesture of appreciation to all the veterans.

If you haven’s seen the evening lighting ceremony (Click HERE), you’ve got to add it to your list.

Today (Sunday), we plan on driving over to the Crazy Horse Memorial… check back in with us 🙂  Gotta go now…