The Munce Family: Black Hills or (errrr, was a) bust.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Black Hills or (errrr, was a) bust.

Dave and I had anticipated our ten day trip the Black Hills for months. We had so many outings planned, and since we were there for so long, we had also set aside a few days for down days. We arrived on Wednesday, Oct 8, and quickly settled in. Our bags and food were unpacked and the kids started to explore. It is so sweet to see them giddy together when we do new things, because I remember being the same way with my siblings on trips. No matter what our differences were, we would always share each other's excitement on those first few days. Oh, and how could I forget Kenzie. She was a squealing machine. She could hardly wait for her first dip in the stream.

Thursday and Friday were filled with adventures. We spent Thursday driving through Spearfish Canyon. The leaves were just turning thanks to a late Fall. What a treat. The colors were spectacular. We ended up at the Spearfish Fish Hatchery where we were entertained by tossing food to the fish and ducks. Sully loved it, I think Greta did, too. We went to Hill City on Friday and took the 1880 Train to Keystone. Sully loved every second of it and Greta snoozed.

Saturday was a down day at the cabin. Dave and I took turns exercising on the Michelson Trail and then stayed in for naps, which both of the kids desperately needed. Just before Sully went down for his nap, he discovered the fun of throwing rocks in the stream. He would have sat there for hours if we had let him.

Dave fed the kids breakfast on Sunday morning and Greta developed hives within 30 minutes. Big hives, about 10 of them, on her face. Considering her history, we were concerned the worse was yet to come, so we packed up and raced in to the Rapid City ER. What a miserable drive that was, 55 minutes of windy gravel roads down a mountain. I was in the back seat monitoring Greta's breathing when suddenly Sully puked everywhere. Car sickness, for sure. Or was it? Greta checked out ok, so we dined in the hospital cafeteria before making our way back to the cabin. When we arrived, the kids took naps and then Sully got the stomach flu. It was awful. He was up all night long with Dave getting sick. I was with Greta, but also hardly slept.

We got up on Monday and packed up. We drove straight to Sioux Falls, no real stops, only stops along the road to nurse and trade drivers. After continuous vomiting from Sully, we made the decision to take him in to the ER. We arranged for care for Greta in order for both of us to be there. After two fluid boluses, medication, and labs, Sully was able to go home. He was much sicker than we had even realized and we were so glad to be home. He is on the mend, but it has taken him a few days to bounce back. Poor kiddo.

We did have a great time at the cabin and we look forward to going back. Our perspective has changed on the 'coolness' of an ultra remote cabin, we will be a bit more prepared next year. On a really positive note, I think we got our Christmas photo via a timed photo on the Michelson Trail. Everyone is looking, even Kenzie. Truly amazing!