Back to the Black Hills.

In true Munce form, we don't sit idle for long. It seems we get up and go every chance we get, which is so fun, but also slightly exhausting (if you ask me, Dave would never concede to that). We had been pondering a Labor Day Black Hills trip since about mid summer and finally pulled the trigger on a cabin a few weeks ago.

The day before our departure, Piper came down with a stomach bug that completely grounded us, she had a fever and vomiting that lasted about exactly 24 hours. We started packing at about 8pm the evening before we left because it was so up in the air. Off we went, we headed west and made decent time, we read books, watched shows and iPads, and before we knew it, we were in the Northern Hills at our cabin. We unpacked, went for dinner and came back for a hot tub before hitting the sheets.

Saturday was a full fun day. We did morning reading and then had lunch in Hill City before hiking Cathedral Spires with the kids (and no carrier- one thing we overlooked when packing, darn). It was lovely 2 mile roundtrip hike through streams, rock formations, and raspberry bushes. Next we met the Barkers at Sylvan Lake for an afternoon of fun. And it was so fun. We walked, canoed, and had dinner together. The kids played so well, Rhys and Sully explored while Bea entertained Greta and Piper for hours, literally. It was such a nice rendezvous and Im so glad we took the opportunity to connect while we were there.

Sunday was another full day. We eased into the day and much to our delight- the kids FOUND A TREASURE MAP! What are the chances, the last time we were in the Black Hills during the summer, we also found one. We had so much fun following the clues and finding the treasure. We headed out for lunch in Keystone, stopped by Mt. Rushmore, found our favorite candy shop, then drove to Roughlock Falls for one of my favorite hikes in Spearfish Canyon. Piper had been in a funk for most of the hike and just after we got to the waterfall, she threw up all of the candy she got from the candy store. It wouldn't be a true Munce family vacation without a puker ;). We went back to Deadwood for pizza, had one last dip in the hot tub and then watched a shark show with Sully and Greta before going to bed. We definitely squeezed everything out of Sunday.

Monday was a travel day- a long one, but we arrived home around 5:30 and we were happy to be home, but more happy to have pulled the trigger on the get away. It really is so good to get away from the daily grind and all of the pulls of everyday life, even if just for a few days.

Simple little hike with kids ;).

Easy does it, Pip (I cut Dave out of the photo, but he was
VERY near-by in case of a misstep :)).

We did it! 

It didn't happen unless we do a self timed photo.

Barkers and Munces!

Canoeing on Sylvan Lake. 

My copilots.

The crew- minus Greta and Piper, my arms aren't long enough. 

The treasure map! 

Hunting for the treasure. 

WE FOUND THE TREASURE!!
The looks on their faces says it all. Haha! 

Mt. Rushmore

Too much candy.

Roughlock Falls.