Life Lessons from a Winebago IV


This morning we are heading through the badlands on to Mount Rushmore. As we drive, we spie the most irrestibly climbable hills we have every seen. Chelsea, Lydia, and I have the climbing adventure of our lives.  We climbed the hills with the skill of pronghawns and mountain goats.

But before Mount Rushmore can have our happy upturned faces, we have one very important stop to make. In the east we have South of the Border and its miles of billboards imploring travelers to stop. In the west there is Wall Drug Store. For miles and miles, we learn hundreds of reasons for stopping at Wall Drug. We give in and stop. There is pizza, a splash zone and plenty of cheesy photo ops.

It's time for the main attraction for the day. We are on our way to Mount Rushmore. Lynne has always wanted to see Mount Rushmore in person. Stepping past the walk of flags we see the four majestic faces looking down at us. It was awesome.

The day ends with a light show at the in process Crazy Horse monument. Then we fall to sleep in the middle of Custer State Park. All is good.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Hampshire: Snow, Coasties, and a Gymnastics Meet

Image
  New Hampshire: Snow, Coasties, and a Gymnastics Meet We started our New Hampshire trip on Friday—really, we started it Thursday night. That’s when we drove to Meme's house with our new Tesla charging adapter. And yes, we used the adapter so we could charge at Tesla stations, which felt like being accepted into a secret society. Tesla loved us. Electrify America… not so much. I’m pretty sure they were jealous. From there, Friday was a full day of driving north. It’s actually a pretty great drive—beautiful, long, and just familiar enough to be comfortable. I even tried to keep up with some work along the way (emphasis on tried ). We arrived at our Airbnb in New Hampshire to find the kind of joy that makes you instantly feel like life is good: Meme had made two lasagnas . And then—like a movie scene—the Coast Guard kids began arriving. Not all at once. In waves. Like a cheerful invasion. Eight Coasties descended on the Airbnb: Lydia and MG, Josh, Celia, Dylan, Claire, Diba, Arwin—ev...
Read more

Christmas Letter 2025

🎄 Christmas Boyer Family Update 2025 🎄 New! Listen to this in song. https://suno.com/s/8u3pPA9mhjTHssbs What a year it has been! We celebrated a big milestone—marrying off our first child, Abigail. She and Austin live nearby, which means she still pops in to “borrow” food, batteries, and Kombucha. We love Austin and are so happy for them. Abigail is halfway through her second year teaching mischievous but wonderful 3rd graders. Lydia had knee surgery in the spring to reconfigure some parts, but bounced back quickly. By summer, she was off to Alaska for the internship of a lifetime, studying how climate change is affecting Arctic shipping routes. She and Tom also squeezed in day hikes in West Virginia and an unforgettable whitewater kayaking adventure. Lydia graduates from the Coast Guard Academy this spring and will likely head to San Francisco to serve on a large cutter. For now, she’s thriving as the Morale Division Officer, keeping her company’s spirits high. Chelsea, our “baby” a...
Read more

Hamilton, Heartbreaks, and Happy Salmon: A Fall Adventure to Remember

Image
It all started months ago when Lydia spotted something magical—Hamilton was coming to Hartford in the fall. For a family that had belted out its soundtrack while scrubbing dishes for years, this was big. But there was a twist: Lydia’s senior soccer game was scheduled for the same period. Instead of choosing one over the other, a plan was hatched—why not do both? So, on a crisp Friday morning, the spaceship (our trusty car) launched toward Connecticut. But this wasn’t just a family trip—it had a business twist. First stop: Wayne, New Jersey, to check out a used laminator Ivan had found. It was right off our route, so we met the seller at the local library. He was an hour late, and we nearly left, but just as we were about to give up, he arrived. A quick inspection later, we bought the laminator on the spot. Of course, it wouldn’t fit in the spaceship, and we had no trailer, so we left it at his house and promised to return. Next stop: Bridgeport, Connecticut. A new customer had reached ...
Read more