Outside Challenge Week: Day 4- Stratobowl, Cubfest and the Outdoor Campus

Today has been a very exciting day! We've had Cubfest, at Bear Country USA in our sites for a few years now. With our impending move we thought that it was about time we checked it out.

By 9:30 AM we were in Rapid City. Somehow we managed to get ahead of schedule and so we used the extra time to check out the rim of the Stratobowl, a historic location for the launch of hot air balloons.

We didn't really intend to hike the distance in. In fact, we only wanted to let Wu run a minute to get some of his crazy out. But the trail was too perfect and we wanted to see what was around the next corner. It was incredibly windy but thankfully most of the hike was in the woods. We ended up looking down on the Stratobowl. It was an awesome sight.

By 10:30 AM we were parking at Bear Country USA. There was a weekend long event that lets the public get up close and personal with little bear cubs. Who doesn't want to get their paws on a cub?

With perfect strolling weather we explored. Eli got to see two huge bears relaxing and playing in a pond. He really enjoyed that. Then he saw his first burro and ponies. He got his face painted- a mustache. But the most fun of all was had when he loved on the bear cubs. After waiting in line he was getting a little fussy until he saw the cubs ahead. Then it was eyes and ears forward and he was on the prowl. He had a bit of a run in with one of the cubs when it opened its mouth just as he stuck his hand towards it. It was adorable.

By 1 PM we were at the Outdoor Campus walking the trails that weave through their acreage. Wu got to go swimming and we enjoyed the quiet. We headed inside to explore and Eli was so excited. He let everyone know how much he liked the aquarium. Then he finally went through a 6 ft. tunnel that he's been too shy to do on our previous trips. We were so proud.

By 2:45 we were home just in time to get out of the rain storm that popped up. Eli napped the day off, wiping most of his mustache with it and we relaxed. It was a beautiful and exhausting day!

It must have been the mustache! At The Outdoor Campus, 4.27.13

Exploring Inside the Outdoor Campus

Yesterday Eli and I found ourselves in Rapid City with a whole afternoon free. One of my favorite places to visit is the Outdoor Campus West and even though Eli is so young, I thought it would be fun for him to see what it had to offer.

There is lots to explore at the Outdoor Campus, especially as a young child. There are four areas dedicated to biomes here in South Dakota. We played our way through the Black Hills, the Badlands, the Prairie and the Wetlands.

The giant aquarium was probably his favorite. It's full of sturgeon, bass, trout, catfish, and fish I didn't recognize. They swam slowly by, taunting us. Eli was completely engaged. He's never seen anything quite like that.

Eli also enjoyed the tunnels, the animal pelts, and the hollow log. Each room offered him something he'd never seen before and he was into it all. I was impressed with his speed moving from one thing to the next. We played with the puppets, touched the beaver dam, and hid out under a tree. The faces he made were priceless and I was so thankful we had stopped in.

We held our play for a few moments to eat a snack and watch short videos of coyotes catching prey and prairie dogs playing. Once we were refueled, we were off again.

After playing for awhile longer and making a few friends, we watched the aquarium one last time and hit the road. I could tell that Eli had a great time and apparently, having that much fun is exhausting because Eli slept the whole way home.