This summer my husband and I are planning a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We have both been there before, but not together. He was just a youngster when his family vacationed there and I have actually visited twice. The most recent trip to "the hills" for me was with my parents and three children in 1989. We had a grand time camping and seeing all the most familiar sites. The trip I would like to relate, however, is my first trip to this western destination. The year was 1963 and I was 12 years old. What a memorable vacation that was! My family consisted of my parents, two younger brothers and myself. My mom's cousins joined us making a total of 14 people! We traveled in two vehicles and took three tents along. We camped at Sylvan Lake and really 'roughed' it. Some of the boys rigged up a shower and a hand washing station. (Back then you could do things like that!) We wanted to do everything! All of us children clamored around the two adult drivers and insisted that we do this and see that and go here and visit there! Well, the father of the cousins said, "Okay, let's just do it all and die!" Of course, we didn't do it all, but we did a lot! I remember riding through a little town where the donkeys roamed the streets and came right up to our car, sticking their heads in the open windows. Cousin Mary loved all animals and thought this was great and she proceeded to feed our whole bag of potato chips to the donkeys! Back then a bag of potato chips was a real treat for me and my brothers, so we were quite upset that the donkeys got the chips instead of us! The night we went to the Passion Play in Spearfish was memorable too. Actually, I don't remember much about the play, but I remember that Mary and I got cold and were quite weary from all our adventures. We went to the women's rest room which had an outer lounge area. There we found a nice, comfortable couch where we laid down and feel asleep! When we awoke everyone was leaving and the play was over! Then there was the night that is rained and blew and stormed until a few of the cousins decided this was too much for them and got a motel room! Not my family! We stuck it out in our canvas abode all night, even though the boys could float their little homemade paper boats inside the tent when morning came!
Well, this year, we plan on camping again (unless we win a contest!) but this time it will be in our little pop-up camper. We fully intend to have just as good a time as we remember having on our previous visits, after all, we're still kids at heart!
