Sylvan Lake

Remember how this is an off-season vacation?  Well we had to pack for the unexpected because we simply didn't know what we would find open.  We packed all of our snow clothes in case we found a winter adventure spot, and boy did we!  We drove a short ways from Mt. Rushmore to Sylvan Lake, and it was gorgeous.  Not only was it so pretty to look at in its winter splendor, it was also completely frozen over so we went and played on the ice.  

At first we just practiced sliding.  Then we tried to see who could slide the farthest.  Then we decided to see who could come up with the most creative way to move across the ice.  Kelton was able to snow angel his way down the lake.  

What a fun candid moment of my boys!

Wait for me!

I thought the rocks that surrounded the lake were beautiful.  I can picture them in summer with the bright blue water lapping around the edges and I think it's just as pretty having them frozen in time.  

The lake was small enough that we decided to take a walk around the whole lake.  At the far end we found the dam that made the lake possible.  

We had to climb through a small cavern to get below the lake and make our way up and around.  

That was a fun area to explore because we found a small waterfall, a rock climbing route, and some quartz that McKenzie really wanted to mine.  While McKenzie was treasure hunting, the boys realized that they could scamper to the top of some rocks and it provided the perfect snowball ambush site.  They prepared a lot of snowballs so that when Jeremy and the girls caught up they were attacked from above.  

It was a little windier on the other side of the lake, which the boys discovered had frozen over the snow to make a great belly slide.  They climbed up and slid down time and time again.  

As we made our way back to the car some of the kids' legs were getting a little tired.  McKenzie asked Cambrie to pull her, then Kelton grabbed on, and finally Daxton became the caboose.  

Cambrie couldn't get enough traction to pull them all, and even Jeremy only managed to move them a little ways before they realized it was easier just to walk.  But I still love this shot of them all!