Hard to believe it’s already summer especially since it snowed a fair amount just a few weeks ago. But, Grand Old Day is today and that means summer has officially begun.

Last summer the daughter and I drove to Mount Rushmore. It was a hell of a trip taken during the hottest days of the summer. Don’t let South Dakota fool  you.

South Dakota might not be filled with sand and it probably gets some rain but there are no trees so all you get is the sun beating down on you all day long. It’s like a green desert (I’m aware that doesn’t make any sense). I actually ended up in the ER with heatstroke.

Mount Rushmore July 2013

We started the trip as a camping trip. We (I) put up and took down the tent each day by the third day it was too much and we hotel-ed the rest of the way. This was a great thing because the daughter doesn’t like bugs and spiders much more than I do and she really hates breathing in hot dust while she sleeps. Plus, the hotels had some pretty decent pools to cool off in.

DSCN0062

This summer we’re visiting friends in Washington State. We’re not driving because the daughter doesn’t know how to drive yet. A drive over three days to Mount Rushmore is one thing but I can only do about 4 hours at a time in the car so a drive out to Washington State becomes a good 5 days and that’s a long time in the car talking to an 11 year old and listing to this summer’s version of Blurred Lines (please don’t let this summer’s version of Blurred Lines suck so much).

Dino on I 90 in SD

We started collecting those state magnets last summer. We had the magnets but then I got a map to go along with them and after putting it up on the fridge and putting the states on the map I realize there are a lot of states I need to visit. Many I’ve only driven through and some I was too young to remember anything about.

Crazy Horse Monument SD

So far the daughter has only been to three states so we’re hoping to add a couple more states this year and each year forward. How about you? Where are you planning to go this summer?

state magnets of MN WI SD

Leave a comment below telling me where you plan on going this summer (or where you’d like to go) for a chance to win a complete set of state magnets with the map.