Rapid City GEAR UP Road Trip

Enemy Swim Day School 7th and 8th grade GEAR UP students took a road trip to Rapid City early in July 2009. Twelve students headed out Thursday morning to visit Northern State University for a campus tour first thing in the morning. Then on to their destination, Bear Butte Lodge. Everyone settled into their rooms and were on the road again to visit Mount Rushmore and then Crazy Horse in the late evening for their laser show on the monument. The next morning, it was up early and on to the School of Mines for a tour of the South Dakota GEAR UP Honors Program. Students then had lunch on the campus with other GEAR UP students, including last years graduated 8th grader, Obadiah Eastman. In the afternoon on that Saturday, students went to the Sitting Bulls Crystal Caverns for an hour and half tour of the underground caves. The up to Keystone to ride the ski lift up to the top of the mountain and ride the Presidential Alpine Slide back down! That evening, everyone enjoyed swimming and the waterslides at the WaTiki Waterpark until closing. After a filling lunch at TGI Fridays, students visited Wall Drug and then spent the afternoon hiking around the Badlands National Park. Our last night was spent in Pierre. Sunday it was homeward bound with one stop for a birthday lunch for Greg!!