July 4, 2025 (Fri.) - 4th of July!
The 4th of July is hands-down our favorite holiday—a time we usually gather both sides of the family at our house for festive chaos, good food, family, laughter and a bit of booze. So being on the road this year felt a bit bittersweet. We love the RV life, no doubt, but we miss the familiar faces and holiday traditions that make it extra special.
The morning kicked off gloomy, with cold drizzle bringing Lynn indoors early instead of sipping her usual morning coffee outside. By 9:00 AM, rain settled in, and rather than diving into the blog, Lynn got swept up in nostalgia again—hours spent watching digitized home videos of her kids as babies and toddlers. New goal unlocked: figuring out how to share them with family, possibly via YouTube. But with the blog backlog and tech wrangling ahead, it’ll take some time to sort.
Around 11:30 AM, we headed into downtown Custer to check out the 4th festivities. We’d missed the 10:00 parade, but truthfully, parades aren’t our thing—too loud, too crowded, and we were fine soaking up the day at our own pace. Steve & Stacey’s kids had arrived and were off exploring with them, so we didn’t cross paths. The town, however, was buzzing with energy—patriotic vibes on full display! Red, white, and blue everywhere! Of course, we joined the fun and rocked our own festive gear. We strolled through shops, stopped at the Custer Visitor Center (where Lynn chatted with a lovely woman named Jane… for a very long time!), and did a little small-town shopping.
With the skies clearing, we dropped Otis off and jumped on the bike for a ride through Custer State Park—thank goodness for that annual pass! The afternoon turned beautiful, though some dark clouds loomed, prompting us to head back early. But not before grabbing a classic apple pie from The Purple Pie Place. Because what’s the 4th without pie? A little steep at $49 for pie and a quart of ice cream, and while tasty, it didn’t quite beat our go-to from Julian—especially when it’s paired with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese! Although Kirk firmly sides with the school of vanilla ice cream as the true pie companion—cheese just doesn’t cut it for him!
Dinner was simple but classic—hot dogs, burgers, and that apple pie. We debated heading out to see fireworks, but parking challenges (as forewarned by Jane) and Otis’ comfort won out. With fireworks being rare in YL, he’s never really been exposed to the noise, and we didn’t want to risk leaving him alone in case it spooked him. Past experiences with Brian & Jill’s dog Cayenne and fireworks had us cautious about his reactions.
We embraced the quiet, winding down with a peaceful evening and recharging for tomorrow’s cave adventure—hoping our families were soaking up all the 4th of July magic back home.
Weather – High 76*, Low 61*. Winds 3-14 mph. 85% chance of thunderstorms.
Traffic – None.
Food – Burgers, hot dogs and apple pie!
Notable – The patriotism and friendliness of everyone in Custer, watching videos of the kids as babies.
