It ‘d been a dry summer everywhere, but as we pulled up to the Mount Rushmore Park it seemed like the heat had made the leaves and grass around us especially crispy. We were camping in Custer State Park nearby, and there was a burn ban in effect, no campfires, no sparklers. It was the Fourth of July, and the park was teeming with guests. My small family was on vacation, visiting the Bad Lands, and then making our way over to the South Western side South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore. My family isn’t the typical family when it comes to vacations; it’s tent camping and hiking off trail (and that’s what we’d been doing), but when we venture near some monument or museum, like anyone, we are tempted to make a stop. On this day we were hoping to explore the park, take some pictures, perhaps nap in the sun, and then take in a fireworks show that was planned for the evening. However, with the burn ban in effect, the fireworks show was off. Our day went as planned, but when the sun set for the day, there was to be a light show instead of fireworks, so we stayed. Red and blue lights danced on the monument, but it was sorely disappointing. If I hadn’t been with my family, the night would’ve been a bust. Instead though, the dreary light show bored us into deep conversations, laughing at songs on an oldies radio station, and eating somewhat stale snacks we’d packed that morning. We sat and enjoyed each others company, tired after a day of exploring the beautiful park, happy with what we were surrounded with: family and a Fourth of July celebration that, although lacking, was a special reminder that sometimes disappointments lead us to even better adventures and memories then we had first imagined.