Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park,and The Black Hills National Forest

Mt Rushmore National Memorial

Today we awoke to our internal Ohio clocks saying 7:20 but the bright sunshine and the South Dakota clock saying 5:20 am!  So we were up, Tom running on the treadmill and I doing a bit of laundry before we went to Perkins for breakfast...Hampton Inn's breakfast just not up to that for a 4th day!   After breakfast we came back and finished folding the laundry and did our Bible Study.  We started Psalms this week. This is great one to do!  Then we decided it was late enough 7:30 or so, that we could start out for Mt Rushmore.  Get a jump on other tourists!  The monument park opened at 8:00 so after a 25 mile drive to get there and "free" admission!  ($11 to park!)  we arrived at Mt Rushmore.  The first picture is the approach to the park.  As we walked in we saw the monument, actually as we drove up the hill we could see it from a distance.  George and Abe in all their glory stood out the most. There is actually an angle between Teddy and Abe, they are almost at right angles to each other.  Something you don't see in most pictures.  Here is Tom standing as we approached the archways containing the state flags and carved on the granite posts are when each state was admitted to the union.

Here is Ohio!  As we walked to the viewing area it was so amazing!  This mountain rising before us into the brilliant blue morning sky.  There at the top glistening white against the blue were the faces of 4 of our greatest presidents.  It was startling to see just how high this mountain went and to think of the men who risked their lives for almost 20 years forging this piece of history for people from all over the country and world to see. (Tom had an encounter firsthand with a Japanese woman as she came out of the men's room as he was going in!  He had to come out and make sure HE was in the right place by looking at the sign! I just cracked up at the look on his face!)

The beauty of the monument is breathtaking.  Each of these pictures were taken as you walk the presidential trail around the base of the monument.  You are looking up at this from different angles all along the trail.  I took all of this pictures with my iPad.  The views are stunning.  The crumbled rocks beneath the faces are from when they were blown off with dynamite.  You can see in the rock where the charges were placed.  I couldn't help but take more pictures from the different sides.  The morning sky was so beautiful too.

As we finished the trail we were led to the sculptor's studio.  There the final picture was taken.  This is the actual model that has been preserved.  As you can see the original intent was to have more than faces but the mountain proved to be more intimidating than they thought. Inside the studio there was a plaster cast of Lincoln's face. Also, the original intent was to have a hall of records behind the faces on the mount to preserve important records.  This didn't come to be until 1998, when they finally put some copies, I think, of the history of the building of the monument in it.

Amazing!

The day continued after our trail blazing of steps down and then back up! Whew...I am out of shape for stair climbing.  We headed to the car after one last picture.  Kind of makes one look small in comparison!

On we headed to the Black Hills National forest and Custer State Park.  Ok, if you have never been there, a word of caution, if you are afraid of heights even in a car you might want to rethink going to the Custer State Park and Needles Highway.    There are great and flat beautiful parts of the park. See! This was part of the Wildlife loop.  It went for MILES and MILES!  Some of it rolling, some flat and some well, let's just say NARROW AND HIGH!!!!!!!!

One of three bison we saw.  This one strolled by our car.

These burros were friendly and were looking for a handout!  There were several cars and people who gladly obliged.

Yes, buffalo dung!  Tom couldn't resist taking that shot!

2 more little fellas!  Actually quite big!!

This little guy just casually strolled past us on the road!

We think these are antelope, at least we know they are not deer!

We unfortunately do not have pictures of Needles Highway.  It was very cool at least what I could see while driving and keeping both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the twisting, narrow, and no guard rail road.  Tom on the other hand, had his eyes closed on at least some of it, and was hanging onto the "oh SH*T" bar in the car saying "keep your hands on the wheel" and "ARGHHH!"  and "does this EVER end?!"  And when we finally got to the tippy top called the Needle's Eye!  It was this "tunnel" that was just a bit wider than my car and straight up!  As we came out the other side there is a car on MY side of the road, "hello, move!!!"  So I had to stop while he decided that he needed to be on his side of the, did I say, NARROW, road.  Geez..I don't normally get excited or panicky when I drive but I was starting to get a wee bit nervous as we started down that narrow road to what we hoped was the bottom only to find out we had to go back up again but at least the road was a bit wider.  For some reason the park service doesn't think guardrails are necessary when on a narrow, winding, twisting, MOUNTAIN road with drop off on each side...drop offs like 100s of feet!!!  So there are no pictures since Tom couldn't hold the camera since he was holding on for dear life except one of a tunnel, not Needle's Eye, and maybe another of Needles Highway from below it. Ok maybe not!

It truly was an awesome day!  We traveled that road for a long time finally returning to Mt Rushmore, as it was a circle of about 67 miles, to return to Rapid City and the comfort of our hotel room to take a much deserved nap!!!!!   Whew that was harrowing at times but still very worth the trip.  I am glad I like to drive!!!  Tom said if he were driving, the car would still be up there and we would have had to walk down...I am thinking uh, no!  We had a good laugh over it after we got back and had dinner.  Not so sure I will be able to get him to go back up there again!!!

All for now!  We are starting home tomorrow.  Who knows what we will see on the trip back.  We will stop in Sioux City and spend the night.  We plan to be back home by Saturday late.  Please continue to pray for our safe travels.  We are having a grand time!!  See you all soon!!