The Black Hills....Day five, Mount Rushmore

Finally, a day that shirt sleeves were just the perfect thing! The sky was a sparkling blue, the heater never kicked on, I wasn't hacking quite as much, and we were raring to go!

Today was our "spend the whole day at Mount Rushmore" day. We were excited! We started our trip by stopping at the profile view again. It was a nice day and we didn't spend much time there previously. I was hoping to spot more goats for my mom, and we wanted to let Luke get a good look.

It was a fun stop! Luke climbed some of the rocks, pointed things out to me, actually stood still for some pictures, and generally seemed to enjoy himself. Meanwhile, a group of three Army Guardsmen stopped with us. They were all in ATU's (All Terrain Uniforms, previously known as BDU's, or Battle Dress Uniforms...more commonly referred to as cammie's), so they were quite obvious. My dad and I, being the overly friendly people and veterans that we are, struck up conversation. They were actually a taking a bit of a break before heading home to...uhh, Illinois, I think. Just in time to be called right back to Active Duty for flood duty. But they were having a great time, both during their time in the multi-national exercise being conducted in the Black Hills this month, and during their down time playing tourist (albeit in uniform). Great big thanks to those guys!

There were no goats today. They were there somewhere, just not where we could spot them. Oh well, such is life. Still, there were plenty of rocks to climb, things to spot, and sights to enjoy. Back into the mini-van to backtrack to Rushmore.

It's just such a cool feeling to enter the Avenue of Flags and see the Shrine of Democracy just peering out from the face of a mountain above you! The nighttime visit and this particular one just gave a chilling feeling. Gutzon Borglum certainly was a talented sculptor with a penchant for making his work very life-like. It's a shame that this particular masterpiece was never finished, despite promises to his family that it would be completed.

Mount Rushmore is a National Memorial, meaning it is run by the National Park service. Why is that important? Because it means you get all sorts of cool history about the entire sight! For example, the mountain was named Rushmore for a New York City lawyer who asked what the name of this mountain was while on a surveying trip. Up until that moment it had no name. From that moment on it has been called Rushmore. Thomas Jefferson's bust was originally to the right of George Washington (our left), but needed to be blasted off and reset in its present position. He now appears to be eyeing the heavens. Teddy Roosevelt's inclusion on the memorial was very controversial. Lincoln's left hand is resting on his jacket breast, but his face is unfinished. Washington? Well, he's nearly flawless.

We grabbed a bite to eat in the cafe, which more resembled the short-order side of a mess hall...chow hall...err, dining facility (yes, yes, the military has become politically correct in way too many areas). And talk about expensive!!! Holy moses! But it filled our tummies, which is all that mattered. We chose to dine in the fine outdoor weather and take in the scenery. We were joined by a handful of chipmunks, robins, and sparrows. It was after lunch that I saw the signs not to feed the wildlife...whoops. Well, there are a few small creatures who helped me eat my fries that day. As fat as they were, I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't see the sign....or, for some, chose to ignore it.

Luke discovered the binoculars. Bugger saw me peering through them and had to have a look. He thought that was way cool and begged for them a number of times after his first view.

After lunch it was time to have a little workout. There's a walking trail that loops from the amphitheater to the base of the mountain. Half of the trail is stairs, the other is flat ground...sort of. A park ranger conducts a walking tour on the flat side. The fact we actually had and were using the stroller today made the decision beyond easy. There's a ton of information on this walk, and some fantastic vantage points. While there are some people, myself included, who would love to have access to the actual mountain, a great hike to the top of the heads, it is a wise decision to place a terrace on the rubble pile at the base and not let the general public go hog wild.

Our walk concluded, we ventured back toward the gift and ice cream shops. Sometime during all of this the Army band showed up. We aren't sure why, but we did have some lovely musical entertainment while chowing down on our ice cream. The masses of visitors gave them the respect they deserve and flocked to listen. Luke was just enjoying pushing the stroller and trying to peer through the tourist binocular things. So tenacious! But, alas, it was time for us to head back to town. Or so we thought...

One of the highways into and out of town takes you on a series of what are called "pigtail bridges," and through three tunnels that provide extremely interesting views of Mount Rushmore. We knew about it, but we couldn't find it. That is, until the moment we left the memorial. For some odd reason.

Figuring that we were losing daylight and wanted to drive the length of this leg of highway the next day, we only went part of the way. When dad turned around and came back to the second tunnel (in the direction to actually get a picture of the memorial), I asked him to stop so I could get a good, clear shot through the tunnel for a picture. Someone else had a similar idea, only half of their group was on top of the tunnel. Well, you know me. Much to my poor mom's chagrin, I grabbed the parent's camera (it was small and fit in my pocket) and took off for an impromptu hike...in Merrell sandals. They have good traction and I'm sure-footed. My poor mom, she was not real happy with me! Forgive the one picture my dad took, I didn't realize I was standing with my tongue out. Anyway, I wandered to the other side and was treated to a truly magnificent view! See, mom? If I hadn't scrambled up to the top of the tunnel and took a little hike, you wouldn't have those grand pictures!! (insert big, goofy, "I'm an innocent angel" grin here).

Then it was back to town for dinner and a few more souvenirs. Vacations make for great Christmas shopping, you know. It was late when we got back to the house, but it was worth it. We were all done in, but it was just another wonderful day in the beauty of the Black Hills....