May 25, 2011 - Ellsworth AFB - Mount Rushmore

No visit to Rapid City would ever be complete without a visit to see Mount Rushmore, the President’s Mountain, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. So much a part of South Dakota that the license tags display the four presidents with the state slogan, “Great Faces, Great Places” (adopted in 1990), and the state motto is “The Mount Rushmore State”. Originally known to the Lakota Sioux as “Six Grandfathers”, the mountain was renamed after Charles E. Rushmore, a prominent New York lawyer, during an expedition in 1885. South Dakota...

Oct 11, 2010 - Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument

Got to Rapid City and went to the WalMart and got set up. There was hardly a parking place open. It was the busiest WalMart I have ever seen. We decided to wait until Monday to go to Mt Rushmore so we just relaxed and watched TV. I decided to go to the store and get a few things but it was so packed all day. It looked like Christmas eve shopping at home. shoulder to shoulder people. About 90 percent native American. Some people were pushing around 2 and 3 carts. One lady had about 5 of the large Folgers coffee containers and her other cart...

Oct 2, 2010 - Mount Rushmore

We are having a great time visiting the awesome state of South Dakota. We have had so many "WOWSER" days, it's almost unbelievable. Now I see why over three million visitors from across the country and world come to visit the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The sculptor Gutzon Borglum began the work on Mount Rushmore in 1927 and took 14 years and $1 million and 400 workers to complete. You can see the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln miles away. The faces of the four presidents tower...

Sep 5, 2010 - North and South Dakota

We left Glacier in the rain (it was snow on the East side of the Mountains, north of us) We drove across North Montana for two days on Highway 2 and it was still raining. Miles and miles of wheat fields broken up every 40 miles or so by a small prairie town. Pictures were taken through windshield so they are a little drippy looking. We spent a few days in Glendive, Montana, the last town in the state. This is where the Badlands start. Lots of Dinosaur remains found in the area. (Not by us) We drove to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A...

Aug 18, 2010 - Mount Rushmore

Thought we would visit Mount Rushmore early this morning. The NPS brochure said there were spots along the road where you could see the monument. They lied - you had to pay $10 to park and all along the road there were signs "no stopping - at anytime". Even the obvious "free" lots along the side of the road were barricaded. Instead we decided to spend the day exploring Custer State Park, which is adjacent to the monument. What a great drive. Narrow winding roads, pig tail bridges (can't really explain them but very neat) and tunnels barely...

Jul 29, 2010 - President's Day - We aren't "Crazy" either!

We have been ever amazed at how it is to actually see these places and things in person. The hours of history lessons, the pictures in books, the movies, and the verbal descriptions do not do justice to these places. You HAVE to see them in person! You just have to! (dangling participle, yes, I know) You talk about people crammed into a small place - Mt Rushmore was crammed packed with people - like a solid ribbon only made up of humans of every size and color. The Presidents just look down at the massive amount of people and just look...

Jul 29, 2010 - Mount Rushmore/Black Hills, South Dakota

We arrived at our RV park, and you know the routine, disconnect the tow car, hook up all of the utilities, put out all of the slides and away we go! We had driven by Sturgis a few miles back and I wanted to check it out. I have always heard about the big motorcycle rally once a year in this little town and I wanted to see the town. Instead of going back by the hiway we took a back road through the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. We were not dissapointed! It was a beautiful drive. We drove by this big rocking chair (see the picture)...

Jul 22, 2010 - Mt. Rushmore

7/22/10 Today we went to Mt. Rushmore. There are 2 roads several people told us we really needed to experience. So we went to Mt. Rushmore by way of the one (Iron Mountain Road) and left by way of the other called Needles Highway. These roads have lots of curves, 180 degree turns and tiny tunnels 12 feet high by 8 feet wide. Needles Highway (not really a highway) has a tunnel called thread the needle. It is the smallest in height and width but is about 50 feet long. We could reach out and touch the walls on both sides at the same time....

Jul 18, 2010 - Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

You cannot be an American and not be stunned by the sight of Mount Rushmore. We can honestly say we were awed and almost speechless. There are literally hundreds of views because it can be seen for miles, first as you approach, continually throughout your visit of the actual monument and again as you drive away. It is just simply overwhelming. Down to Teddy Roosevelt's glasses, the detail is inconceivable. Thank goodness for digital cameras because we were both carrying one and we each took hundreds of pictures. So as not to overwhelm you...

Jul 16, 2010 - Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse

Mount Rushmore was a beautiful sight to behold. Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents (in order from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. After touring the grounds, we stayed for the evening lighting ceremony which was very heart wrenching. The park ranger gave a historic talk about the scultures and there was a movie giving the history and highlights of each president depicted. Following the ceremony veterans and active military...

Jul 7, 2010 - Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore was conceived of in 1923 by South Dakota historian and businessman Doane Robinson. The original idea was to carve wild west figures into the granite spires. Gutzon Borglum, the sculpture, thought that the spires were to weak to carve and that a monument should represent a higher calling and represent the best of the nation. So he chose Mount Rushmore, which faces south for good light, and four presidents; Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Mount Rushmore was begun in 1927 and finished in 1941. The park...

Jul 2, 2010 - Mount Rushmore

As we traveled from Cody to Mt. Rushmore, we passed some very beautiful country. Fields and cliffs, hill and mountains. We were stopped by a cattle drive that was crossing the road. It was fun to watch the dogs keep the cattle under control. Beautiful land and big skies. We arrived at Mt. Rushmore about an hour before dark. Melissa- I feel like I often take our country for granted, and it is places like these that remind me of what we have. Standing before the awesome structure that is Mt. Rushmore, I appreciated not only the beauty of the...