Mt. Mushmore

We continued our Road Trip to South Dakota with my parents.   We stopped at a great Wyoming State Information Center.  It was like a mini-museum on the side of the interstate, and the kids got to ride a horse.  Well, sort of...

We took a detour over to the Vore Buffalo Jump.  It's a natural sink hole and Plains Indians used it as a bison trap throughout the 1500-1700s.   Even though we couldn't go down to the excavation site as it was closed til summer, we learned that the layers of well preserved bones and artifacts found in the buffalo jump give archaeologists a look into the culture of the tribes.

We then drove on to South Dakota and had a lovely scenic drive through the Black Hills.  It's such a pretty area.   And at the end, we were rewarded with...  Mt. Mushmore!   Err... Mt. Rushmore!

I'm so glad we got to experience this with my Mom and Dad.

It started as an idea to draw sightseers.   The granite outcroppings in the Black Hills resist erosion and it was a perfect place to carve these giant statues.  The choice of the presidents promised to elevate the memorial from a regional enterprise to a national cause "in commemoration of the foundation, preservation, and continental expansion of the United States."

I love this face.

Oh, and this face too.

After checking in to our hotel and dinner, the kids and I came back at night to see the lights on Mt. Rushmore.   Walking up to the scenic lookout, you walk through the "Wall of Flags" with each of the 50 states represented.

Back to the hotel for yet another great swimming pool.

In the morning, we had planned to drive on, but the blue skies called us back to Mt. Rushmore for more picture perfect scenes.

It really is awesome.   The perseverance and work put in to the carving of these statues is amazing to contemplate.

I just couldn't stop taking photos!

This year, in Henry's Aiming High program, he memorized the Gettysburg Address so it was cool to see part of it in the museum.   There was memorabilia and such for each of the four presidents.

Amazing.

 

 Even though I've been to Mt. Rushmore many times before, it was still an awesome experience.  So glad to introduce the kids to this part of America.