SHRINE OF DEMOCRACY…MT. RUSHMORE

Wednesday, July 4 – We headed out early to Mount Rushmore. We know what you might be thinking.....why would they visit Mount Rushmore on the Forth of July? Isn't that like going to the mall on Black Friday? Well, what better day to visit one of the Nation's most patriotic memorials than on it's birthday.

Surprisingly the crowd wasn't too bad. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial knows how to handle crowds, that's for sure! Add to that, the fact we arrived at about 8:30 a.m., the crowds didn't get heavy until we were leaving about 12:30. We did decide to wait until tomorrow to go back to see it at night.

One observation we made is the crowds are spread out among several displays. Once parked in one of the two parking garages (Entrance to the park is free, you only pay to park - $11. The America the Beautiful pass does not cover parking.), you enter the Avenue of the Flags. We found the Ohio Flag (our original home state) and the Texas Flag (our new state) right next to each other.

Ohio flag

Look at the background for the Texas flag.

The Grand View Terrace is very well done providing magnificent views of the Memorial. This is the same area where the night viewing is held. It has stadium style seating.

We then walked the path to the foot of the Memorial and took additional photos to add to our zillion for the day.

This is what the first draft of how the Memorial was to appear.

We can't believe these workers walked up 700 steps BEFORE they began work.

These are the dimensions of each head.

Great explanation on why each President is on the mountain.

George Washington…Birth of the Republic President.

Thomas Jefferson…The Expansion President.

Theodore Roosevelt…The Development President.

Abraham Lincoln…The Preservation President.

Paul having some fun…Tickle, Tickle, Tickle.

Next was the circular Presidential Trail that has stops for more interesting photos, Ranger Interpretive stations, the Lakota and Dakota Indian Heritage Village, a view of the compressor house, the Sculptor's Studio and the stairs to return to the Information Center and Bookstore.

Indian Heritage Village

Being 4^th of July, they even had George Washington and others there to greet the tourists. Marsha joined the kids to talk with George.

FAST FACTS:

• Carving dates – 1927 – 1941
• Total cost - $989,992.32 (Nothing like being down to the penny!)
• Namesake – Charles Rushmore (Fellow mountain was named after.)
• Sculptor – Gutzon Borglum
• Main tool – dynamite (used for 90% of the stone removal)

• The rock – Harney Peak Granite

With the wild fires here in the West, one is frequently overwhelmed with the Pine Beetle infestation and the accompanied destruction. Like Colorado, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and much of the Nation, has experienced tremendous destruction from this tiny beetle. There are so many dead trees as you look over the forest.

All the brown you see in the forefront and background are dead pine trees.

To protect the Memorial's forests from this epidemic, Mount Rushmore embarked on a thinning program to remove the dead tress and the fire threat. The areas thinned look pretty good, and we pray the efforts will be rewarded with the saving of these forests.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Monday, July 3 – We had a very long day of driving, but it was worth every penny. When we left Livingston, MT, this morning we intended to stop about six hours down I-90 at the Gillette, WY, Walmart. Well, after getting fuel at the nearby Flying J and then grocery shopping at Walmart, we looked for a secure place to park in the Walmart lot. Unable to find a good spot, we decided to head down the road and stop at a Montana rest area for the night. Upon arriving we notice the “No Overnight Parking” sign so we continued East in search of a place to stop.

Upon entering South Dakota, we notice smoke up ahead.

As we got closer we heard a helicopter.

We couldn't image that was good news. As we got very close this is what we saw out of the driver-side window.

We heard on the radio that there were three grass fires in the area. They were all contained. That was very good news.

Continuing down the road, we checked quite a few places out but ended up driving the entire distance to Broken Arrow Campground and Horse Park in Custer, SD, our destination – we thought for Tuesday night. A total of about eight hours driving and 465 miles.....W-A-Y more than we have driven in a couple of years!

We tried to call Jerry, the owner of the campground, to see if we could arrive a day early, but were unable to reach him. We left several messages but were unfortunately out of cell phone coverage much of the day and were unable to make a connection. Upon arriving, he quickly set us up for one night in Site #21 for NO CHARGE! (His golfing today was the real cause of our inability to reach him, so he said, "Wait until tomorrow to start your week stay.") Now there's a great businessman that wants to please his customers. He wants us to move to a different site tomorrow with a view of the mountains. (That site is taken tonight).

This is an amazing campground. It's beautiful, with large gravel sites, gravel roads, picnic tables at each huge site, thick, green grass between each site, and a gorgeous view of the mountains to boot! And the best part is we are near Mount Rushmore and all the points of interest in the area.

Our new Site 24.

Looking right down our road.

Looking left.

Marsha thinks she is an Indian because she can say "How."

Even though there are several horse barns and corrals, we smell no horse.

They have four new full-service cabins that sleep four.

Due to the very dry weather and high fire warning, we are not permitted to use the fire pit or even a grill that uses charcoal. The only acceptable grill is a table top with a lid.

The weather forecast today includes…Areas of smoke. Please say a prayer for safety for all those in the fire's path.

We will be here a week (actually eight days) and have a great deal to see, so stop back and visit the Black Hills with us.

We wish all our USA readers a very Happy and safe Fourth of July.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

MEETING UP WITH FRIENDS, PAM AND JOHN

Sunday, July 1 – Carrie, our daughter, had to head back to Billing, MT, this afternoon. She had a memorable experience here in Yellowstone, and we really enjoyed sharing the weekend with her.

We had one more exciting adventure. We were meeting long time blogger friends, Pam and John, Oh The Places They Go, for dinner. We met at a restaurant along the Yellowstone River midway between their campground in Gardiner and our site here in Livingston.

Pam, John, Paul, Marsha

What a great time! We felt like long time friends instead of first time acquaintances. They are full-timers with two children and retired educators just like us, so we have a lot in common. We visited for three and a half hours before calling it a night and heading home. Maybe next time we can spend some time camping or exploring together. Glad we got to meet you two in person! Enjoy Yellowstone.

Pretty short post for us.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!