Mt. Rushmore or Bust!

One of the first things I wanted to do when we got to Rapid City was to see Mt. Rushmore. I never thought I would get the opportunity and now that it was here I was going to seize it. Chrysa and I had a free day a couple weeks ago and my time had arrived. We were off to the Black Hills!

We had fantastic clear sunny skies the day of the trip so we took the top off the Jeep so we could get unobstructed views. We checked our route and we were off. The drive is really easy from our house. Hang a right onto the main road and follow the signs.

The drive is simply spectacular. You drive through the foothills and into the Black Hills proper. Along the way are neat roadside attractions and the cool little town of Keystone (pop. 327). You also pass through this incredible stone arch right on the main highway.

We continued through Keystone and into the Black Hills National Forest. As we drove a couple more miles up the road Chrysa exclaimed “I see it”! I was watching the road so I missed the first glimpse of the famous faces but everything worked out about a minute later when there was a scenic overlook.

We pulled over and I finally got my look at Mt. Rushmore. It was beautiful and very moving. There are places that look just like a postcard, and this is one of them. I really couldn’t believe we were finally here.

We proceeded into the actual visitor area and went in to the park to get our first up close view. You enter through a colonnade of flags to a large balcony area that overlooks an amphitheater. We took plenty of pictures and then proceeded to walk the path that leads to ground level and closer to the famous faces. We spent a lot of time and climbed a lot of stairs before we ascended back to the visitor center level.

We checked out the wonderful info center and gift shop and then hit the road to explore some more of the Black Hills Forest. We were also going to see the Crazy Horse monument and wanted to drive through the park to note places for future runs and hikes.

The Crazy Horse monument is in the town of Custer and it’s still under construction. The face of Crazy Horse is complete as is the visitor center. Chrysa and I spent more time here than we expected. The visitor center has a lot of Native American artwork and artifacts. They also have a nice film depicting the progress and history of the carving. When completed the monument will be much larger than Mt. Rushmore. It will also feature native art as well as a school. The Crazy Horse project does not accept any state or federal funding so it is slow going. I really hope they complete the carving in my lifetime. I would love to see the finished product.

After we left Crazy Horse we headed over to Hill City to finish our day with a wine tasting. We ended up at Prairie Berry. We sampled all sorts of weird local wines including rhubarb wine. We really enjoyed everything that was offered, we even bought a couple of bottles.

A week or two after our trip to Mt. Rushmore we had a blizzard. The snow covered the ground and was pretty heavy in the higher elevations. I wasn’t working the day the weather improved. It was 50 degrees out and sunny. While Chrysa was working I took a solo trip to Mt. Rushmore to snap some pics. I simply couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. I spent much more time than I expected exploring the park. I took some side trails and got to see some things I didn’t expect.

I grew up near a famous landmark. Naturally anytime family or friends from out of town would come to visit we would have to take them to Niagara Falls. The out of towner’s request was always met with eye rolling, followed by loading up a couple cars and driving twenty minutes to the falls, to see something that we had seen a million times.

Years later, after living down south for a decade, I had the opportunity to show off Niagara Falls to my wife. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. That was certainly the case for me. I had forgotten about the natural beauty of the area. After being away I was reminded of the awesome spectacle that is Niagara. When it came time to plan our wedding we chose Niagara Falls.

From what I can tell, the people from Rapid City feel about Mt. Rushmore the same way I felt about Niagara Falls in my youth. They have the “been there, done that” mentality. I have been there twice in the last few weeks. I don’t think it will ever get old for me. Now, I can’t wait to have visitors.

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