Mount Rushmore and More

This morning the kids woke up bright and early.  They were not begging for food and were in a good mood, so I decided I would try and slip a little school work in first thing, before everyone else was awake.  I didn't pack everything for this trip, only Math, Spelling and Language/Reading, so it didn't take up too much time.

We got enough accomplished, and soon they were playing with sticks, collecting pine cones, chasing rabbits and doing what ever else kids do while camping, while I started working on breakfast.

Derrick's dad came over and manned the pancakes while I cut watermelon and made a few other things so we could all enjoy a nice, big breakfast together before going to see Mount Rushmore.

The kids were VERY excited to have pancakes.  I swear, campfire + s'mores + pancakes = the perfect camping experience for them!

After breakfast we loaded into the truck and headed towards the scenic drive along Iron Mountain Road to see Mount Rushmore.  The scenic drive promised to be one of the best in the Black Hills.  It connects Mount Rushmore to Custer State Park and has twisted "Pigtail Bridges" and tunnels that frame Mount Rushmore in the distance.  

It's hard to see, but every tunnel was positioned to showcase Mount Rushmore in the distance.

Pretty impressive!

I had to grab a photo of the GPS to show how twisty the road was!

The pigtail turns made it an interesting drive.

From the main highway you could see the faces clearly.

We parked in the parking ramp ($11 parking fee), tied Eli in my wrap and headed in to get an up close view as well as learn a little about the monument.  The sunshine was warm, but it was actually a pretty mild and pleasant fall day.  Once inside, we immediately went into the gift shop to get the kids some Junior Ranger booklets (so they could complete it to get a badge to add to their collection) and get our National Parks Passport stamped before exploring.

  

Everett wore his favorite Mount Rushmore shirt especially for the visit!
(It was a bargain; only 50 cents at our local DAV thrift store)

Ethan, with a bust of the artist, Gutzon Borglum

My four guys, with the four guys on the hill.

Me and my buddy, Eli.

Part of our experience involved a Ranger lead discussion of the history of the monument as well as a short hike up some stairs to get a closer view.  The discussion was pretty interesting (located in the Sculptor's Studio) and provided a lot of answers for the kids' booklets.  We learned a lot, and one of the things I found most interesting was that the sculptor used dynamite as the main carving tool.  He was so precise with using dynamite he could get within inches of the desired result, and nearly 90% of the monument was sculpted using this technique.  Crazy!

Inside the Sculptor's Studio is a scaled model of the monument plans.

After exploring, we went back to the gift shop to turn in the kids' booklets.

They were all sworn in as Junior Rangers and given badges.

Inside the gift shop area was a lot of info as well as a few informational movies for learning more about the workers.

Can't forget the penny machine.

On the way back, we drove by the Crazy Horse Memorial.  We were pretty tired from the day, so we didn't stop to check it out, but it did look pretty impressive, and if they ever get it completed, it's going to be huge!  Maybe next time we are out this way?

On the way back through the park, the kids begged Derrick to stop and grab more firewood.  He is like a little kid sometimes.  After we got back to the campground, we took some time to eat the beef roast, carrots and potatoes that were cooking in the crock pots all day and take time to unwind before we got back in the truck to drive the Wildlife Loop Road.  The kids played football with Grandpa Ernie and I enjoyed watching from the hammock with Eli.