Mt. Rushmore

I try very hard to not rehash information that is readily available on other sites (like wikipedia).  If you don't know about Mt. Rushmore, you can find the basic information...  well, anywhere.

So, for your enjoyment, here are some photos I took on my recent trip to South Dakota.

There are a fistful of monuments and landmarks that you can see from a distance as you drive to them.  Getting there is very cool, but the moment when you first spot them a little ways off is so exciting.  Driving through the Keystone area and catching your first glimpse is shocking.

We, like many other tourists I'm sure, drove around for some time, seeing it from various other angles and locations.

If you are in the area, and you are on a serious time limit, you could actually drive past it and say that you saw it, but there is just something so exciting about walking next to it.  Plus, if you just drove by you would miss the Sculptor's Studio, the movie, etc.  We really enjoyed taking the hike to go right under the faces of Mt. Rushmore.  In Rapid City someone told us that we should be able to look up and see the nose hairs of the Presidents.

In the evening they do a very patriotic presentation, discussing Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.  American values and the early history of the the country is covered.  A ranger does a talk, and then a film is shown (narrated by Avery Brooks!). 

The faces of Mt. Rushmore are lit up for this and it is very cool to see.

Nick Clifford, who spent a few years drilling on Mt. Rushmore was there selling and signing his book!  More on him later, but I love the fact that someone so directly involved with the legendary sculpture is there and is so accessible!

Back to the driving around the area.  There are many tunnels and pull off spots that offer great and unusual viewing angles.  The roads can be curvy, but the traffic wasn't too bad.

There are other interesting historic things to do in the area too, mostly relating to the presidents.  I took a photo from in front of a near by business with large busts of some other presidents in a more modern tribute.  Rapid City has their president statues.


Enjoy the photos!