Mount Rushmore
A trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota should be on your bucket list! Summer travel series part 2
A quote from the Mount Rushmore National Park Service website: “Mount Rushmore National Memorial is centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The sculpture features the 60-foot-tall heads of four United States Presidents recommended by Borglum: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The four presidents were chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation, respectively.”
There’s your history lesson for the day. I’ve been to Mount Rushmore twice now and each time it’s been a thrill for me. It’s one thing to see it on TV in a documentary or travel film, but that format doesn’t do it justice. You really need to see it in person to appreciate the work that was done. The picture I posted here (yes I took this) is what you see when you first arrive and begin walking on what is called the “Avenue of Flags”. There are 56 flags on the avenue. The flags represent the 50 states, one district, three territories, and two commonwealths of the United States of America. As you walk past the flags, there you see on the mountain is what I call the “Fab Four.” The most fascinating part, to me, about Mount Rushmore is that it’s not completed. Borglum and his crew never finished it. The original idea was to have full bodies of each president. You can see the original concept in Borglum’s studio which is part of the tour.
You may be wondering what there is to do there. I have to admit, not a whole lot but there is quite a bit of walking involved. In fact, you can visit Mount Rushmore in a day. If you time it right, you can tour the entire memorial then wait for the flag ceremony and lighting of the mountain in the evening. I do recommend seeing the boys lit up in the evening. The best part is that entrance into the memorial is free, but they do charge $10 to park your car. If you keep your parking pass, it’s good for a whole year.
As I mentioned, you can do Mount Rushmore in a day. The surrounding areas near Keystone include Deadwood. If you like old western looking towns, Deadwood is the place. Rapid City is not too far from Rushmore. In fact, most people stay there when they visit the memorial.
There are also many other places to visit that are a short drive from Rushmore. If you want to see the buffalo roam, go to Custer State Park. It’s a beautiful place to visit. Crazy Horse is also a must see. I’ll let you do your own research on both of those places but I may write about Crazy Horse since I’ve been there a couple of times.
Visiting Mount Rushmore, in my humble opinion, is a bucket list item and I’m pleased I checked it off mine. I still want to go back on Independence Day with the hopes they’ll do the fireworks show. I’ve seen video of fireworks being shot from behind the memorial. It looks good on TV, I’m sure it will look better in person. Also, I wish they would allow people to hike to the top to be behind the heads. If you’ve ever seen the National Treasure movies, you’ll know what I mean.
Go to Mount Rushmore! Take lots of pictures and check off another item on your bucket list. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Have any of you been to Mount Rushmore? Feel free to comment below and tell your friends and family about my blog. I welcome everyone. Enjoy my photos. Next stop, Grand Canyon.