A Visit to Mount Rushmore

Sunday, 5/27/2012

This morning we woke up to a little rain but it cleared up quickly.  By 10:00 AM the roads were dry and the sun was out so we decided to drive over to Rushmore.  All the times we have been here I had never really gotten a good picture.  Today was the day to change that.  For a bit it looked like we might turn around and leave as the traffic was pretty heavy.  We decided to wait in line and we soon paid our parking fee (there is no entrance fee to Rushmore, just a parking fee) and found a place to park.  After that we walked to the entrance.

Once you pass through the arches this is what you see -

As you walk closer to the carvings you pass through the Avenue of Flags.  There are 56 flags here for the states, districts, territories and commonwealths of the US.  The flags are hung in alphabetical order. 

Here are some facts on the carvings.  It was started in 1927 and finished in 1941.  There were 400 workers and it cost $989,992.32.  The monument was named after Charles Rushmore as the mountain it is carved on was named after him.  The sculptor was Gutzon Borglum.  Dynamite was the main tool used to carve the faces with the jackhammer used for the finer work.  The rock is called Harney Peak Granite.  The trees that surround the monument are Ponderosa Pine.  Paha Sapa is the Lakota word for "Black Hills".  The meaning of Mount Rushmore?  DEMOCRACY. 

Why were these four presidents chosen?  Washington for the Birth of our nation.  Jefferson who Expanded the country with the Louisiana Purchase. Theodore Roosevelt for Development with the Panama Canal, Trust Buster and National Parks.  Lincoln for Preservation and saving the Union during the Civil War.  A much more detailed carving was originally designed but after Borglums death the current carvings were finished and called completed. 

We walked the Presidential Trail which is a 1/2 mile loop.  The end was the hardest part with all the steps necessary to get back up to the Grand View Terrace.  We didn't stay for the lighting ceremony tonight.  We may come back tomorrow night when there should be fewer people.  Here are a couple more pictures -

After our visit to the monument we drove to a little town called Rochford.  When we were in Keystone one of the store owners told us this little saloon in Rochford had live music on Sunday afternoon so we drove over there.  It is a bit out of the way.  You have to drive along about 18 miles of gravel road to get there from the south!  From the north it is a paved road. 

It is very small and there are only a few places to sit.  We ordered our hamburgers and sodas then stood around waiting for a table to open up.  We finally got a seat at one of the bigger tables and shared it with some other folks.  Now I am not going to say it was the best music I have ever heard and it wasn't the best food I have ever had but it was a fun adventure.  The owner had just come home from a vacation on Thursday and by the time we got there on Sunday she was just about out of food.  We didn't get to try her world famous french fries but I did get onion rings.  This saloon was used for a video Big Time by Big & Rich.  The inside ceiling was covered with dollar bills, business cards and ball caps. 

After listening to the music for awhile we headed back to the base.  On our way we stopped at a little diner called Arnold's for dessert.  We were going to have pie and ice cream but they were out of ice cream, so we only had pie.  Didn't anyone realize this was a holiday weekend? 

Once we got home we settled in for the night and I started posting this.  I also put a load in the washer/dryer.  Gotta keep up with the laundry. 

I am not sure what we are doing tomorrow.  I kinda want to take another drive through Custer State Park and then go to the night show at Rushmore.  We will see.  We do have to do a little cleaning and getting ready to leave on Tuesday morning. 

Have a good day.  Here are all the pictures.