Mount Rushmore, Keystone, South Dakota

The Smith family at Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore - A place I had always dreamed to go. I guess it is one of those places that is so famous it just seems like everyone should see it once. So, I was telling my mom about how great it was to finally see it and she told me I had already been there. I told the kids, with a little know it all sound in my voice, “I have already been here.” Well, I don’t remember ever seeing Mt. Rushmore, I must have been pretty young.

It was absolutely magnificent. And yes, it is as huge as you imagine! Walking through the Hall of Flags and seeing the faces of such powerful men in America’s history is extremely humbling. The time it took to build such a monument. The skill, engineering, and courage to conquer such a vision. It was amazing. I’m so thankful we went.

I was very surprised at the price. It was only $10.00 per car! It doesn’t matter how many people either. The pass is good for a year! What a deal. We enjoyed the rented audio tour. I hardly got to listen to any of it since Naomi and Cody shared it back and forth. The Avenue of Flags is a walkway with all of the state flags as well as U.S. territories, such as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Samoa  Virgin Islands, and Mariana Islands. Just beyond the flags are the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

We were told to look closely at Roosevelt’s eyes, there is a vulture nest in there! We hiked around the President’s trail. There was an Indian Village set up where the kids got to try their hand at scraping a buffalo hide.

Naomi scraping Buffalo fur

It was a short hike, but they never are quick for us. We are so slow! We enjoyed seeing the Presidents up close. Gabriel said the Presidents kept staring at him. Their eyes were following him around the whole trail! It was funny.
There was a really great Visitor’s Center downstairs. The museum inside of it was very interesting and complete. We learned so much of how it was made and the dangers involved. 

The kids completed the Junior Ranger program and we headed out. 

We decided to not eat there at Mt. Rushmore, we ate instead on Needles Hwy. But, that is another story, that I already wrote about….
Also, read our article about this trip on our online magazine - The Lemonade Digest
Sleep well,
Sheri