So nice of you to visit with us!
Hope all is well with you and God's infinite Grace and Blessings are with you.
Today was for completing the third leg of the adventure box and starting the last and homeward leg. We started at Spearfish, South Dakota, and after a good breakfast that's provided "free" at Hampton Inns, we drove I-90, then US 16A to Mount Rushmore. It has been over 50 years since I first went to Mount Rushmore with the Houck family, and nearly 30 since I last took my own family and little ones there. Much has changed. A LOT!
There is an incredible build up of tourist TRAPS, ooops, attractions on the way to the Monument. From drive through bear exhibits, to hall of Presidents wax museum, to zip lines and alpine roller coasters, to innumerable shops for all kinds of memorabilia. Once you keep going as we did and plowed through all the ads and billboards, you leave "civilization" at Keystone SD, climb a steep mountain, make a few turns and WHAM, there they are, staring at you! Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln are all there, majestic, inspiring, awesomely grand and totally patriotic! I had a nature emergency come on as we arrived so I hustled Miss Adriana along through the parking lot and just made it! TMI?
Anyways, after all that, we began the walk up toward the monument, along with hundreds of others from all walks of life and all nations it seemed. And it was early in the day!
We stopped at the first information center, got maps, and then proceeded through the hall of states that leads to the grand viewing area. Indescribable and overwhelming at the size and grandeur of the monument. We took many pictures, and then walk the "Presidents' Trail" that takes visitors up close and personal, right to the base of the monument, down a steep set of steps to the sculptor's studio:
Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).
Beautifies anywhere she goes!
The first view you get as you turn right in towards the monument,
The view approaching the hall of states,
My oh my, which is more impressive? Hmmm...
In front of the maps and diagrams,
yes, they put on a night show, well, next time!!
The hall of states has all 50 state flags and a bit of history for each,
Yes! Totally!
Who's happy now!!!
We spent nearly two hours, in wonder, in awe. Met some really, really nice folks... an Air Force family going for duty at McChord, a beautiful LDS family from Missouri with 7 girls and 2 boys! Wowsers!
We headed out for the long haul to Omaha where we'll bed down tonight. We descended from the Black Hills with slowly descending hills covered with prairie grass, cattle farms, a few oil wells, and lots and lots of highway construction. South Dakota has very harsh winters and they have to work hard during the summers to make repairs.
We stopped at the second most famous place in SD, WALL DRUG STORE in Wall, South Dakota. We had a nice roast beef lunch there. Pretty good for a tourist trap! It's been there since 1931 (height of the Great Depression) and is an inspirational story of goodness and all American toughness making things work.
We then stopped in Mitchell SD for the Corn Palace. Just a short visit for pictures and a short conversation with a nice guide lady.
Onward. Eastward, until Sioux Falls SD, where we finally left old reliable I-90 and caught I-29 south towards Omaha. We stopped in Sioux Falls at a Cracker Barrel, old reliable Cracker Barrel, for dinner. Miss Adriana was not feeling it, and had just a bowl of chicken soup.
Then onward, over the mighty Missouri into Iowa.
And, finally, Omaha Nebraska safe and sound.
Praise be to God for all His Love, Grace, and Blessings.
I hope you are well, that all is good. I'll upload and update with more pictures tomorrow, but these should get you caught up.
Until then, God Bless YOU and keep you always in His Love and Grace!
With due regards,
the staff of DMA!
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