Mt Rushmore

We pulled out of Sturgis going in the direction of Mt Rushmore. Yes these back roads are pretty drives. We needed to get gas and saw this unique gas station called Boondocks. It had a huge selection of mint condition Studebakers both outside and inside a showroom for you to look at. They also had a very large selection of Hollywood memorabilia, an old time gas station, and a soda shop. There was even rides for the kids.   I think it’s funny to say this gas station was really a blast!

Just a short while later we rounded another corner and you know what we say… every hill we go over and every corner we turn, something more beautiful comes our way. This corner brought us a glimpse of Mt Rushmore! Totally unexpected. I thought we would have to go into the park to be able to see  it.   What a special treat. After we got the RV set up we drove back to Mt Rushmore at dusk. Another treat was there for us. A mountain goat on the side of the road.  Hooptie said these creators are really pretty. He posed for me for quite sometime.   I could have stayed to watch him but we needed to get in the park to see the rangers program and the lighting ceremony.

The Presidents sit high up on the mountain as you walk through pillars that hold each of our State Flags.      At dusk, in the amphitheatre, the Ranger talked about the importance of our heritage and recited a couple of wonderful poems. A short movie played that spoke about each of the four Presidents and their accomplishments. The movie also talked about how the monument was constructed over 14 years. After the movie the Ranger called up to the stage all that served in the military. Tommy went up after some encouraging from me. Vets from Vietnam were asked to assist in the lowering and folding of the Flag. The lights came up gradually and softly illuminated the monument with a golden glow against the black nighttime sky. The program was so well done and the Ranger was very well spoken. The National Anthem played and the audience sang. Beautiful!