Mount Rushmore

With more than 2000 miles logged, we finally made it to Mount Rushmore and the Custer State Park near Keystone, South Dakota. Every red-blooded American should take some time in his or her life to see Mount Rushmore -- it is the most patriotic thing I've done since being a part of Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1984.

The kids were so excited to see "the Presidents' heads," and while they have very little life experience to know what they were seeing, we all agreed that they had some sense of the pride we have in being Americans, by having such revered leaders with tremendous forthought. It never occurred to me before now, but George Washington had NO IDEA how big the North American continent was when he served as president. Thomas Jefferson had an idea (he commissioned the Lewis & Clark expeditions), but he never ventured past the Blue Ridge Mountains himself.

Back to Mount Rushmore. The "heads" are much higher on the mountain than we expected. The sculptor, knowing that WWI British soldiers practiced their shooting on the Sphinx, wanted them high so it would be a lot of trouble for future generations to deface them. We were there in the evening and watch the sun set behind the sculpture before disappearing into the night, only to be majestically lit at the close of a program that included all vets and service people introducing themselves on a stage before a packed amphitheatre.

In addition to seeing Rushmore, we also visited the Crazy Horse Memorial, which is a mammoth sculpture that's been underway since the 40s, and the Custer State Park, home to bison, prairie dogs (big rat/squirrel-type animals), and the black-footed feret. We dodged Sturgis bikers left and right, and this guy stopped in the middle of my picture. Check out his biker babe on the back!

We got a little lazy in Keystone... maybe because we were road weary, maybe because of the high altitudes. With several things left to do, we cut our losses and took in Jewel Cave, the second longest cave in the world. Well, no jewels, and we all agreed now that we don't need to see another cave. We did get a kick out of the ranger who guided us though the tour who thought he was funny, but he wasn't. I called him, "Ranger Ding Dong," which the kids thought was hysterical. Now we cannot get them to stop saying it, which could be a problem if they decide to attach the name to a teacher or a kid somewhere down the road. I will not include a photo of Ranger Ding Dong to protect the innocent.

We pulled out of Keystone on Monday and drove about 350 miles to Nebraska... somewhere in Nebraska... and slept in a Wal-Mart parking lot for the second time during this trip. I need to get a picture of us there. We love to shop at Wal-Mart during these stops... our kids are so dirty and bruised from playing, with bandaids hanging off their legs, ankles and feet that I fear social services will come knocking at our trailer door each morning. On this particular Wal-Mart morning, however, we were awoken to the sound of weed-eaters attacking the grass in the Wal-Mart parking lot islands. At least we had bread and other provisions from Wal-Mart, however... we have been hard pressed to find grocery stores out here. They are not on every corner like they are at home. No CVS and Walgreens competing for business on opposing corners, either.

Last night we got so excited about the prospect of another "great" campground in Hannibal, Missouri. I have not had a chance to upload photos yet, so I'll leave you to imagine what we found when we got there... more tomorrow or the next day...