Mount Rushmore National Memorial

I went on the classic family road trip to Mt. Rushmore when I was 9; my little brother was 6. My favorite picture from the trip shows me and my dad looking through the binoculars towards the mountain, while my little brother is looking off in the completely wrong direction.

Mount Rushmore is one of the few places I think everyone should see; not because it is naturally breathtaking, but rather because it provides an awe-inspiring glimpse of patriotic America.

Yes, it is a bit over-the-top in it’s presentation, and yes you can get a nice view of the memorial simply by driving by without stopping; however, it is worth the effort (and the cash) to spend a little time walking up he promenade and viewing the memorial first hand. And watch others as they view it too. Have you ever visited the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and just sat on the top step watching people as the walk up to see Lincoln? Well it’s very similar here, and if you’ve done it you know what I am talking about.

Politics aside, if you learn the story of how and why it was done and visit with that in mind, you will leave feeling a little more patriotic than when you arrived.

fun. on the 4th of july, they shooot fireworks off ur washington’s head! (well at least thats wat they told us!)

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I appreciate the effort it took to create such a monument, but I like to travel to experience culture, people, customs, natural habitats, etc. Mount Rushmore is in the Black Hills and camping there is not very enjoyable. In the summer, it’s cold and if it rains, make sure you have a water-proof tent. (The manufacturer of our tent lied about that feature.) Trees there are all VERY tall and don;t provide any privacy between you and your neighbors’ tents. I’ve been to Mt. Rushmore three times in my life, and I’m certain I could have lived without this experience.

I guess my brother (3 years old at the time) was disappointed that the faces didn’t talk.

So cool, I am taking my Mom there next week!

It was bit too…America-worshiping for me. I know it’s a big, patriotic national monument, but wow. It was a bit too much. Besides, the Crazy Horse monument is much more impressive, work-in-progress though it may be.

Unlike you’ve got your climbing gear, all there is to do is hop out of the car in a very busy and expensive parking lot, look at the monument from a distance (kinda like looking at the picture above) and visiting the gift shop where you can get replicas, postcards, and books about how it was built.

Believe it or not, I found a lot to see in South Dakota and Wyoming. Try and spend a couple of days here if you can. I suggest getting to Mount Rushmore in the morning to catch a different light than in the evening. A kind of right-wing presentation closed the day (actually it was really annoying…), but I was just thrilled to see the monument lit up in the evening as well. (I went twice as your pass is good for the month).

I had some delicious Buffalo Stew in the little cafeteria on site. A word of warning, I almost hit several deer over the course of the few days I was there. One deer was well within the city limits of Cedar Rapids.

If you rent a car, you can explore cities like Custer, Sturgis (known for bike rallies), Deadwood and take a short drive out to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming where you can see the iconic site where Close Encounters of the Third Kind was filmed.

There’s more to do in the surrounding areas than I ever imagined. If you have kids, there are LOTS of extra things to do too. Wild West shows, water parks, snake farms, petting farms, mining for gold, etc.

P.S. I don’t know why this entry says that I said NOT worth the visit, because it’s DEFINITELY WORTH THE VISIT!!!

It’s so little…