Mount Rushmore

Yesterday, May 23, we headed to Mount Rushmore. It has been well over 20 years since we were there last. Driving there it dawned on me why I don't remember the drive.....the same reason I won't remember much of this drive either, I had my eyes closed most of the time then and now. I do remember holding on to my mom so tightly that she had bruises on her arms. hehehe Well I had nothing to hold on to this time but the armrest in the truck. I did manage to open my eyes now and then to see some of the beauty.

Being older isn't so bad, this is the second time it saved money doing something we wanted to do. We go into the park for half the price. hehe The gentleman at the gate was quite a hoot. He and Mark shared some laughs, especially when we came around to the gate a second time because of a wrong turn. Ok so it was my fault. hehehe

Walking up the million steps brought anticipation of the view.

 As always it is quite a sight, but the first time you see it is when the real wow factor is there. The first time brought tears to our eyes, this time it was wonderment and beauty. We enjoyed going through the building telling how the statue was accomplished, the stories from the workers and seeing the tools that were used. It was way beyond amazing to read it all.

As per tradition of many, we stopped in the little market there and had an ice cream cone. Yes, it was amazingly good and way more to eat than we bargained for. hehe

True to form, what goes up must come down so after leaving the Monuments we started back down the hills. Mark took a road that really twisted and turned around the mountain. A breathtaking drive if you keep your eyes open. There were several tunnels to go through that only one vehicle could go through at a time. There were one or two that had me wondering if we would fit through them with the dually. But yes of course we made it just fine.

Further down the winding road we finally saw some wildlife. First off was a couple wild turkeys. Having lived in Hutchinson they aren't much of a thrill to see anymore. hehe But then we saw some deer that were very difficult to see. They are not the same color as the ones we see in our home town. These are more the color of the tree bark so they blend into their surroundings. I'm used to seeing tan deer, so this was neat to see. Further down the road, just on a curve, or course, we saw three buffalo lumbering right alongside the road eating the grass.

They didn't even seem to notice us as we got closer to them. Mark stopped so close to one that I could actually smell the buffalo..... you can see a little bit of the truck door in the picture, we were that close.....

Having more traffic moving in we headed on down the road. There we were met with more wildlife, antelope, so many too. One even turned and posed for me....

On the road closer to our camp we saw 30 deer along side the road. Luckily not one decided to cross or jump in front of us. Again these deer are very hard to see. Never have we come across so many deer in such a short drive. Wow.

We made it home safely after a great day. And as always,
It was an adventure!