When Matt came back with a rental car after taking his truck to a mechanic, we caravaned the scenic route to Mt. Rushmore. The road was curved, looped, and had three narrow tunnels. Piper was first to spot it out in the distance, so we stopped at the pull off for a picture. We took a group pic too just in case we get separated later; we don't want to miss the opportunity.
We got Jr. Ranger books, saw the rock with four faces, and sat down to lunch so the kids can read and figure out what we need to look for to earn the badge. One of the tasks was to see the Sculptor's Studio. I'm not sure I would have thought about going there otherwise but I'm sure glad we did. The studio is where the Sculptor Mr. Gutzon Borglum had a 1/12 scale model and it acted as base camp for all the workers. The Ranger presentation was educational. He showed and explained some of the tools the sculptors used, including a pointer hanging from a stick mounted on a circle which would be placed on the head of each face to mark the features as they needed to be carved. There would be one here on the model, and another on the mountain, and they would relay a message defining how far down and how many degrees left-right it was. 1" on the model = 1' on the mountain. Borglum hired miners and taught them how to sculpt, which was easier than teaching sculptors how to mine, because essentially they used dynamite to break up a LOT of rock. Carvers worked for 50 cents/hour (about $11/hr in today’s wages) hanging on a swing using air (pneumatic) tools with no earplugs or face masks. There were many jobs, and over the 14 years it took to sculpt, there were over 400 people involved. The last carver alive just turned 98 years old last week.
It took fourteen years to finish mostly due to weather and money. Borglum wanted to create something big that would last, confident our nation would prosper for thousands of years. This memorial was to symbolize the important events of the establishment of our nation. 1925 legislation authorized the memorial and carving, and Borglum starts fundraising. Borglum didn't even live to see the final product and his son who had worked along side him got it finished later that year, in 1941.
Annabelle got bored with all this educational stuff, so we headed out, marking a few more things to find on the kids' scavenger hunts. We split for the afternoon, and took separate routes home. We walked around Sylvan Lake, famous for its beauty, and had an early dinner, trying to time the drive through the wildlife loop towards dusk when the animals are more active and get back to Mt. Rushmore in time for the night lighting ceremony. We drove for over an hour to get back and barely made it in time, but it was a beautiful way to retire the flag for the day.
Thoughts for the day:
-This is the most diverse collection of license plate states in one place we’ve seen so far, drawing in tourists from near and afar.
-What qualifies something as a national park versus a national forest versus a national monument?
**FRI 7/26 Rapid City, SD
We went out for lunch and a trip to Storybook Island. Marcy remembered going to this place as a child, so it was fun to share it with Annabelle. Annabelle's cousins took turns sitting with her in their truck, giving us a little more elbow room in the Jeep.
We were going to do the City of Presidents walk & scavenger hunt but it was too warm, so we enjoyed looking at them as we drove down Main Street. We picked up a few souvenirs and played American trivia in the car.
Matt & Marcy returned the rental truck and got their truck back. They couldn't recreate the problem, but Chris helped Matt take something off the front to increase air flow so hopefully it won't overheat so much when they leave tomorrow. We are staying one more day.
Chris & Karen went to the wine tasting event at the campground. We purchased some Mount Rushmore wine and enjoyed our 30 min mini date. If you're lucky, we'll share it with you.
**SAT 7/27 skipping Badlands -- hike & swim at Sylvan Lake
Today we voted. Our original plan was to drive to Badlands from here, a long drive, but geographically a good opportunity to go there. But the kids expressed interest in returning to Sylvan lake to swim, and we did enjoy Custer State Park.
We took a new scenic drive on the way, enjoying the viewpoints and more tunnels. We have been seeing lots of motorcycles in town--Sturgis is next week. The rocks have shiny surfaces, and Marissa found it peels off in layers.
At Lake Sylvan, we hiked the 1 mile loop in reverse from last time and then went swimming. We obeyed the signs and did not jump from the rocks, especially after watching a teenager do it and scrape his leg. The kids were so excited to have daddy swim with them! We had a picnic lunch at the beach and Marissa cuddled on my lap after hitting her head again.
We took the drive past Rushmore back for one last look (way less dramatic than the scenic road we took originally), and stopped in Keystone. We watched a wood carving artist, got souvenirs, and ate ice cream before the dramatic weather returned--more rain, thunder, and lightening. We saw a few more animals and passed the drive time with more American trivia.
I took one last load of laundry before we are HOME home. We are looking forward to being home.
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