It was a day of visiting national memorials and monuments. The original intention of our vacation was to see Mount Rushmore and we began the day there. We saw Mount Rushmore from the road as we were driving up, and the excitement in the kids’ voices was so great to hear! They could not wait to get closer. If you ever get a chance to go to Mount Rushmore, do it. Pictures do not do it justice. The kids were just amazed.
We walked the path that included over 250 steps and stopped at all the way points that included Gutzon Borglum’s studio and the individual views of each of the four Presidents. Laura was so interested in all the history and wanted to look at everything. John got a little bored towards the end, but he still very much enjoyed seeing Mount Rushmore. We left with a squished penny, a magnet for our refrigerator, a miniature replica, some golf balls, and lots of great memories!
After a picnic lunch, we headed to Crazy Horse Memorial. While incomplete, it is still quite impressive. If it is ever finished, it will be simply beautiful. You do not really understand the detail work and the sheer size until you stand on the deck and take it in.
We spent time wandering through the different exhibits and then happened upon a presentation of a Native American who was to perform some dances. He was full of information and it was very interesting to watch the three different dances. Laura and John did not want to participate in the Snake Dance, but they were both riveted during the presentation.
After the presentation was complete, we left for the 2+ hour drive to our final destination, Devils Tower. Wait, you think I spelled “Devils” incorrectly? Well, you are correct in that the name is incorrect, but I *did* spell it correctly. You see, when the monument was first named, the apostrophe was left off of “Devils” and it was never corrected. I find this highly amusing as an Editor and had to take a picture of the explanation.
If you ever get a chance to visit Devils Tower, go. It is simply amazing. It is so beautiful and it was my favorite of the three stops for the day. Amazing. I sat on a bench with John and just stared at it. At least four times, John said, “Mommy, LOOK! It’s WOW!” That is the perfect description. Wow.
We arrived back at our hotel about 9 pm with the intention of letting the kids swim before bed. Laura said, “Mommy, I don’t want to swim. I want to go to bed.” You know it is bad when they ask to go to bed. As you can imagine, they were asleep within minutes.
We head back for home tomorrow. I am sad that our family vacation is over. I hope that the kids remember this for years to come. What a fantastic trip!