Mt Rushmore is usually the first thing on your list when you take a trip to South Dakota. Our first full day in Rapid City was Monday, July 23, and we headed out early for Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse. The number of early morning visitors confirmed we were still in prime time for family vacations. For those who have not been to the Black Hills of South Dakota you might think of the state as open parie or badlands. The road up to Mt Rushmore is quite a climb and you ask yourself why do they call this the Black Hills? Maybe that sounds better than Black Mountains. As we neared the parking lot there was a pull out with a good view of the presidents carved in the face of the mountain. We pulled over to take a few photos and it is a good thing we did. When we got up to the monument and started to take more photos we noticed climbers started to appear at the top of Roosevelt's head. The park service periodically inspects the monument for fractures that may need to be repaired. Evidently this was one of the maintenance days. We were here five years ago but felt sorry for those that came all this way only to have their photos bombed.
Taken from pull out before parking lot
Look at the top of Roosevelt's head
Climbers on Roosevelt's head
Our photo from five years ago
We knew that Thomas Jefferson was a brilliant man and invented many things. We were not aware that he was the first to create a recipe for ice cream in America.
After Mt Rushmore we drove over to the Crazy Horse Memorial project, said to be the largest mountain carving in the world. At this point only the face of Crazy Horse is completed and it will be many years before the chief is riding his horse.
Entrance to Crazy Horse Memorial
The project as it looks today
Notice there were three men working when we were there
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