Mount Rushmore

No trip to South Dakota would be complete without a trip to visit Mount Rushmore. This visit brought back lots of memories of my childhood vacations to this spot.

The Avenue of Flags displays flags of all 50 states, one district and the territories and commonwealths of the US. The columns of the Borglum Court frame this colorful exhibit with the presidents in the background.

Four hundred men and women helped create Mount Rushmore. Carvers climbed 700 stairs to the top of the mountain to carve our presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. The monument stands as an internationally recognized symbol of freedom, patriotism and democracy.

These are the original models Gutzon Borglum made. His studio was quite a great display of some of the work that went into the 14 years it took to carve this mountain.

Its hard to really get a handle on the actual size of these carvings. Each face is 60 feet tall. Each eye is 11 feet wide. Washington's nose is 21 feet long. Washington's mouth is 18 feet wide.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day , the ranger talks, visit to the sculptors studio, and the museum.

Great lunch spot

Another must visit spot in South Dakota. We were here right after the big rally. Still lots of motorcycles in town so we got to hear the roar of the engines.

Time for beers in the Knuckle saloon. It was pretty quiet with most of the riders gone.

Dick enjoyed wandering through the areas filled with old time equipment .