SD-3: Mammoth Rushmore

Day 3 started with another friendly tip (thanks Mrs Williams). I had seen advertisements for some mammoth place in the South Dakota guide book, and then we were told it was a fun place to check out.  Well, come to find out it's only about 5 miles from our hotel! So that was the first stop of the day.  It was so neat. They gave a history about the spot and how the fossils ended up there.  Apparently it was a giant sink hole and the mammoths had fallen in and couldn't get back out again.  After hundreds of years of animals falling in and the land filling in and then getting packed down and more animals falling in, it created layers upon layers of fossils that were discovered by and excavating crew and continue to be unearthed by paleontologists. It's sort of sad when you think about it, but it was so interesting to see.  It's one of the biggest sights like this in the world.  They've unearthed the tusks from 61 mammoths so far, and they don't know how deep the sink hole goes, or what else is underneath.

After checking out the mammoths we were finally going to head over to Mt Rushmore.  We chose to take another scenic road to get there.  Like I said last time, these roads are not good if you get car sick but they are so worth the extra time!! The Needle Highway we did day 2 had some of the most amazing views and rock formations.  This time we were on the Iron Mountain Road. This one had some cool cork screw roads, and it had an amazing view of its own.
When we first got to South Dakota every time I saw big mountains I would watch them intently wondering if we turned the corner if I'd be able to see the faces on Rushmore looking back at me. I never did. But on our way North towards  Custer way off in the distance I was able to very briefly spot the Crazy Horse Memorial.  It was one of those moments when you're like 'Hey! Wait, can it be? Yes!' So that was neat.  Then we start driving down this winding scenic road and we go through a tunnel (which I personally thought was just the coolest thing every time) ...

... and when we came out the other side...

No joke!! It was unbelievable!! There's even a little turn off so you can get out and really enjoy the view safely.

We did get to the actual monument.  It is quite a sight!!  There's a beautiful area for viewing, plus a trail that goes down to the base of the mountain for a closer look.  Then the sculptors studio is open with one of the giant scale models that the workers used to create the actual monument.  There's a museum with tools and videos and documents and newspaper clippings.

We stayed to see the lighting ceremony.  They talked about the 4 presidents on the monument and the things they did for our country.  Once the lights were on, they invited all members of the service who were present to go up on stage and a few of them lowered and folded the flag.  It was very nice.

It was an amazing sight!! It almost didn't seem real to me.  I mean how often do you see faces on the side of a mountain? It was crazy, and I'm so glad be were able to check it out :)

Cheers!!