Episode #19: Mt Rushmore in 17 Hours

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 In the fall of 2020 we wanted to get a way for a few days, but with the nonsense that came with covid19, flying was simply not an option we were interested in at that time. We talked about several destinations that we had on our list of places to visit and decided we were going to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota and it was going to be a road trip. 

I didn't want to put the 2300 miles or so on Carol Ann's car so I redeemed some frequent flyer miles and rented an Infintiy Q80. It was a nice comfortable vehicle and bigger than her Grand Cherokee for the long drive. We head out early on the last day of October with plans to arrive the following day mid afternoon. We stop in Salina Kansas for lunch in a cute little 1950s styled cafe for their specialty which was obviously burgers and fries.

When we leave Salina we make good time as we drive across the mid west. As we are coming into Grand Island Nebraska which is almost 600 miles from home, I see a large truck stop just off the highway and decide we better stop for fuel. I turn off my GPS, pull up for gas and then go in for something to eat. We are there about 40 minutes and we decide there is nothing to see or do here in this burg. It is now Saturday night and dark so we agree we will just push on through the next 425 miles and get to Rapid City tonight. I get back on the road without realizing I make a wrong turn out of the parking lot and am now on a different highway. After about 45 minutes I turn the GPS mapping back on and see our destination is now an hour later than what it should have been. It is too late to correct that routing error so we continue on and arrive at the hotel about 1:30 am.

Around mid morning we get up and grab some breakfast and look around town for a bit. It is a nice clean city and the weather is perfect, especially for the beginning of November. It is a beautiful fall day in the 60s and clear sky, great for the short drive over to Mt. Rushmore. As we pull up to the entrance of the park the view of the monument through the trees and winding road is amazing and we continue on to the parking lot. As you can imagine there is a well supplied visitor center with lots of information and the perfunctory gift shop. But it is well done and in good taste.

We spend a few hours here looking around and learning of the monument, then leave to check out some of the rest of the area. As we drive around we find a lot of the shops and attractions closed last week for the winter, so we missed a lot opportunities to buy stuff we didn't need. The scenery is pretty and we find a place to return to tomorrow for some hiking. Then we head back into Rapid City for some supper and call it a day since the sunsets around 5:30 here this time of year.

The next morning after breakfast we head out to the hiking area we discovered yesterday, It is another beautiful fall day, clear and cool. We enjoy the mountain hiking trail and spend most of the day in the area.



After the day hike we drive down a few miles to the Crazy Horse Monument that is still under construction and then back to Mt. Rushmore for the night time view and a few pictures.



The next day we walk around the downtown area of Rapid City and see a strong patriot theme throughout the town. As we walk around from shop to shop we the note life sized bronze statutes of the previous US Presidents on the corners of the street intersections. We are amazed as to how clean the city is; the streets are swept clean and there is no trash or rubbish anywhere. After spending most of the day in town, we take another drive in the surrounding country side and see buffalo and elk grazing on the side of the road in a large and well maintained mountain subdivision.



The next morning we get up early and head back to north central Texas and about 16 hours later we arrive back to the farm. 

Epilog,
The trip was a good one, that is safe and no issues other than taking a wrong turn in Grand Island and adding an extra hour to the drive going up. We are glad to mark this visit off our list of places to see. Our timing was perfect as the next week the day time high temperatures did not make it out of the 20's during the day. That would have certainly made for a different trip.



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Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 30, 2024 at 7:21 AM

    Interesting that we were there in 1997 and Crazy Horse was under construction at that time as well. Appears in your picture the way I remember it. 🤷‍♀️ Tlc

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TonyDecember 1, 2024 at 6:57 AM

      After we went by there, I read that the progress has stopped frequently and when they do work, they don't get much done due to funding issues.

      Delete

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