Mount Rushmore

I have really wanted to go to Mount Rushmore for the past little while!  I'm not entirely sure why.  I've been there several times before because it was a frequent stop on our annual road trip to Canada when I was young but I still wanted to go again.  I actually couldn't stop thinking about it and I even researched different routes and found a KOA (my favorite place to stay) nearby.  I had originally thought about going during fall break, which is in a few weeks, but the KOA closes for the winter at the end of September.  Last Friday was a day off for me as compensation for parent teacher conferences so I spontaneously booked a cabin!  All of my friends thought I was crazy!

This was my little cabin for the weekend.  I really enjoy staying in KOA cabins and this campground had a lot of fun amenities (all you can eat pancakes for breakfast, for example).  I spent a fair amount of time sitting on that swing reading.  It was so relaxing!

I spent all day Saturday at the monument.  I didn't do anything else in the area because I just wanted to see Mount Rushmore.  It is quite impressive!  I was able to go on the Presidential Trail (which I had never done before) to get different views.  All of the people on the trail kept laughing about taking a picture every 20 steps!

I did everything there is to do at Mount Rushmore!  I had lunch in the café, but I was a bit disappointed when someone didn't pretend to shoot me (North By Northwest is one of my favorite movies of all time), I toured the sculptor's studio, I watched the film, I had some of the famous ice cream (I don't know why it is famous but it was really good), and I even came back for the evening program to light the monument.  It was a great day!

I loved this view, which you can see as you leave the monument!  I'm so glad I went on this spontaneous trip!

Note:  The drive is ten hours each way which seems a little bit crazy.  However, I actually like driving long distances because it gives me a chance to think!  I have a great road trip playlist (the Beatles, the Eagles, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison) and I sing at the top of my lungs!  This is the farthest I've ever gone on a road trip alone!  I was pretty proud of myself until I pulled into Little America with my gas light on only to discover that the power was out.  Since I couldn't get gas, I was basically stuck there (gas stations are few and far between in Wyoming) for three hours until a waitress went all the way home (20 miles away) to get a gas can full of gas for me! I think she is quite possibly the nicest person on the planet!  When your Dad tells you not to let the gas get below a quarter of a tank, listen to him!