The Black Hills of South Dakota are amazing.  They say the name Black Hills comes from the way the thick Ponderosa pines covering the hills look almost black from a distance, and they really do.  In one day we drove through Custer State Park along the Wildlife Loop.  There we saw buffalo, deer, burros and antelope (we think).  We sang a tone-deaf version of “Home on the Range” and Griffin discovered how to make a farting sound with the back of his knee (is that inappropriate?).  It was truly an unforgettable trip. 

We traveled the famous Needles Highway and climbed on a few of the towering rock spires that line the road.  It takes you through several rock tunnels that are so tight you can reach out and touch the walls.  Add to this the echo of the roaring Harley Davidson motorcycles on the road (it was Bike Week at Sturgis).  It was impressive.  At the end of Needles Highway we made our way toward Mount Rushmore. 

When we arrived we first stamped our Passports and then went to the visitor’s center.  There we got our Jr. Ranger booklets and began learning about Mount Rushmore.  The boys seem to get a lot out of completing the Jr. Ranger programs.  They retain a lot more and they like collecting the patches.  To complete our booklet we had to watch a video, talk to a ranger, and read many of the displays in the museum.  Many of the other programs we’ve done also require you to attend at least one ranger led activity, like a hike or demonstration. 

We learned that Jefferson’s head was originally on the other side of Washington’s head, but because it developed a lot of cracks it had to be blasted off and moved.  Did you know that?  We also learned a lot about Borglum, the sculptor and the team of miners that helped him sculpt the monument.  No one was killed during the entire project – 14 years.  That’s impressive considering the amount of dynamite they used.  Or how about this…Originally the idea was to carve large statues of famous Americans, like Lewis and Clark, into the spires in the Black Hills, but Borglum found the rocks to be unfit for carving.  Can you imagine what it would have looked like if it had worked?  Also, there’s a vault cut into the rocks behind the monument (no, it doesn’t lead to Cibola).  It was meant to be a records chamber, but it was never finished.  Recently Borglum’s family buried a time capsule in it to be opened 2000 years from now.  That gave me a project idea that I bet you’d enjoy too.  I’ll get the directions down and post them this week.
(Pictures in the gallery)