After a good night's rest in Rapid City, I spent the next
two days of my cross-country Total Eclipse of the Sun road trip exploring the
National and State Parks, Memorials and Monuments beginning with Mount Rushmore
just outside of Keystone, South Dakota. Concerned about all the hype about crowds, I made Mount
Rushmore my first destination. I
was also concerned about my own reaction to it--I have been underwhelmed by
places like this in the past; however, the exact opposite was true here--I was
amazed by it. Mount Rushmore is
very inspiring, and the accompanying museum hits all the right notes.
My first view was on the road in even before I got to the
entrance. I arrived around 9 AM,
but it was overcast still, and so the sky appears almost pre-dawn. Yet, I was already feeling a little
goose-bumpy.
The place is not only the memorial on the mountain, but also
a parking complex, a visitor center, a museum, an amphitheater, and a gift
shop. There was no line of cars
waiting to get in, and following directions I ended up in the last parking
garage and it was empty save two other cars. Then up and out of the parking facility and through the
first entrance to the memorial.
The monument is framed with a series of pillars that display
the flags of the United States and its Territories. Unfortunately Maryland is not in a place where it can be
photographed with memorial in the image... You can see them just beyond this second entrance.
The few people there were taking full advantage of the
sparsity of bodies to take photos with the memorial. Not my bag.
(And yes, I just made up the word sparcity--feel free to use it when
appropriate!)
Can you imagine listening to a symphony orchestra playing
patriotic music in this amphitheater?
Beneath the observation area is a wonderful museum with two
theaters that play a constant video describing the inception and creation of
the memorial narrated by Tom Brokaw--how perfect is that? The film covers the pinnacle achievements
of the four presidents depicted on the memorial and when Tom described one of
Washington's legacies as establishing the office of the presidency as one of
utmost dignity, I shouted out "AMEN!" You never know went the opportunity to "RESIST"
will present itself.
The displays cover every aspect of the memorials
construction and maintenance, too.
I am such a sucker for architectural models like this
one. You can see the artist's
studio on the right and it's also open to the public as museum today.
I don't know who this is...and frankly I don't really
care--he's simply handsome.
In the area given other to the legacy of the presidents, one
aspect of the displays is that each man has a quote and I found those by
Washington and Roosevelt particularly relevant.
Of course we end our visit with more pictures of the
memorial!
And isn't this the quintessential "money"
shot?
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