Saturday, September 02, 2017

Summer Vacation Redux #11: Mount Rushmore


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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