Hill City, South Dakota

Leaving Yellowstone was bitter sweet. We could have stayed there another week and still wouldn't have been able to see everything but leaving meant we were heading closer to home.

We had originally planned to head north from Yellowstone and go back through Montana but after travelling in the park, we knew we could drive through Yellowstone in the RV one last time on our way out. It took a couple of hours to get through the park but it was worth it.

Our next stop was Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. We were able to get a few days at the Mt. Rushmore KOA which is just a few miles from both Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The  kids were ecstatic to discover the campground had two pools, a water slide and a splash park. Not to mention a pizza shop, an ice cream parlor and horseback riding stables. Everything they could ask for and more.

Kait & Andrew going down the slide together.

I knew we were going to have a difficult time getting them to leave the campground so we had to make a deal. Visit Crazy Horse first in the morning and they could swim in the afternoon then in the evening we would head over to Mt. Rushmore for the nighttime lighting ceremony. The catch was that they couldn't complain that they were too tired to go to Mt. Rushmore! Andrew said he would "try not to whine."

The Crazy Horse Memorial was incredible. This memorial began back in 1948 and has not accepted federal funds to help pay for its construction. Not only is the story of Crazy Horse an inspiring story but the back story of the sculptor, who died in 1982, and how his family continues to work to complete his vision was really moving.

The model of the Crazy Horse Memorial (foreground) and the
final piece being carved into the mountain (background).

The Crazy Horse Memorial under construction.

I told the kids that someday, when they get old like Mommy and Daddy, maybe they would bring their kids to see the Crazy Horse Memorial and can tell them about how they saw it when Crazy Horse was only a head in the side of the mountain.

The kids are also bringing home two hunks of the mountain with them. There is a big bin of pieces of rock that were blown off the mountain during the explosions. Of course, Andrew picked a big piece of granite but he regretted it when he found out that we weren't going to carry it for him!

Crazy Horse rocks soon to be on display at LeFevre Lodge.

When you see Mt. Rushmore right after seeing Crazy Horse, you realize just how big the Crazy Horse Memorial is going to be. It's huge, Elvis!

However, Mt. Rushmore and the lighting ceremony was just as inspirational. Every night they have a ranger program and then show a short movie about each of the Presidents and what they represent and why they were chosen to be on Mt. Rushmore. Kaitlyn and Andrew completed the Junior Ranger program so they have another badge to add to their collection.

Tom brought the good camera and was ready to shot some good pics of the monument. After taking a few shots, he realized that I had forgotten to put the memory card back into the slot so all the pics he had taken weren't saved. Oh well. ;-) At least I remembered to stick our little digital camera in my purse. Here are a few not so good pics of Mt. Rushmore. LOL

Mt. Rushmore

Another Junior Ranger badge for their collection.