Just in time for the 4th of July, we took a patriotic road trip to Mount Rushmore. Tyson, Sean, Tasha, Jacob, Shauna, Matt, and I did a 3 state tour of the west – Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Our first stop was in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where we visited Scottsbluff National Monument and enjoyed some beautiful views. We encountered a prairie rattlesnake when we first drove into the park, which was sweet and scary all wrapped into one! Penelope actually walked the park with us, well at least most of it. We were pretty proud of our short-legged pup for keeping up with us.
We spent the 4th in Hot Springs, South Dakota. We caught a fireworks show there -- unfortunately we missed out on Mount Rushmore's fireworks. Apparently, Mount Rushmore has an amazing show, but they do theirs on the 3rd.
While in South Dakota we visited Wind Cave National Park. Wind Cave is very similar to the caves we all visited on school field trips when we were kids. The cave was formed by wind, hence its name. It is always a cool 58 degrees and the passage ways total an impressive 130 miles long.
The highlight of our trip to South Dakota was of course seeing Mount Rushmore. It is one of those places you see in text books, but never expect to see in person. The drive to Mount Rushmore National Memorial takes you through winding roads and at one spot there is a break in the trees and through them you can see the Presidents. The park allows you to get pretty up close and personal with the Presidents – it is so cool that something so large in scale could be created by carving rock.
Our last night we spent camping at Glendo State Park in Wyoming. It was a nice ending to our weekend. We sat around the campfire and made smores. I've discovered that I make a mean smore, not bragging, just sayin' :)
Click here to view more pictures from the trip on Flickr
