Marking Mount Rushmore

Going to Mount Rushmore wasn't something that was on our long-term itinerary. Then again, neither was anything else we had done so far. But as the summer progressed and we saw more and more sights, we realized that it really didn't take that much to do a little traveling, and that some of the greatest world wonders weren't really that far away. So the weekend we went to Devil's Tower, Jacob also suggested we wander on over to Mount Rushmore, and at this point, why the heck not?!

Even though Mount Rushmore is in an entirely different state, it really didn't take too long to get there; just long enough for me to completely fall in love with South Dakota. And it's not like I even know too much about the state, or saw that much of it, but I deemed every town we went through to be greater than the last and insisted we move there immediately. That most likely won't happen as now I also have dreams of living in Fishtail, Montana and running a donut shop/hiking tours.

We were one of the last to leave our campsite at Devil's Tower, Holden repeatedly discussing the "molcano; the dead molcano." I told him, "We're going to see some heads on a mountain," to which he replied, "And knees and toes?" He slept most of the car ride to Mount Rushmore and when he woke up asked, "Where's the molcano?" And with every new sight we see, if it even remotely resembles Devil's Tower, he'll say, "There's a molcano!" It's easy to take for granted children's reactions - or lack thereof - to the places you take them, but it's nice to know when something really leaves a positive impression. He did talk about the "molcano" throughout the rest of the day but that doesn't mean he didn't appreciate the "heads," as well.

 Montana - gotta represent.

At the ages of six and three, they already know more than our sitting President.

 Learning about the construction of the "heads," which Zoey found incredibly interesting. She even asked to stay and watch the video, which I didn't find the least bit surprising; she has a very engineer-oriented brain; like her father, completely unlike her mother.

 As had become my habit, I saw something labeled "trail" and had to check it out. Like it was meant for me, the trail was called The Presidential Trail. I mean, why didn't they just hang a neon billboard that read, "BREANNE, HIKE HERE!"?

 Taking a break "hiking" the Presidential Trail. It is a trail, even with a warning that it's strenuous, but not because you're traipsing the hills but because the majority of the trail is stairs. There are two places to start the trail but both have their strenuous parts, and lots of benches to make up for it.

 Jacob and the kids at his favorite spot, Theodore Roosevelt, the Father of our National Parks.

 There is a stop along the trail, the Sculptor's Studio, where the scales and tools to make the monument are on display. As inspiring as the monument is, you can't deny how cool it would have been if the full-body idea had actually panned out.

 

Zoey said that Lincoln was her favorite.

 Like visiting the Grand Canyon (which is on our list), it's fun that Mount Rushmore is a place nestled deep within the Black Hills of South Dakota yet attracts people from all over the globe; the first person I asked to take this family photo didn't understand English. And Holden is looking like that because he loathes looking at strangers (the pictures of him smiling at the camera are either because me or Jacob is behind it, or we set up the camera timer).

The Black Hills, which I fell in love with and insisted on camping in for my birthday (which didn't actually happen), and tragically suffered a fire during this last fall. But no doubt we'll find ourselves in South Dakota again come summer.

Trekking Devil's Tower

By this time in our summer - middle of August - our itch for the outdoors became more insistent. It was fun, a good change of scenery, and always a health benefit, but escaping into the wilderness became just that: when we went camping, or just hiking for the afternoon, life became all about just being in that moment - stepping over that giant rock, focusing on the trail and not on the raging waters below, scanning the forest for a walking stick of the appropriate height and weight. No one was thinking or talking about what was happening back at home - bills that needed to be paid, things that needed to be fixed, work that needed to be gone to. We dealt with more hurt feet than we did hurt feelings, and the only drama was usually me at anything resembling a height. And, as if the Universe knew this was a benefit for our family, we were provided with more random times to hit the trails. For this particular trek, Jacob remembered a place he had heard about as a kid, so we packed up and headed for Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

 Learning from our last camping adventure, we left early and arrived at the campsite before sunset (and before the hoards of people with their F950 trucks and 16-wheelers).

 Whew! Settin' up camp is rough work!

 Brownies with animal footprints in them? I mean, how could I not??

 This being our third attempt at camping, things seemed to be going our way. Until we ran into the fire ban that spanned pretty much the entire Western United States. If necessity is the mother of invention, I'd like to introduce you to Hond-Dogs.

 Jacob cleaned the...block, or whatever...before putting on the hot dogs. And they didn't taste any better or worse, but the car did smell like bacon for a little while.

 As we were "cooking" our "dinner," that's when people began filing into the campsite, offering us their perplexed looks at what Jacob was doing. And if anyone actually said something to us, it was, "We brought our stove."

 With our campfire lighter that we were banned from using to light a fire, we charred marshmallows for s'mores. I'm of the burnt marshmallow persuasion while Zoey is of the warm and gooey. And I'll take mine without the graham cracker and chocolate.

 While the elite campers were firing up their stoves, we were lacing up our tennis shoes to head up Devil's Tower. Fun fact: this is known as America's First National Monument, the first area designated under the Antiquities Act.

 With Devil's Tower in front of us, this was the view behind us. And a good time to mention that Louis did not accompany us on this adventure, for one reason in particular that is hard to see in this picture. Aside from it being way too hot of weather and there being no room for him in the car, dogs aren't allowed in this area, and I'm going to assume it's because of the literal field of Prairie Dogs and their corresponding homes, which are ankle-twisting holes in the ground. If Louis had been with us, I can only imagine it being like that groundhog arcade game.

 Mama and her cubs taking in the views halfway up.

 Oh, hello! Just passing through...

 This was at the "top," where the general trail ends. You can climb on the sea of boulders, and I know people climb to the very top but I'm pretty sure you need harnesses for that. We also happened to be there a week early, just missing the yearly convention of UFO and Alien-seekers.

 The views around the base of the tower.

Mom's repeated shouting of, "We're almost there!" pays off sometimes.

 With the weather being so toasty, our twilight trekking was definitely enjoyable, not having to deal with the sun on top of the heat. And even though it also meant longer daylight, that still didn't stop us from winding up on the trail in the close-to-dark-but-not-really, hard-to-see dusk. I'll be honest - thank God for the cellphone flashlight.

 Once we got back to the campsite, Holden downed three Hond-Dogs, we tried to remember the rules of Old Maid, then went to bed.

 Good morning from the Tower!

The view from our campsite, just to the right of the Tower. We weren't in any big hurry to pack up the next morning, and, surprisingly, everyone who had entered the campsite after us had also left before we even woke up. And Devil's Tower left such a big impression on Holden that he still talks about it to this day; "the dead volcano." But our Clipboard of Fun for this particular weekend wasn't over just yet...