Family Trip- Day 4

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Today was to be our "last" sight seeing day. The main event??? Mount Rushmore. I have to say though, after already being to Crazy Horse and seeing all the exhibits and displays, movies and performances... the just was not as exciting (sorry... but go here FIRST if you visit)

I did enjoy the fact that the sun was shining and it was no longer windy and cold, as it had been at Crazy Horse the previous day.
My parents do have pictures with these men, but it was one at a time so I took a picture of the two of them so they can show how they were indeed there TOGETHER... hahaKaiya was super stoked to be there... LOL Kenai was, shall we say, in a mood. However, as soon as my dad picked him up and put him on his shoulders that mood disappeared, but I still could NOT get him to pose for a cool picture for me (or my mom), oh well...

Kotah on the other hand was very excited to have his picture taken while standing on the wall.

After doing the Mount Rushmore thing and picking up a few souvenirs we followed my parents on this road that was very beautiful... I think it was called Needles Highway... they were told last time that they HAD to enter the scenic rout from the North end otherwise they would have to pay an entrance fee... so there is another tip for you (and you HAVE TO GO ON THIS ROAD)

As you travel around the road you will go under these cork-screw bridges and cross the road you just went under (does that make sense?)

We even pulled off at one point and were able to see Mount Rushmore from here... so if you don't want to pay the $11 entrance fee to be AT the monument go on this road and you can still see the faces extremely well.While traversing this road there are 7 tunnels like this one that you will pass through (one of which is ONLY 7 FEET WIDE... better keep the wheel straight) As you enter you "Sound your Horn" and hope there isn't an idiot coming around the other side's bend (which we had to stop one at one point because he'd have crashed head on into the car following RIGHT behind us- what a MORON!)The very last tunnel (the first if you go through the toll entrance) is very similar to the way the slot canyons/narrows look in Southern Utah... VERY High and SKINNY cracks. The boys loved these tunnels... oh who am I kidding I am probably the one that LOVED them the most in my car, what can I say??? I am still a kid sometimes.

After the last fun bit of sight seeing in South Dakota we were heading WEST AGAIN... and back into Wyoming for Border Crossing #6

That night we stayed in Casper, Wyoming. I took the boys down to the "Pool" that was there. And although it was less dirty and less used BY DIRTY people, the boys still preferred to head back to the room and take a nice warm soak in the tub.

(Although these two pictures are from the 2nd, it pretty much depicts what the evenings were like at the hotels.) The boys, Kotah mostly, helped pump up the air mattresses and then it was time for quiet, relaxation and sleep. This night would be our LAST night away from our own rooms and our own beds. YEAH!!!