Going to the Four Faces

Since she was two, Kyra has wanted to see the "monument with four faces" aka Mt. Rushmore - today was her lucky day!  We started the morning at Wall Drug for some tasty maple doughnuts and a Sunday Brunch of campfire bacon, peppers, onions and eggs.  Our first destination was Wind Cave - 

A massive underground cavern known specifically as housing the largest concentration of limestone rock formations called Box Work (named by early explorers for their resemblance to a network of cardboard boxes)

The Lakota Indians view the cave as a spiritual place - the place from which their people left the underground and entered the land.  Its only natural entrance in the side of a mountain both inhales and exhales a continual just of air, making the mountain seem to breath - a glorious earthly being enjoying the pristine air of the Black Hills.

The cave remains a constant temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit and only a portion of its 128 miles of passages have been explored.  It's the 7th largest cave in the world (and may become the 6th as more passages are discovered).

Our park ranger was a young woman who only recently started her position.  It's obvious that she has a passion for her work, as do all the rangers whom we've met this far.  This is the sort of work I could see myself doing in the future - dedicating my life to preservation and sharing that love with others.  I think many educators are excited by the same notion... (Janet - yes?)

After Wind Cave, we hit the road once again to see find the four heads.  Because the Wind Cave tour was so long  (and wonderful) we did not have time to stop at the Crazy Horse monument.  It's a massive sculpture-in-progress that celebrates the American Indians and their way of life, encapsulated in the figure of one of their greatest warriors.  You can see the monument from the road.  The face of Crazy Horse has been completed and they have started on his horse.  It's slow, tedious and exacting work, but the result is stunning.  We wondered if you'd be able to see Mt. Rushmore from the road, as well, but soon found that such was not the case.  Chosen for its particular attributes, the rock face of Mt. Rushmore is sheilded from the road until you come directly upon it.

It was suggested that Mt. Rushmore is most interesting to see at sunset (thanks, Kathy!). The park service offers a 30 minute presentation to share the history of the monument and the reason those specific four presidents were chosen - Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln - to be commemorated.  

The sculptor Gutzon Borglum was especially enamored with Lincoln, and believed this sculpture would be an inspirational reminder of a young nation's tenacity and grit.  It certainly is amazing, and Kyra was not disappointed in finally seeing the site she had wanted to see 'since she was little' (as compared to being the ripe old age of nearly 8).

Once again, a fantastic day - and what a majestic way to end it!