mount rushmore

Stop two on my roadtrip to Montana was Mount Rushmore. I have been wanting to see Mount Rushmore for a few years now, and this was the perfect chance. It felt especially fitting to stop at the monument two weeks after receiving my political science degree.

Mount Rushmore doesn't open until 8 in the morning, but I pulled in around 7, so I took the left fork away from the monument and wound up a mountain and hiked around in the forest. 

This view of the mountains all around me was truly stunning. Even though I've been living in mountains for almost six months, I still absolutely love the view.

The monument opened and I walked in, toting the camera and tripod. There was no one there by themselves, and only a handful of people close to my age. While driving to my new home felt completely normal, it is apparently rare to see.

The entrance is long and paved and has a bunch of signs and flags.

This guy's name caught my eye. Who?

I learned new tidbits about American history, including that Thomas Jefferson is equal to ice cream. Duh.

Mount Rushmore is not only way cooler than imagined, but it also is smaller than expected... and also bigger. I was a little surprised how far away the viewing station is-- the cliff face is not exactly something that would be damaged by close human interaction.

It is sad to see the 'trash', or left over rocks, just sitting underneath the sculpture.

I stood in line for 15 minutes because everyone had lined up in this little cave and was spending forever in it taking pictures. I was thinking it would be a really magnificent view. Looks like I was disappointed.

This is the original plaster mold that they planned. Inside Lincoln's head was supposed to be a whole museum and archive. Weirdly enough, carving into the side of a mountain is exceptionally difficult and they called it quits after the faces were complete.

Carhenge

I drove to Montana by myself, which isn't really that far. It takes two, three days of 8 hours of driving. Driving by yourself is the best: you stop where-ever, eat whatever, sing Taylor Swift and call your sister for hours until your service drops out.

I tried to take pictures of every hundred miles, but Red is an engaging album and the highway in Nebraska is [surprisingly] beautiful.

My original itinerary was driving to South Dakota, but I loved the Nebraskan Sandhills so much that I wanted to drive through the whole state.

The deal was sealed when I realized the National Monument Carhenge is on the east side of the state.

Carhenge is an ancient American formation that created around 4,000 years ago. Its speculated to be a copy of the less famous Stonehenge, and visitors come from across the globe to witness the incredible architecture.

Interestingly enough, Carhenge is surrounded by even older fossilized animals. This longneckasaurous has been reconstructed for the public's education. No one is quite sure where the rocks and bones originated from, as the historic site outdates the original Native peoples.

This is the only known Autopieses skeleton.

My intent of purchasing souvenirs from the on-site museum was spoiled when I realized I left my wallet about 80 miles behind at a lovely drive in restaurant, liquor store, movie rental place and ice cream store called Drive In.