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.
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