Drive-In Theater and Mount Rushmore

Hermosa, SD                             (Click on Pictures to Enlarge)

You're probably thinking what does "Drive-In Theater and Mount Rushmore" have to do with one another. Answer:  Absolutely nothing, other than those two places are our latest places to visit.  On Monday night we drove over to Roys Black Hills Twin Drive In Theatre, just a short 3 mile drive from our campground, to watch the double bill of "Man of Steel" and "42-The Jackie Robinson Story".  We hadn't been to a drive-in theater in a long time and it was really fun.  What's unusual about this drive-in was that it is brand new and just recently opened.  In a day when most drive-ins have closed, it was "something different" that most of the younger generation probably has not experienced.

Okay, moving on!  Tuesday we decided to drive over to Mt. Rushmore.  We wanted to get there later in the day to attend the evening lighting of the Monument which starts at 9:00 PM this time of the season. What can I say about Mt. Rushmore. It's one of the nation's iconic monuments.  This was our first view of the Monument from a distance. If it doesn't evoke a feeling of patriotic emotion, then something's just wrong.

This is a very popular spot to take a picture just before actually entering the Monument grounds from the parking area. (Soap box time for a moment. There is no admission fee to enter the Monument, but it will cost you $11.00 per non-commercial vehicle to park.  Oh well, the experience was certainly worth it.  Climbing down from the soap box now.)

This area is named the "Avenue of Flags".  Each state's flag is represented and the date the state was brought into the Union is inscribed onto the column.

Since we had plenty of time before the start of the nighttime ceremony, we took a walk on the "Presidential Trail". This is a short trail which leaves from one side of the amphitheater, allows closer viewing of the mountain from below, leads to Gutzon Borglum's studio, and returns on the opposite side of the amphitheater.

Gutzon Borglum's studio was interesting to tour.  Mr. Borglum's work began in 1927 and he was the initial sculptor of the faces on the Monument, but died before the completion of the project.  His son, Lincoln Borglum, took over the project in 1941. Original plans called for depicting the presidents from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end in late 1941.

Gutzon Borglum's working model can be observed in his studio.  The model is exactly 1/12 scale of the figures on the mountain.

We returned to the amphitheater to find seats for the evening lighting ceremony of the Monument. The program begins with a Ranger giving a short inspirational talk on the U.S. Constitution, then a 20-minute film is shown encompassing the growth and ideals of the United States through the years, and a short segment on the construction of the Monument.

The program concludes by the Ranger inviting all veterans and active-duty military personnel to take the stage for a very moving rendition of the Star Spangled Banner followed by a ceremony to lower and fold the United States flag.

Although the Monument is very inspiring to visit in the daylight, it's even better at night.  The monument is slowly lit towards the end of the above described program. The faces silhouetted against the dark sky is very moving.

Even the "Avenue of Flags" looks better at night. For anyone who has never had the opportunity to visit one of our country's truly iconic and emotionally moving monuments, I would encourage you to make plans!


Thanks again for taking a look at our blog!

The "High Point" in our Travels So Far

Hermosa, SD              (Click on Pictures to ENLARGE)

Yesterday's main activity was to hike up to Harney Peak.  Harney Peak is the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe at a summit height of 7242 feet.  Modern day use of the peak was for a fire lookout station.  The first non-native Americans to explore the area occurred in 1874 during an expedition led by General George Custer.

Fire Lookout Tower at summit

The peak was first used as a fire lookout tower in 1911 using only a wooden crate as a platform.  Later, in 1920, a true structure was built for the lookout tower. Finally, in 1938 the CCC built a stone structure to house the lookout tower.

Bighorn Sheep along Rt 16-A

We were able to spot a few Bighorn sheep and a couple of young ones meandering along the roadway as we set out through the Park today.  This is our first sightings of these animals.

Little ones being protected by Momma 

Before getting to the trailhead at Sylvan Lake, we traversed the Needles Highway within Custer State Park.  As are most of the areas in Custer State Park, Needles Highway was filled with beautiful views and unusual sights.  There are two tunnels in this stretch of the roadway.  The most interesting yesterday was the smallest tunnel which has a clearance width of just 8'4 and a height of 12'0.

Amazingly enough, as we were taking pictures a short distance down from the tunnel, we noticed quite a traffic backup on the low side of the tunnel.  I looked and couldn't believe that a full-size sightseeing tour bus was slowly squeezing its' way through the tunnel.  I really wish that I was closer to be able to get a picture of that.  The bus eventually made it and traffic resumed.  Here's how it looks as a smaller vehicle makes its' way through the tunnel.

To the left of the tunnel

Here's a few pictures near this particular tunnel.

Notice the rock separation above

Rock climbers

Pay attention to this one!

Did I mention that there is always something to see along the roads.  The signs are definitely posted for a reason in this area.

A few more looks at formations along the Needles Highway.

We finally made it to Sylvan Lake where the trailhead for our hike to Harney Peak begins.  This area is a "day use" area and it was filled today with families picnicking, fishing and boating on the lake, and hiking the trails.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and the skies very clear today.

Trail head for Harney Peak Trail

Harney Peak can be accessed via several trails, but this one was rated as "Moderate" so we decided that this would be best for our very limited hiking experience.  The trail is 3.3 miles each way and begins at about 6100 feet.  The ascent is 1142 feet.

We found the trail to be very heavily used by all ages during this time of the year.  Actually, the trail itself is not difficult to navigate at all until you reach the last few hundred yards to the summit.  Then a series of CCC constructed stairs create a rapid change in vertical climb.

Some of the stops along the trail on the way up created "photo ops" at nearly every turn.

See, we were actually there!

We finally made it to the top!  Here's a "touristy" shot of us taken by other climbers in front of the base of the fire tower.

Looking up from the pump house

The fire tower, pump house, and dam up top are all listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. This is a view from the pump house room located down from the lookout tower. It's not a climb for those with balance problems.  Notice the close-set steps with steep vertical rise and the lack of any railings or handholds.
The man made dam was created atop the summit to provide water (via the pump house) to users of the lookout tower.

As I commented on at the beginning of this blog, the summit is the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe.  For some reason, I found that pretty impressive.

Needless to say, the views from up here are spectacular. There are no plaques or other indicators to tell you what you are looking at below, but we could clearly see the Badlands (about 80 miles east as the crow flies). The lighter areas towards the top of this picture are the Badlands, not clouds.

                     A couple of collages of the views from the top.

Lunch time on Harney Peak

Here's where we had lunch.  Now that's a "room with a view".

As it usually is, the trek back downhill to the trail head is tougher on the knees than the ascent.  Most folks were gone from the day use area by the time we returned to the bottom.  We took the Wildlife Loop Road back out of the Park, but only saw a herd of buffalo a good distance back from the roadway, and of course we saw the "friendly burros" again.

Thanks for dropping by to take a look!