Saturday, July 4, 2009

Mount Rushmore, SD

On the 4th of July, I camped at Legion Lake campground in Custer State Park, SD, just a few miles away from Mount Rushmore. On the way, I passed through Belle Fourche, which is the town nearest to the geographical center of the US. Here's a monument to that fact:



And just how, you ask, is the geographical center of the United States in western South Dakota? The center of the US used to be in Kansas, but it moved to South Dakota when Alaska and Hawaii became states (ha ha, sucks to be you, Kansas!).

On my way, I also passed through Deadwood, which was the subject of a fairly cool HBO series, but today is a disappointingly touristy place. Here's a photo:



That's the Hampton Inn there.

Eventually, I reached Legion Lake Campground, in Custer State Park and just a few miles from Mount Rushmore. The campground was full of people, but the lake was beautiful.





Now, for those of you who are all jealous and think this trip is so awesome, check out what I had for dinner on the date of our glorious nation's inception:



Anyway, on the evening of the 4th I drove up to Mount Rushmore. The road there was exhilarating -- no shoulder, winding left and right, up and down, one-lane tunnels, and some freaking huge buffalo just off the road.



Eventually, I made it up to the monument (the guy who took my $10 has a winter home in Mesa, AZ. Go figure.) On my way there, I was expecting to be mildly disappointed, but the sight was actually very impressive; those were some big fucking heads.



As I promised before leaving AZ, I got a picture of my trusted companion, Mousey, next to those four famous dudes.



That evening, the park ranger gave a speech about supporting our troops, and then we all watched a video dedicated to the awesomeness of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. Personally, I can't think of a better dedication to George Washington than this.

After the video, all the folks who had served are or currently serving in the armed forces came down to the front, and took down the US flag. All in all, it was quite a fun experience, and I'm glad I went. The view from up there was also spectacular.


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