24 Sept 2017
Ellsworth, AFB FamCamp
Busy day, and we hoped we saved the best for last.. How can we go wrong, right? Mount Rushmore. How iconic is that? One our countries symbols of freedom and greatness for all.
We arrived at 1600 hrs, we wanted to visit Rushmore late in the afternoon, so we could watch the night illumination at 2000 hrs . We had a lot of anticipation of seeing this rock of Presidents.
As a kid in school, I never would have thought I would see this in person. You know what I mean, there are certain iconic places or items that stick with you, and when you see it for the first time, it’s like “HOLY COW”, I remember reading about that, or seeing a slide film movie about that, you know? For me, there are way too many to list that I have seen, but ok, just to name a few, Statue of Liberty, Berlin Wall, (before and after), The Declaration of Independence, Eiffel Tower, Vatican, The Colosseum, Niagara Falls, Wind mills in Holland, Grand Canyon, The Taj Mahal,, thousands of salmon in Valdez, and so many more… Think about it, what are your “Holy Cow” moments? But Holy Cow…… Mount Rushmore, this is awesome!
We couldn’t wait to proceed down the granite walkway, lined by granite pillars with all the states flags waving in the breeze. Oh yeah and center stage, straight down the walk was Rushmore stoically inviting us to come visit. WOW. But wait, it looked kind of small….The head of Crazy Horse is 87 feet high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet high. OK, enough about that unfinished memorial….
We spent time walking around the base in amazement, watched a short film, and then sat in the amphitheater as a Park Ranger emceed a very patriotic program, with the four Presidents being illuminated. At the end of the ceremony, the Ranger called upon all Veterans in attendance, down to the stage to help lowering the Stars and Strips to end the ceremony. What a night….. We love America !