Mount Rushmore & Wall

During our last night in Colorado, we had a tremendous storm.  We had lots of lightning - almost constant - but very little thunder. Then we had 2 tremendous downpours... including some hail.  I couldn't prove we had hail until we saw some on the Cramers' front lawn.  Then we stopped for breakfast in Ft. Collins and there were larger piles of hail.

We left our gracious hosts in Colorado - thanks Cramers! - and headed north to South Dakota.  We drove up I-25, but it was a quiet ride.  6 years ago when we went up to Cheyenne for the day, we were serenaded by an original song by the girls.  This time they slept and watch a movie.  Okay, we did get up very early and the movie was North by Northwest which finished at Mount Rushmore.

The terrain of SE Wyoming is vast and rolling.  There was one point where I looked left to right and I didn't see a tree.  Then we came to a valley near a creek and there were plenty of trees.

Finally, we found South Dakota. 

The terrain of SW South Dakota was the same until we got to the much prettier Black Hills.  The trees are very nice and there are rocks that stick out - almost out of no where.  Coming from the west, we came around the bend and BOOM! there is the monument.

We visited the monument where Mom and Dad took selfies....

and this was the girls reaction....

We asked them to tell the story and they said a picture is worth a thousand words or in this case 2 * 1000 = 3000 words.

Here is the view of the Presidents.

Next we had some ice cream at the Monument.  While eating ice cream Bob looked through his binoculars at the presidents.  After looking at Teddy Roosevelt, I understood what Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) meant in "North by Northwest" when he said, "I don't like the way Teddy was looking at me."

We made good time from Colorado to Mt. Rushmore (driving 80 most of the way helps), so our next stop was Wall, South Dakota.  Why, Wall, S.D. you ask?  Many years ago, the girls grandpa went on a hunting trip to South Dakota and stopped in the drugstore in Wall S.D.  He bought his girlfriend a pair of earrings. So, we were told by Grandma to stop and see the drug store in Wall S.D.   We bought a little more than a pair of earrings.

The actual drug store part of the Wall Drug Store

Then it was back to Rapid City to our hotel and dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Co.