After breakfast at the lodge we headed to Mt Rushmore. We took advantage of the good weather and walked the 1/2 mile Presidential Trail which included 400 stairs. We stopped at the Sculptor's Studio and then took in all the displays & short films at the visitors center. Some interesting facts: The sculpture was created by Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers and took 14 years (October 4, 1927 - October 31,1941) to build. Why did they choose these 4 Presidents? George Washington, as the 1st president, was the father of the new country and laid the foundation of American democracy. Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and purchased the Louisiana Territory, doubling the size of our country. Theodore Roosevelt provided leadership when America experienced rapid economic growth as it entered the 20th Century. Abraham Lincoln held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War.
"Did You Know? Mountain Goats are not native to the Black Hills? The population can be traced back to six goats, a gift to Custer State Park by Canada in 1924, that escaped from their pens and found their home among the Black Hills granite peaks. There are now approximately 200 mountain goats in the area." And look! We saw 3 of them!!Next on our agenda was the Crazy Horse Memorial, about 17 miles south of Mt Rushmore. It is the world's largest mountain carving and is privately owned. The dedication blast was held in 1948 and below is how it looks today.
And below is what will eventually be carved in the mountain. Millions of tons of rock have been removed and they are currently blocking out the 22-story-high horses head. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski started the work and his wife & children are continuing it since his death in 1982. 
"The sculpture's final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet wide and 563 feet high. The head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet high."Unfortunately, it started to rain quite heavily on our way to Crazy Horse Memorial, so we did not venture onto the muddy trails to walk closer to the sculpture, but took our views from the observation deck and the visitors center. Rather impressive none-the-less!
I had googled restaurants before we left on our trip and thought Dickey's Barbecue Pit sounded good. Found one in Rapid City, so we headed there to enjoy BBQ on Father's Day. After eating there Audrey decided we NEED one in Spokane! You go through the line to order your meat and your sides. We tried a little of everything (pulled pork, sausages, beef, beans, loaded mashed potatoes) and it was all good. When you go to pick up your silverware and napkins there is also a large pickle jar and of course, all the barbecue sauces to choose. And finally, after your meal you can get self-serve, soft-serve ice cream for dessert. I like it when we choose well for meals!
After lunch we got in the car and started our 75 mile one-way trip to Wall, South Dakota. What a quirky and fun tourist trap! For most of the 75 miles there were billboards advertising Wall Drug. And not just one or two.... I had Audrey take pictures as we were cruising down the freeway - below are just a few:
And then when we got there, wow. Wall Drug is billed as the world's largest drug store. I think it was 4 city blocks? They still fill prescriptions, but you can also find western clothing, jewelry, books, fudge, pottery, gifts, donuts, souvenirs, and taffy (just to name a few). Or you could go to church, eat at the restaurant, play arcade games or take a picture on the 6 foot jackalope. Interesting place!
We headed back the 75 miles to our hotel and waited until it was time to head back to Mt Rushmore to see the lighting ceremony. Though it had stopped raining about mid-day, it started pouring rain again while we were at Mt Rushmore. So we tried to huddle where we would not get too drenched, but finally gave up and stood in the gift shop. We were not able to hear all the program (which I would have liked to see) but when they finished the evening, the audience sang America the Beautiful and they piped that over the loud speakers. As we sang that song, in a beautiful free land and a beautiful setting, it was very moving. 
