Day 4- August 5th (cont'd)

Well, here I am again with my posts a couple of days behind but better late than never, right? I also know that there are at least a couple of you reading this so that makes it a little more exciting for me too :)

So...Day 4- we drove to Custer, SD from Yellowstone and both Walker and I were absolutely wiped out when we got there. We both fell asleep without really realizing it and woke up just in time to freshen up and head to the evening program at Mt. Rushmore. So off we went on the backroads through Custer State Park to Mt. Rushmore! This ride was really pretty--the coolest part was this tunnel that they made going through a rock that framed Mt. Rushmore so that was all you saw in the distance as you drove through the tunnel! (didn't get a good picture...sorry!)

Anyways, we arrived at Mt. Rushmore and visited the vistor's center and did that whole thing before finding a place to sit in the ampitheater as we waited until 9p for the program to start...

here is me and Walker at the monument as we were walking up

The program was so awesome! It was just absolutely wonderful. If you ever go to Mt. Rushmore, go to the evening program....it made me so proud to be an American. :) (i apologize for the cheesiness, but its true!)

So first we all recited the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a 10-15 minute "Ranger Talk." After that we got to watch a 20 minute film that talked in brief about each of the men on the mountain and what their part was in the founding of our nation and why it was significant. It also had different quotes that each of the men had said that still ring true today which was refreshing to hear.

So finally the exciting part came as the film ended and the credits started and as someone sang "America the Beautiful" the whole mountain in front of us lit up and there was Mt. Rushmore lit right in front of us at night!

After that we all stood up and sang the "Star Spangled Banner" together and immediately after that all of the veterans, both past and present, were invited up to the stage to take part in the closing of the program which was having a couple of boy-scouts take down the flag for the evening. There were way more veterans there than I anticipated and I was definitely thankful for their service as I saw them all up on the stage.

It was a very cool evening! :)

Here are some of my pictures from the night.....

here is a close-up of the guys before it got dark out


these are all of the veterans that were there...thank you guys!


and lastly, the flag almost all the way down with the mountain in the background!

yay Mt. Rushmore! it was awesome :)


(next up day 5 and day 6! i will be writing these posts on our way to chicago tomorrow and will post day 5 and 6 at our hotel!)

until then.....