Mount Rushmore

Thursday

We went to the Mt. Rushmore Memorial today.  The weather prediction was cool and cloudy with rain in the forecast. Fortunately, we were forehanded enough to bring jackets and a few clothes suited to this weather than the 90+ degree days we had before this.  It started sprinkling on the way there and we got our first glimpse of the faces as we passed a historical turnout.  By the time we got to the Memorial fog had settled in and we walked the Avenue of Flags through a heavy mist.  We spent most of our time on the lower level with the exhibits that show the creating of the sculpture, went back to the upper level to peruse the gift shops and get some lunch which seemed fearfully expensive to us.  The fog remained the rest of the morning, as it continued to rain more heavily.  As we were leaving the rain let up, the clouds rolled away and we saw the faces wet with rain and we went on our way, noting the clouds hugging the tops of the hills.

Jim has never seen the faces at night so we planned to go if the weather was nice, i.e. not raining.  By the time we got back to our hotel after visiting Rushmore Cave,

Stalactites

the clouds were rolling away, the sun was out, and in the stillness we were the warmest we'd been all day.  As we drove up, up again, the fog again made it’s presence known and as we walked from the parking lot to the amphitheater, the program was beginning and that Avenue of Flags seemed interminable as we hurried along. The faces were obscured again with fog and we wondered if we would see the faces lit up in the dark at all. It is an inspiring program, telling the story of the visions of the four presidents represented there and their role in the creating and building of this country.  It is a story that reminds of us of why we should be proud of our country and the role it plays in the world. Yes, it’s a story that touches only the highlights, good and bad of this country’s history.  Yes, there were things done in the history of this country that we look on with regret.  But, do any other nations have a people where the majority of this look with great pride on the country they call their own?  These men, and others mentioned in the tribute to the United States of America had a vision of what America could be, and it was up to the people to make it so.  These men wanted this country to be “for the people, of the people, by the people…." Abraham Lincoln.  As JFK said, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”  That program made me proud to be an American, and the tribute to those who give their lives to defend this country is a reminder, that if we want to have the freedom our forefathers envisioned, we will need to remember JFK’s words.

Just as the speaker finished his words about the presidents roles in our history and presented the faces to us by lights in the darkness, the fog rolled away and the faces were lit up for the rest of the program. It was an awe-inspiring sight.