We headed out from Elgin toward Mt Rushmore by way of the Badlands in South Dakota. Dad and I had been to Mt Rushmore a couple of times, but Mom W had never seen the 4 Presidents...so off we went. It was a warmer day when we got to Mt Rushmore and even though it was a mid-week day, there was a line of cars waiting to get into the park. I think we spent at least as much time waiting in lines to get a parking spot as we did looking at the monument. We only spent about an hour at the site (which included a 15 minute line and wait for the women's restrooms...why is it always that way, ladies??) We didn't go into the Visitor Center since Dad and I had already done that on previous visits and Mom had seen a couple of TV specials about the construction and had wanted to just take a look at the Presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt). It took 14 years to complete the monument and it is impressive to see.
While Mt Rushmore was impressive, it was predictable, and less interesting to us than the Badlands National Park, which we really enjoyed. We could just picture cowboys, Indians and "bad guys" planning ambushes and hiding in those hills. It was great. The drive through the Badlands allowed us to see lots of unexpected beauty. There were so many canyons and gorgeous natural rock formations to look at. And, we were lucky enough to spot lots of wonderful wildlife including a deer with her baby fawn and a heard of mountain sheep (some climbing on the rocks and others in a field which was close to the road). The Badlands are a treat!!
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