Mount Rushmore--Fabulous!

We arrived on our first visit to South Dakota very late last night. We spent the middle of the day at Mt. Rushmore, with its magnificent images of four American president blasted out of granite high on the face of the mountain. From the left are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt* and Abraham Lincoln. Don't miss the large view!

It was a wonderful experience, despite the gauntlet of tourist-oriented establishments on the road to the park. We were past the peak season; by wandering down on the east side to the "Sculptor's Studio", where the artist Gutzon Borglum worked for fourteen years on the enormous project, we left most of the visitors behind. There we had a whole series of views through trees, including the one I've posted. Nearly forty years ago I visited Washington for the first time, and seeing the dome of the Capitol Building through trees on a gorgeous spring day was overwhelming--today was the same sort of emotional experience.

*I call Roosevelt "Teddy" because I feel closest to him, given his many progressive accomplishments--above all the impetus for our national parks.

More perhaps tomorrow, after I catch up a bit on sleep.