The Family © Alyice Edrich, 2009

It looked like a giant artist had created the world’s largest collection of sand castles—one right after another. It’s truly an amazing sight to see. But after about a half hour, my son and daughter became bored with the view, insisting that every mound looked like the next and refused to get out of the van, leaving the rest of the exploration to me and my husband—luckily we have a working air conditioner and DVD player! I had absolutely no guilt in prolonging our visit while we took in the beauty and magnitude of the place.

Bird’s Eye View © Alyice Edrich, 2009

The land has “sharp ridges, steep walled canyons, gullies, pyramids and knobs” that, according to my son, look like “home to giant killer ants just waiting to take over the world.”

While we spent a good three hours exploring the area, there was still much that we did not see since we stayed on the roads designated for vehicles and avoided the hiking and designated foot areas.

Refreshments, Yay! © Alyice Edrich, 2009

But one thing we could not miss was the gift shop and restaurant, located inside the Badlands. We weren’t sure what type of food we were going to find, but we knew it was an experience we could not pass up. The restaurant looked like it hadn’t been updated since the early 60s and was packed with hungry diners. I ordered the “Indian Taco” which was topped with buffalo meat, beans, and salad topping. I have to say it was the best decision! It was so delicious that I was tempted to order a second serving, just to savor the flavor.

A Closer Look © Alyice Edrich, 2009

If you’re ever in the area, I encourage you to spend a few hours exploring The Badlands as the $20 entrance fee, per carload, is well worth it! And if you happen to have time, stay the night at the Cedar Pass campground, I hear the view at night is breathtaking!

Until next time…

Presidential Monument © Alyice Edrich, 2009

Upon paying a $10 entrance fee, we parked the car and ventured up a walkway that was adorned with flags, straight to a balcony that was directly in front of the presidential carvings. Realizing that ninety percent of the carvings were done by dynamite, not chiseling, made the view even more inspiring. To realize that the dynamite had to be placed at just the right spot, or the entire head would have been blown off, is surreal.

Blasting Tool © Alyice Edrich, 2009

Off to the left was a path. We took the path to get a closer look at the carvings, it wasn’t as close as I’d hoped to get since it didn’t go up towards the carvings but it did allow us to get a good view from underneath and a side view.

Under Washington © Alyice Edrich, 2009

Upon returning to the balcony area, we rested. The climb back up was a little steeper than our out-of-shape bodies anticipated, LOL. Then we waited. We waited for the light show.

Honestly, I was expecting a real light show: colorful lights dancing in the sky, lasers creating an image in the sky, something. Instead, we got a mountain lit up with steady white lights while we watched a historical presentation on a big screen. The presentation was well-done so there was no disappointment there.

The Family © Alyice Edrich, 2009

We wanted to visit the gift shop and eat in the restaurant, but we waited too long. By the time the presentation was over, everything was closed so we did what anyone in our position would do…we left Mount Rushmore and munched on the snacks we had packed in the car.

Let me leave you with a few interesting facts:

• Mount Rushmore was named after a visiting attorney and not the creator, Gutzon Borglum.
• When state historian, Doane Robinson, conceived the idea to create a large sculpture on the side of a mountain to attract visitors, he intended the sculpture to be of horses, but Borglum disagreed. Believing the sculpture needed a more national appeal, he selected four presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
• Mount Rushmore wasn’t the original place for the carvings, but was picked because it would receive “good light throughout most of the day” and because the granite erosion was much better; averaging 1 inch every 10,000 years.
• Mount Rushmore took 14 years and $989,992.32 to complete.
• It was not carved by a single man, but took 400 workers to complete.
• Thomas Jefferson was originally placed on Washington’s right but after discovering a large crack in the foundation, he was blasted off and moved to the left.

Oh, and if you’re in the area at the right time, you can take free sculpture classes and tour the Sculptor’s studio. I’m hoping to take advantage of this offer during one of my return visits.

Until next time…

With so many photos sitting on my hard drive, I thought it was time to put them to good use, so I’ll be creating several wildlife magnets over the course of the next year. I hope you’ll stop by my shop and pick up a few—if not for yourself, then for family and friends. And because I use a print-on-demand service, you can customize each magnet with your very own text, making them the perfect addition to any gift!

Here’s my first batch of wildlife magnets.

The Bears © Alyice Edrich, 2009
Buy a wildlife magnet

And…

Love The Baby Raccoon! © Alyice Edrich, 2009
Buy a wildlife magnet

And…

Check out that bird! © Alyice Edrich, 2009
Buy a wildlife magnet

Keep Creating