DC to CA: Day 5--Mount Rushmore

 After hundreds of miles of driving across South Dakota, we finally made it to Wall Drug. 

 We quickly ushered the girls out of the shops and into the backyard. 

 Where there was a giant jackelope.

 When we finally got to Mount Rushmore, Lily was pretty eager to get us out of the car. 

Amalia had fallen asleep not long before we arrived, naturally, so I got an extra workout for part of our tour.

George, Tom, Teddy and Abe, as we Washington Nationals fans know them. (The Nats just added Taft to the Presidents Race, but I'm not sure there's enough rock on the mountain to include him.)

 Amalia getting sworn in as a Junior Ranger. 

This was no gimme. The girls had to work hard for their badges. Just ask Lily. She knows all sorts of stuff about Mount Rushmore now.

A nice man took our family portrait without us even asking. That's how tourists are at these kinds of places. 

 Getting a closer view.

 Putting her body into it. 

 In the sculptor's studio. 

 We hiked up a trail to get a bit closer. 

 An excellent view of our nostrils.

 A hole for dynamite. Upon spotting it, Lily said, "That is so cool! I could look at it forever."

What I thought was really cool is that Lily got to talk to Mr. Nick Clifford, the last surviving person who worked on Mount Rushmore. He was hired at age 17 and worked his way up to being a driller. He's now almost 92 years old. He even autographed his book for Lily, who has pretty much already read it cover to cover, peppering us with facts about the creation of Mount Rushmore.

After dinner, I stayed in the hotel with Amalia (who wasn't feeling well), while Andy and Lily went back to Mount Rushmore for the nightly lighting ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, they invite all of the veterans onto the stage to help fold the flag. Lily took this picture of Andy up on the stage.

 All lit up. 

A highly successful debut visit for Andy and the girls. And I'll say the experience much surpassed what I remembered from 8th grade. They've done a really nice job with the visitor center and surrounding areas.