This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Vacation 2016, Part 2
Dec
1
2016
Here’s a recap of our summer vacation. This year, it was driving to Mt. Rushmore.
Day 4
Since we were staying in Custer, there was not much involved in going to see Mt. Rushmore.
First off, and I don’t have any photos of this, was the hotel’s breakfast. This was a pancake buffet. There was a pancake machine that made pancakes. You grabbed a pancake or two and then added whatever toppings you wanted. It was a novelty that was fun the first time. My suggestion would be to have some protein available also – bacon, sausage, eggs, etc. Because the kids love pancakes with whipped cream and chocolate chips and everything, but it doesn’t last them very long.
After breakfast, we headed to Mt. Rushmore. I had heard the light was best in the morning, so that’s what we did. Got there around 9:30.
Our national parks pass was useless here, as the monument itself is free. You have to pay for parking (considered a “concession”) though.
It was just like it should be:
We had perfect weather and sunlight for photos that morning.
That’s the standard view. But to get to that, first you have to go through the hall of flags. Or tribute to the states, or whatever this gallery thing is called.
Then we stood at the viewing platform to take in the scenery:
Then it was off on the Presidential Trail – just over a mile of boardwalk to get closer to the carvings. You get to see the faces from some different angles.
And the kids had a great time climbing on whatever rocks were near the trail. I don’t know if they were supposed to leave the trail and climb on the scenery, but they did.
After the trail, we went in the museum thing and read some displays and saw some of the history of it all. Then on to the gift shop where the kids had fun. I bought a T shirt. It was red, and that thing is still leaching out color after a few washings. Very potent red dye in that one, so be careful and keep your whites separate.
We left Mt. Rushmore just before lunch, and it was noticeably more crowded then. I was glad we got there earlier. Better light and fewer people.
We drove into Keystone. In case you’re not familiar with the area, Keystone is the closest town to Mt. Rushmore and is 90% tourist trap. Custer is the other direction and a little farther away and is about 50% touristy. I chose the hotel in Custer, but being in the area I had to take the family to some touristy stuff.
Stop #1 – the alpine slide. Basically, you take a ski lift up to a good view of Mt. Rushmore, then you can ride back down on the chair lift or you can slide back down. The kids and I opted for the slide.
Going up:
Here’s the view from the top. Mt. Rushmore is the next mountain (or hill, I suppose) over.
In case you can’t pick out the faces in that photo, here’s a zoomed-in view:
And here is what the slide down looks like.
You sit on these wheeled sleds that have a brake. You can go as slow as you want by using the brake, but the people behind you get mad if you go too slowly.
The kids had a great time. They were wary at first, but afterwards they asked to go again. We ignored their pleas because of time and finances.
Now it was on to lunch. The kids were also depressed at this point (none moreso than Delta, who was wailing) because it was at this stop that we learned Mt. Slushmore was no longer in business. During our research of where to go and what to see when, we had learned of a snowcone-type place called Mt. Slushmore in Keystone. So before our vacation we mentioned to the boys that we could stop there. They had weeks of anticipation of going to Mt. Slushmore and then all their hopes were dashed. There were enough other distractions in the area though.
Lunch was at Red’s Chicken House and BBQ. I got the brisket sandwich with lava sauce.
In my experience, most restaurants that have 2 or 3 sauces exaggerate their names. They might have a mild, medium, and hot sauce, and the “hot” variety might have an impressive name, but usually the sauce/flavor does not match up to its billing.
I am glad to report that Red’s lava sauce is accurately named. This stuff is dangerous. They serve it on the side because you need to start small and work your way up.
After lunch we stopped by some stores. By this point it was very cloudy.
Then it was off to the gold mine. By the time we got there the rain had started.
I liked the idea of the gold mine tour a lot more than the tour itself. Maybe it was because we had been on the cave tour the day before. I think the kids would have had more fun going panning for gold than a mine tour.
Then we drove back to Custer. I forget what we did that evening. I’m sure a pool was involved.
It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces,
Ezekiel 41:18
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:37 am and has been carefully placed in the Travel category.
