Last Day in Keystone South Dakota, so we thought

Darlene and I woke up to a misty rain and chilly temps at our cabin. We don’t and can’t control the weather, so it is off to Mount Rushmore. We got there and a dense fog had set in the upper elevation of Keystone which includes Mount Rushmore. We had this trip planned for almost 5 months, so make the best of it. We got in The National Park and headed for the gift store to buy a couple of ponchos. We asked the lady by the door and she directed us toward that area. She told my wife, ” see the real friendly southern to lady for help. She is about your height.” That is just a polite way if saying short. Darlene and she started talking and learned we were from the south as was she. The woman said ” War Eagle?” My wife is an Auburn fan and I pull for Alabama. We often hear a “roll tide” since I wear a Bama shirt a good bit, but we don’t hear many Auburn battle cries. The lady helps us with the ponchos and tells Darlene, ” be sure and see the woman by the front door that is painting. Tell her “War Eagle.” We stopped by her easel where she was painting. The woman was thrilled to talk with some folks from the south and especially my wife being the Auburn fan. Turns out both her and her husband were retired professors from Auburn. Same thing we found from our Maine trip, it really is a small world

We left the gift shop and looked directly at The Avenue of Flags. That is a walkway leading to Mount Rushmore. The fog had not yet lifted, so we could not see the top of the mountain with the faces.

Avenue of Flags with the fog blocking the Mount Rushmore view.

The avenue of flags has a flag for each of the states and each of the US Territories. Each also has a placard telling when they officially became a state.

Since it was still very foggy, we decided to go to Carvers Cafe and get a cinnamon roll and coffee. This is basically a food court similar to what you find in a shopping mall. When the weather is clear, you can sit on the patio and have a great view of Mount Rushmore. Just not today.

We walked down to the amphitheatre to look around. The Park has a lighting ceremony every night. People come early and wait in these seats. They also have shows and concerts through the summer months on weekends.

The Amphitheatre….Mount Rushmore is usually seen hovering above.

The fog was beginning to lift, but only a little. We decided to go down to The Borglum Museum. I found this fascinating. Gutzon Borglum was the artist, the sculptor, and engineer on the massive undertaking. We found it incredible that most of the mountain was done by blasting with dynamite. Borglum figured out how much of a charge of dynamite was needed to remove a certain amount a rock at a time. Then drills and finishing tools were used to form the presidents faces by Borglum and his men hanging from ropes, pulleys, and wooden chairs. I think I would have had to pass.

There is a section of a famous quote from each of the four presidents carved. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. Each quote was so inspiring. I also found it interesting that Gutzon Borglum started the project in 1927. He died in 1941 just before his work was complete. His son finished the job later that year.

We left the museum and the fog was not as dense, but still not a clear view. We walked part of the presidential trail. It is a concrete walkway around the base of the mountain. There is Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota artifacts, tents, and stories on the way. These are all Sioux Indian tribes. Following the walkway on, you can see side views of Washington and Lincoln.

Lincoln through the fog

The morning was not a waste as what we got to see and do was awesome. We did not want to come to South Dakota and not see this iconic treasure. Here is the good thing about the Black Hills area. Most everything is close together; within 60 miles. We decided we would stop here again on our way back to Rapid City before flying home. Hopefully, the weather would cooperate! Here is a tip, so you don’t make the planning mistake we did. When you make your plans of what you want to do and see, if you are staying more than one day, plan Mount Rushmore by looking at the weather. Schedule accordingly.

We still had a lot of afternoon left so took in what the local area of Keystone had to offer. Turns out this small town is full of old historical sights and many interesting things to see. We saw an old school house built in 1899 that is now a museum. We looked at an old ice house and old miner cabins that had been preserved. We browsed at Dahl’s Chainsaw Art. They have some of the biggest carvings I have seen. It takes a lot of skill and ladders to carve works this big. The most unusual and unique things we saw was Halley’s General Store. It has been open at the same location since 1880. It was originally called Keystone Trading Post. This place had a little bit of everything. My age group will see so many items in there that todays generation would have no idea what these things were. The store even had a small neighborhood bar. Darlene and I sat with the locals and chatted; some very nice and interesting people.

Any ladies remember shaking pounds off those hips?

Now it was getting close to dinner time. We drove by where part of another movie was filmed. The Alfred Hitchcock classic, North By Northwest. We stopped in a couple of local gift shops for souvenirs. Then we went to The Ruby House to eat. The setting is from a time gone by. The food was very good. Darlene had country fried steak and I had buffalo chopped steak. After getting full we headed back to our cabin. We saw between 30 and 35 deer on the short eight mile drive. Even with the mist and fog, it was a rewarding day.