Monday, July 12, 2010

George, Thomas, Theodore and Abraham

Today was perfect.  It was 67F when I went for my morning walk.  The walk that I've been skipping a few too many times of late.  You know how that goes.

We decided it was a good day to drive to Mount Rushmore National Memorial and see the world-famous carvings of four very influential presidents. In a word it is:  MAGNIFICENT!

For a good portion of the drive north we were in Custer State Park where we encountered some new-to-us wildlife.
















This little  Prairie Dog kept popping up and down his hole like he was in a carnival shooting gallery.  He communicated with his buddies in nearby holes with a series of high-pitched squeaks.















Next we came across this small grouping of antelope.  That is a baby hiding in the tall grass in front of the bottom antelope.

















Then I got the "money shot."  As we neared a curve, traffic slowed and then stopped.  We spotted a Bison up ahead ambling alongside of the park road.  Cars started moving again and with several in back of me I grabbed my Canon camera, put it in rapid shooting mode, aimed, held down the shutter release and as we drove by I hopped for the best.  I got lucky. What a magnificent animal.


















When we were three miles from the Mount Rushmore we pulled into a scenic overlook for this picture.


















The National Park Service has done a wonderful job at Mount Rushmore.  Parking is plentiful, we even saw a couple of 40 foot RVs in the lot, everything is clean and well planned,  the exhibits are fascinating and engrossing and the movie describing the sculpting of the memorial is informative.


















To the right of the carved figures of the presidents is this rock formation which Sandy noticed has a likeness to an elephant.
















Thunderstorms are known to pop up quickly on the high plains and I was hoping these clouds would go away.  They did.



















Here we are with some distinguished company in the background.


















Cloud photos can be more impressive than sunsets.


















Tonight's sunset isn't very dramatic, but it is serene.


















Here is our front yard until Friday morning. The small white object in back of Moose is "Dome Boy" -- our Winegard Carry Out satellite receiver we use when trees near the motorhome block the signal from reaching the satellite dish on top of the motorhome. 

Stay tuned

8 comments:

  1. Wow! The view is spectacular. I was so impressed with the carved figures of the presidents is those rock formation. Amazing!

    Boracay accommodation

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  2. Hi George and Sandy...looks like a great day at Mt. Rushmore! It is an amazing place. Are you guys still camped at Fort Robinson? Just wondering how long the drive is from Fort Robinson to Mt. Rushmore??
    You did a great job with the Canon and the pic of the buffalo! Impressive!
    Love the cloud pic...just beautiful.

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
    http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com

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  3. Every time I visit Mt. Rushmore I am amazed that anyone could picture those sculptures in their mind and then actually carve it. Love the cloud picture. Absolutely gorgeous.

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  4. Love the pics you posted. Looking forward to seeing you next week.

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  5. "Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?" That song popped into my head as I read your post. I hope you said hi to George and the boys for me. :)

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  6. Great pictures! I want to see Mt. Rushmore and all that wildlife on the way to and from. Thanks. The Camp Host Housewife

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  7. i use to live out that way... make it up to Harney peak if you want to say you went to the tallest peak east of the Rockies...

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