Then it was our tour time! We did the one hour and 20 minute scenic tour. We took an elevator 24 stories down into the cave, and finished 30 stories underground; there were roughly 730 steps on the tour, but everyone handled it great. It was a chilly 49 degrees in the cave, and very dark except for the dim lights that provided some light. At one point the guide turned off all the lights so we could experience true darkness, which is always fascinating and somewhat unnerving. I had experienced this before, but the kids and Brian had not. I was worried Mason would flare his feisty on the tour and make things crazy/dangerous, but he was pretty subdued (hooray) and mostly wanted to be carried (which was challenging for Brian!).
We saw some stalactites, stalagmites, cave bacon, lots of minerals, crystals, and other formations. Really fascinating and strangely beautiful.
After the cave tour, we decided to head back to our fantastic campground for some swimming and an early dinner of hot dogs and another round of s'mores. It should be noted that Mason learned the benefits of being a boy and needing to go to the bathroom outside on this trip, a concept with which he became a little too comfortable-
Then we headed out over the scenic road 16A/Iron Mountain Road between
our campground and Mount Rushmore National Monument; the drive is
nothing short of spectacular with sweeping views, pigtail bridges,
winding roads and stone tunnels that open to views of Mount Rushmore. We
did this drive a few times and I never tired of it. The tunnel view of the monument would be better earlier in the day without the sun glare. Just lovely.
We spent the evening at the monument. Amazing, patriotic, fantastic. It was a perfect weather evening, just right for sweathshirts and shorts, one of my favorite combinations. We walked around the area, saw the avenue of flags, the visitor center, and then hiked the Presidential Walk, which goes past the original sculptor's studio, has up close views of the monument, and a small recreation of a Lakota village. With this hike we must have topped a thousand stairs for the day between the monument and the cave. Everyone did so well!
Then we headed to the ampitheater, where every evening in the summer at 9 p.m. they do a patriotic program and then the lighting of the monument. This was just spectacular, something I was so glad the children could experience. First a ranger gives a short talk about one of the featured presidents, then they play a 20-minute movie called "Freedom: America's Lasting Legacy" that talks about each of the four presidents on the monument and their role in America's past, present and future. It was beautifully done and the kids all watched it silently. After, they invite all past and present military members onstage and ask them each to share their name and branch of military service. Next, they lower and fold the flag, and then the lights come on to shine on the monument for the night. It was such a moving experience for all of us, I will always remember that night and how much I love my country and those who have played a role in this wonderful democracy.
I also wanted to take a bit to record how much Mason loved Mt. Rushmore monument. It was his favorite part of the trip. He called it "the faces" and looked for them everyone we went to see if he could see them. His favorite was Roosevelt because of the mustache, and even now will want me to ask him who has the mustache so he can say "Roosevelt." He was pretending to read a brochure there, and said, "Mom, this says 'I love to see the faces.'" He called it Sugar Rush Mountain, and for some reason was calling Roosevelt "Cinnamon Gum Roosevelt." He loved Mount Rushmore, was just fascinated with it. It was really adorable. It was probably because of such a long day, but at the evening ceremony he was nice and mellow tired and watched and listened to everything so well, even asking some questions about the presidents as we watched/listening. I loved this.
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