Yesterday we went to Mt. Rushmore. It was a long drive from Sioux Falls, so we basically spent all day in the car. Sam had his Kindle and I had my iPod...but the battery died about an hour into the trip because I forgot to charge it up. Thankfully, I had two books with me, so I wasn't completely bored. :)
He really didn't want his picture taken. But I took it anyway, like a good sister.
This is what we looked at almost all day. Looks a lot like Kansas!
Yeah! We made it and were actually able to *see* Mt. Rushmore between the clouds.
It was absolutely amazing, and I'm so glad we made the trip. Although a day with blue skies would have been nicer, it is really a magnificent site.
90% of Mt. Rushmore was sculpted with the use of dynamite. The sculptor first made models of the heads in a studio - they were about 6 ft tall. They then rigged up a plumbline system from the tops of the models heads and calculated 'points' on the faces. These calculations they multiplied by twelve, rigged up the same plumbline system on top of the mountain, and marked all the 'points' on the face of the mountain. Then the drillers went in to place the dynamite, knowing exactly how much dynamite was needed to remove exactly the right amount of rock. Once most of the face was structured, the sculptors went in with their drills to form the contours of the face and smooth everything down. Absolutely incredible that someone would figure out everything needed to complete such a feat!
It was pretty cold and rainy - but I'm so glad we were able to go!
I like your scarf :) Sarah G
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