South Dakota Trip - Day 8

This morning we woke up and headed for Mount Rushmore. It was the warmest and sunniest day we've had since we got to South Dakota! We didn't eat breakfast at the Chuck Wagon because we wanted to get there early. Instead, we ate pop-tarts and drank Sunny-D. While driving, we saw some wildlife. When we arrived we had to get in line to park. It took us a while to find a parking spot. When we finished we climbed up some stairs and were instantly overwhelmed with the great view. We saw all of the heads right in front of our eyes. Next, we went to the Visitor Center and Mollie picked up a Junior Ranger booklet. While she and my Dad went on a ranger hike (and learned about how Gutzon Borglum chose the faces), the rest of us watched a movie about the wildlife in this area. We looked at lots of exhibits and learned about all the things Gutzon Borglum had to do. This place was going to be bigger - each man was supposed to be wearing coats. They couldn't do this because of the rock, though. Later, we met up with Dad and Mollie. We ended up leaving soon after because it had got so crowded. Our next stop was Keystone! On the way there, we saw a huge traffic jam of people coming to see Mount Rushmore. We found a place called Rushmore Aerial Tramway and Alpine Slide. We bought some tickets and went up on a skylift. We saw Mount Rushmore on the way. At the top we got pictures taken (our parents decided to buy them). Then we got in some little carts and sped down the hill. It was so much fun! Then, we walked over to Big Time Pizza for lunch. We ordered the Big Ta Tonka, a yummy pizza with buffalo meat, bacon and peppers. It was so awesome. Next, we went to Big Thunder Mine. We got to pan for gold - and found some small pieces. We also ended up collecting cool rocks we found. Later, we headed back to the campsite to get ready for horseback riding. Mollie needed some new clothes, so we picked jeans up at Pamida. When we got to the Spirit Horse Escape (ranch), we played with animals at their petting zoo. We fed a mini horse, a foal, donkey, llama, goats and a fat sheep. While petting them I accidentally let the foal out. I was so embarrassed! Next, we got on our horses. Brenna rode Consuella, Erin rode Taco, Mollie rode Jingles, Dad rode All-But and Mom rode Cricket. The trail ride was fun. We went up hills and saw a lot of scenery. When we had made our way back to the stable, we got a steak dinner. We ate salty fries, juicy steak, fresh salad and bread. It was really good. Then we headed back to our campsite. We played volleybally and soccer across the road from our cabin. After it got dark, we came back to see what Daddy was doing. He made a fire! Before we went to bed we sat around the campfire and roasted marshmallows.