Vacation 2010 - Days 8 and 9

Scale Model of Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Memorial (as it is today)

Mount Rushmore

Us in front of Mount Rushmore

Wow.............we just got back from the Mount Rushmore Lighting Show tonight - it was very cool! They had a ranger that gave a short talk, then a 20-minute video about the history of the US and the presidents whose faces are carved into Mount Rushmore - and the mountain was being lit up more and more as the presentation went on. They called all veterans up to the stage and there were a bunch of them - it was awesome to see them recognized in this setting - it really made you think about what our country has been through.

To backtrack a little - we went to Mount Rushmore yesterday afternoon and went to the museum, looked at the mountain and read and heard about the history of Mount Rushmore. It was very interesting - and we learned a lot!

Today we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial - also a carving in a mountain. But this one isn't finished yet. There was a lot to see there also. A museum and many Native American vendors selling their wares. We bought a really cool hand-woven llama hair blanket - it's very soft and warm!!

Tomorrow we're planning to drive to some of the caves - Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave Monument. Can't wait to see what those are like!

It's hard to believe we'll be heading home in a few days - we need to go on vacation more often!

See you soon...............