Mount Rushmore, and More!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Our first planned destination was Mount Rushmore. As we were driving through Keystone, SD we found a little street full of shops, a helicopter giving sight seeing rides (for a hefty price), and a ski lift to the upper part of the mountains. We decided to give it a try, and were very pleased with the outcome!

Here's Justin and Cutter waiting on mommy to pay!

First family photo of the weekend!

Rylee and I on our first ever ski lift ride!

There's Cutter and Justin somewhere down there!

Being silly, trying to side track her mind from how high up we were!

I present to you, President Rylee Keesee!

My little girl!

All of us on this huge rock!

My not-so-little baby!

After the photo shoot, we climbed on top of the big rock!

Terri, Rylee, Andy, Cutter and I

Justin found his own rock to climb. Poor Cutter wanted to go so bad!

Rylee is all the flowers!

Daddy and Cutter patiently waiting for us to quit taking pictures!

When I bought tickets to take the lift up, you had to choose whether you would take the lift back down, or take this awesome slide down. Rylee didn't want anything to do with the slide, so Rylee, Terri and I took the lift down, while all the boys slid down. Cutter wanted oh so badly to go again, but the day had just begun!

Next on the agenda was Mount Rushmore. It was such a neat experience. You see it in pictures all the time, but you don't see all the detail, the enormous scale! This is the one thing I hope the kids remember for their entire life. To see something so spectacular, that took decades to complete, an important landmark in the United States...we got to see it up close and personal, with our very own eyes!

This is an amphitheatre built to sit and observe the sculpture. However, it didn't do for us, we wanted to go closer!

Here's Rylee with Mount Rushmore!

Cutter's attitude is explained on his face. He honestly didn't want anything to do with Mount Rushmore. He just wanted to see the bears.

We made it! This is as close as any visitor can get to the sculptures! It was probably a two mile hike to get there, but we did it!

This is a granite bust of the original sculptor, Gutzon Borglum.

Walking back to the entrance, Roo and I stopped for a picture! She was so excited to get to go back to school and tell everyone what she saw!

Finally, Bear Country USA. This is the only place Cutter cared about. He could not wait to see the bears! The exhibit actually had several different animals, Antelope, Wolves, Llamas, Deer, and more that I can't think of.

He's ready to shoot the bears! Only a boy from Texas brings his gun!

Getting the perfect aim! Wormie would have been proud of him!

Here's one of the silly bears on top of the tree trunks!

After Bear Country, we headed to Deadwood, SD. Terri and Andy had went the night before, and suggested we go during the day. I'm so glad we went! The kids dressed up and took a western picture (which I haven't scanned yet). It is SO cute! We shopped at ALL the little stores, and the guys gambled in several different casinos. Which by the way, were in almost every store.

Andy couldn't wait to see where 'Wild' Bill Hickok was shot! Here they are outside the murder scene! I hate to admit this, but the non history buff I am, still has no idea who this Hickok man is/was. Sorry, I guess I'm doomed to repeat history!

One of the shops had lots of cool hats! The kids had a blast trying several on!

Cutter kept wanting to go in this Casino and get Daddy and PaPa. I told him he couldn't because you had to be 21 to get in. He was trying to convince my by pointing to the sign, and told me, "You have to be three and go in, because mommy, I'm three now!

Terri and Andy bought Cutter a red truck, and this is how he played with it most of the time we spent in Deadwood! Yes, he did block walking traffic, but luckily most people kindly walked around and smiled!

I laugh at this picture because it was the THIRD time we got pulled over on our trip! Andy was driving all three times, and some how managed not to get a single ticket. All three were in different states, and all the police men were very nice. The first one was a speeding, but turned out to be a seat belt sting (we were all buckled, including the two sleeping children). The second and third were all because of a headlight out...hahaha! The third police man finally told us to keep the warning ticket and show it to any future police men to speed up the process! He also liked Texas football, so we had something to chat about! We did stop at a Wal-Mart before we headed back to Texas to buy a replacement light! Sorry Andy, but you knew I was going to post about this! Look at the bright side...it didn't cost us anything!