Day Six - Keystone SD - Mount Rushmore

Today we went on the 1880 steam train. The train station is right across the street from our hotel so we can walk there. It is a steam train that runs from Keystone to Hill city. It was about an hour ride then a 45 minute stop in Hill city, where we had lunch and a quick walk around town, and then about an hour ride back. Excellent scenic ride. Although because it is the off season I am the youngest person the tree.

Stopped back at the hotel and then drove up to Mount Rushmore. It is only a few miles down the road. It is quite developed now. There is a parking garage and a huge concrete plaza and visitor center. Jack noted a few times that the first time he was here he was able to just drive the car up and camp right under the monument and watch it at night. Not anymore. Its like Disneyland. All the new garage/plaza/walkway stuff was built from 1994 - 98. They have some pictures in the visitors center what it looked like before that. Probably the way it was when I was here as a child.
Took a zillion pictures of the monument, visited the visitors center and walked the presidential trail which took us to the base of the monument. It was about 5 pm and we decided to drive back to town and get some dinner and then come back to see the monument at night. Drove back to town and got some pizza for dinner. T

hen headed back to the monument. Took a zillion pictures again with the lights on. There is a large amphitheater at the monument which has a nice presentation every night by a ranger. Of course the presentations end Sept 30. And now they just turn the lights on at dark but no presentation. Piped yet again. We missed it by one day! It is nice and quiet while looking at the monument. I try to fill out some post cards but its kind of dark to see what I am writing.

Head back to the white house resort to work on the blog.






A picture of Jack with the engine on the 1880 train just before we got on for the ride to hill city.




Going up a hill on the train. One interesting thing. The train is a steam train but it burns oil. Not coal. Coal and wood burning was outlawed in the 1920's because of fire risk.







A picture of the White House resort Hotel. Not a bad hotel.







Jack and I at Mount Rushmore.







The walkway leading up to Mount Rushmore.




The plaza at Mount Rushmore.


Mount Rushmore at night. This is one of the pictures from my new camera.