#MajorsRushmore...Part 2

When we last left off, The Majors road to Rushmore adventure was leaving Arches National Park in Utah. 

This next portion of the #majorsrushmore saga begins in Colorado. After our exciting day of hiking, skirt flying, and taking in the gorgeous sights that the enormous rocks at Arches had to offer, we trekked on. Through Utah and back to Colorado. 

Parachute, Colorado:

Home of the nicest Rest Stop in America.  These things matter. Free stuffed animals (you may notice stuffed Dory in a few future pictures) to take with you on your journey. An array of picnic tables and plush grass perfect for lunching and frisbee. A full play area, complete with static electricity slide. Solar paneled flowers paid for by the Colorado State Lottery. A historical lesson on a sign as you enter. Free books for the long car ride! And a pleasant Rest Stop Docent who happened to have a shared history of living in Atlanta. 

Colorado River and The Rockies:

Driving through Colorado was picturesque. We took time to pull over and take in the Colorado River, hunt for chipmunks, and spy on white water rafters. Impressive Colorado sights included---snow (first time seeing it for my 4 year old Zach), the Rocky Mountains, and...Chick-Fil-A.

Cheyenne, Wyoming:

The road through Colrado was exciting and led us to our next destination in Wyoming. I was especially looking forward to Wyoming as it was my first time visiting. Wyoming had trains, old west vibes, big boots, Jackalopes, and rattlesnakes to offer us. 

We only stayed one night and took a day to drive through the Eastern side of this state, but we packed a lot in to the time we had. Our day started with a visit to the Cheyenne Depot Plaza and ended with Devil's Tower (if it looks familiar to you, maybe you recognize it from a movie from my childhood "Close Encounters of the Third Kind").

Wyoming was perfect for the boys because...

Boys love trains!

And painted Cowboy Boots!

And hunting fictious animals!

And dark clouds and ominous towers, which happens to be the one time we got rained on during our trip and the one foot to snake encounter. Tutu and I decided to let the boys run around Devils Tower (fitting right?) and we sat on a bench along the wooded trail. All fine until

1) we got rained on without the  protection of an umbrella 

and

2) as we are walking, sssssssssss snake (very long and suspiciously similar to a rattlesnake) appears and quickens our pace! 

Heart racing at Devil's Tower! 

Bear Country, Keystone, Rapid City, South Dakota:

Besides the obvious Mt. Rushmore, our arrival into South Dakota meant we were halfway through our road trip adventure, and entering a state none of us had been to before. All kinds of exciting! 

Rushmore was at the forefront of my mind upon entering South Dakota, but as I soon found out, there are other fun sights to behold in the great state of South Dakota. I found their motto of "Great Faces, Great Places" perfectly stated. We saw the great faces of mountain lions, bears, Arctic wolves, foxes, badgers, and bison! Not to mention four other faces---Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. 

Mount Rushmore!

What is there to say about this? I loved it. Every minute of it. 

Here's a few facts to get you excited about Rushmore too.

• It took 14 years and 400 men to carve the mountain. Despite harsh and dangerous conditions, no one died during the project.

• Over 90% of Mount Rushmore was carved using dynamite. The blasts removed approximately 450,000 tons of rock. Details were finished with jackhammers and hand chisels.

• The faces of Mount Rushmore are 60 feet high. That’s the same size as a six-story building.

• My kids broke two cameras during our half day adventure at Mount Rushmore. 

• Since my days of watching the Laser Light Show at Stone Mountain, Georgia as a little kid, I have been strangely obsessed with mountain carvings. 

Thank you

http://www.visitrapidcity.com for these fun facts.

Stay tuned for the finale, coming to a smart phone or computer screen near you soon, "Road away from Rushmore", featuring CarHenge, mud driving, tornado clouds, and Santa Fe museums and eats. And one more snake.