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As we twist around the roads on the way to Mount Rushmore, I’m flooded with a memory.

My family is on a New England road trip. I am a middle school history buff, and am most looking forward to gazing upon Plymouth Rock. I imagine Plymouth Rock to be a massive, inspiring, boulder, that shines with the glow of new beginnings. This is my first lesson in travel expectations. Plymouth Rock is literally, just a rock. It does not shine or inspire. I drown my tween disappointment in syrup. At least the pancakes at the nearby cafe are tasty.

I’ve seen Mount Rushmore, along with Plymouth Rock, on lists of travel disappointments. Some people down right hate it, so as our road trip continues through South Dakota, I keep my expectations low.

If you plan to visit Mount Rushmore, I recommend driving there via Iron Mountain Road.

The forest is calming. The rock carved tunnels, are neat.

There are nice views of Mount Rushmore.

Though I encourage you to visit the actual memorial site, we did chat with people who were satisfied with the view from Iron Mountain’s lookout points, and didn’t feel the need to step inside the National Memorial.

The Mount Rushmore entrance is well designed. As soon as we step onto the entrance path, I want to shout,

“Merica!”

If you read the previous post (When Travels Don’t Go As Planned), you know that we had some issues during this trip. They do not stop for Mount Rushmore. I am still horribly sick with bronchitis. Mount Rushmore is undergoing a big renovation, so most of the paths that take you closer to the mount, are closed. We’re relegated to milling about in the main area.

Of course we get our stamp.

I achieve my goal to eat the ice cream, based on Thomas Jefferson’s recipe from 1780 (more about the ice cream in a future ice cream post).

Maybe my expectations are low, but I like Mount Rushmore. We watched a few documentaries about the memorial’s creation, and there is a genuine recognition for what an ambitious, crazy, feat it was to execute.

I don’t tire of staring at it, as we relax.

*Note: Due to the geological nature of the rock, they had a difficult time completing four faces. It is now geologically impossible to add anymore carvings to Mount Rushmore, just in case you are worried.

Our visit is later in the day, so we can take in the Evening Sculpture Lighting Ceremony.

I appreciate the part of the ceremony that honors Veterans, and Mount Rushmore looks even better illuminated at night.

At the evening’s conclusion we agree we enjoyed our time spent at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The drive to the site was nice, the ice cream was good, and we got to see an iconic piece of sculpture. I’m not sure it’s a full day site, even with the trails open, but it’s worth seeing once, and it may not be as disappointing as you think.

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