Proud to be American

Today we headed out to the Black Hills National Park.  We drove through the wild animal loop and saw some pretty impressive creatures  - prong-horned antelope, buffalo (aka bison) and big horn sheep.  These pics weren't taken with a lot of zoom - the bison was less than 8 feet from the truck on the side of the road.

It's an expansive park, set far back from the interstates and covered with dark, green pines and crisscrossed with ice cold clear running streams. We wound our way over to the Crazy Horse Monument of which only the head is finished so far.

But the best site of the day was Mount Rushmore. The approach to the National Monument was re-done in the last 10-15 years and is now a granite staircase flanked by the flags of all 50 states. The size and grandeur of the stone carvings is awe inspiring. The exhibit hall provides a background on the work of the laborers and the effort to get the monument built. It is a moving site that I'm glad I finally got to see in person. Put it on your list of must-see places in the U.S.