This morning we left the Sylvan Lake Lodge to go to Mount Rushmore. From our lodge at about 7200' we took the Needles Highway to get down to the main road. The drive was death-defying with hairpin turns and one lane roads through holes in the rocks. The views were incredible and, obviously, we successfully navigated the "highway".
Mount Rushmore National Memorial was dedicated in 1927 by Calvin Coolidge. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, envisioned a sculpture commemorating the foundation, preservation and continental expansion of the United States. His monument to America grouped four leaders who brought the nation from colonial times into the 1900's- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. It is quite remarkable and can be seen for miles around. Each face is 60' tall! We walked the Presidential Trail which took us to the Sculptor's Cottage and then up to the base of the mountain, for a closer look.
Our final stop for the day was at Jewel Cave National Monument. It is over 180 miles long, so far, making it the 3rd longest cave system in the world. Discovered in 1900, it is still being explored. We went down (in an elevator) to a large room 23 stories down. There a ranger told us about the crystals we were seeing and about the geology of the area. Very interesting, but we probably preferred being above ground.
This is our last entry. Tomorrow, back to Salt Lake City and home.