Spread The Better: MOUNT RUSHMORE & other SD sites

10 REASONS TO VISIT RAPID CITY, SD:

Here's a look back at Rapid City and what made it such a memorable experience for us. I just finished this lengthy post and when I went to publish it, the whole darn thing deleted. I am trying to take a deep breath and BE BETTER, not bitter. So...you are getting the condensed, list-like version. That, or I'll end up throwing my computer out the bus window.

1. Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Mount Rushmore is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore. Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum...

Ryder, Tate, Shiloh, Juliann, and Choice

...Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres and is 5,725 feet above sea level. Construction on the memorial began in 1927, and the presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939.

Ryder, Juliann, and Tate

Shiloh, Choice, Tate, and Ryder

Although the initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, lack of funding forced construction to end in late October 1941.

Tate

Mount Rushmore has become an iconic symbol of the United States and attracts over two million people annually. I was so anxious for this part of the trip. I have always wanted to see Mt. Rushmore with my own eyes and I was grateful to bring four other little sets of eyes along with me.

Shiloh, Tate, Juliann, Ryder, and Choice

Ryder, Tate, Juliann, Shiloh, and Choice

The kids opted to reenact the presidents in their positions on Mt. Rushmore. The other tourists got a real kick out of this.

Shiloh, Tate, Choice, and Ryder

Ryder, Tate, Choice, Juliann, and Shiloh

This made for a great homeschooling lesson on the founding fathers and US presidents. I encouraged them to dream big and perhaps one of them will be the president someday. They thought they would try that on for size...

Choice

Shiloh

Tate

Ryder

For now we'll leave it to these guys.

Ryder, Tate, Juliann, Shiloh, and Choice

Shiloh, Tate, Juliann, Ryder, and Choice

2. Black Hills Gold

Black Hills gold jewelry is a type of jewelry manufactured in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It was first created in the 1870s during the Black Hills Gold Rush by a French goldsmith named Henri LeBeau, who is said to have dreamed about the design after passing out from thirst and starvation. Black Hills gold jewelry depicts leaves, grape clusters and vines, and is made with alloys of gold with standard yellow gold as well as green and pink gold. In 1980, the 8th Circuit affirmed an injunction ruling that if a manufacturer was to call its jewelry Black Hills Gold, then it must be made in the Black Hills. The state of South Dakota designated Black Hills gold as the official state jewelry in 1988.

^{My class ring was made of Black Hills gold so it was fun to see it right from the source.}

I got a ring made from the Black Hills gold jeweler as a reminder of our time here. Masterful craftsmanship.

3. Independence Hall

Independence Hall in Rapid City has a 125-foot high steeple and is a reproduction of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The colonial-era brick and white clapboard building house the Black Hills’ patriotic-themed tourism site: Independence Hall: Home of Founding Fathers Black Hills.
Inside, you find a life-size sculptural rendition of John Trumbull’s famous “Declaration of Independence” painting created by a talented team of western South Dakota artists. They have developed a unique art process to create sculpted figures of 47 men, five of whom are shown presenting Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Second Continental Congress in 1776. Visitors can see the stunningly lifelike forms of Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingstone presenting the document to John Hancock while the rest of the Congress looks on. If you’re not familiar with the painting, just look at the back of any $2 bill, or check it out here.

I was surprised by how kid-friendly this museum was. The staff members provided the kids with a scavenger hunt to keep them interested throughout the narration. Once they got over their fear of the lifelike nature of the figures, they really were engaged in the entire experience. This further added to our homeschooling lesson on the founding fathers.

Ryder, Tate, Choice, and Shiloh

Ryder, Shiloh, Choice, and Tate

Ryder and Tate

Jayce and I even had the opportunity to add our own John Hancock to a copy of the Declaration of Independence when the narration was complete.

Jayce

Juliann

This Independence Hall even has a replica of the Liberty Bell. They have done a spectacular job recreating this patriotic experience.

Shiloh, Choice, Tate, and Ryder

Tate, Shiloh, Ryder, and Choice

4. The MAZE

This maze was a labyrinth of family fun!!

The best time we've ever had getting lost!!!

Choice

Tate, Choice, and Rusty

Tate

Jason

Ryder and Juliann

Rusty, Juliann, and Choice

Rusty

Choice

Choice, Tate, and Ryder

Choice and Tate

Juliann, Ryder, Tate, and Shiloh

Choice

Tate

Juliann and Choice

Juliann, Choice, Tate, and Jason

Jason

Ryder, Jason, Rusty, and Tate

Eventually we all found our way out of the Black Hills Maze. Little Miss Shiloh was at the front of the pack. She beat the rest of us out by a long shot. Atta girl!

Shiloh

5. Reptile Gardens

Reptile Gardens animal park's mission is to "offer Guests an amazing experience while positively contributing to the future of our animal residents, as well as our community, by educating the public about important environmental issues and working closely with many major zoos worldwide to promote species survival." Housing a large variety of unique reptiles and exotic plants, Reptile Gardens has a strong tradition of community involvement and wildlife education for people of all ages.Reptile Gardens was cited in the 2014 Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's largest reptile zoo.

Choice, Tate, Juliann, Shiloh, and Ryder

To say the kids were excited to go to Reptile Gardens would be a gross understatement. We spent a good 4 hours there seeing as many different reptiles as we could.

We saw injured ones like this alligator...

loveable ones like this python...

Juliann

Shiloh and Ryder

Shiloh, Choice, and Tate

Shiloh

rare ones like this rough-scaled python...

Ryder, Shiloh, and Tate

lazy ones like these tortoises...

Choice

Tate

Juliann

Choice and Shiloh

Shiloh

deadly ones likes this inland taipan...

Ryder, Shiloh, and Tate

Young ones like this little alligator...

Ryder

Juliann

Juliann, Shiloh, Choice, Ryder, and Tate

old ones like this record setting sea turtle...

Choice

Jayce

feathered, non-reptile, ones like this parrot...

Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, and Tate

gigantic ones like this boa constrictor...

Tate

even pretend ones like these...

Juliann

Choice

Ryder

Tate

Shiloh

Choice, Tate, Ryder, and Shiloh

Tate

Juliann

Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, and Tate

We were exhausted after walking around in the heat and humidity so we found a comfortable place to rest for a bit.

Shiloh

Juliann

Reptile Gardens is a wonderful family fun park. The kids have been raving about their time there.

Tate, Shiloh, Ryder, and Choice

6. Night Sky

As the day came to a close, I was mystified by the setting of the sun. A calm and serene feeling passed over me and I was struck with a feeling of peace. I love these "stop and smell the roses" moments that encourage us to slow down and just BE.

7. Chapel In The Hills

www.chapel-in-the-hills.org/

The Chapel in the Hills is an exact replica of the Borgund stave church in Norway. The Borgund stavkirke was built around the year 1150 and is considered the most completely preserved stave church still standing in Norway. The Norwegian Department of Antiquities provided a set of blueprints of the Borgund church to be used in the construction of the Chapel in the Hills.

The woodcarvings resulted from the combined effort by Norwegian woodcarver Erik Fridstrøm and Rapid City resident, Helge Christiansen.The site includes an authentic log cabin museum that was built in 1876 by Edward Nielsen, a Norwegian immigrant gold prospector.

Shiloh, Choice, and Tate

There is also a stabbur, a grass-roofed house, that serves as the visitor center and gift shop.

Tate, Choice, and Shiloh

Choice, Juliann, and Tate

Tate, Shiloh, and Choice

Juliann and Choice

Tate, Shiloh, and Choice

Our time at the Chapel in the Hills was brief, unfortunately. Such a beautiful place...a must see.

8. Abstract Art

This city lent itself nicely to getting a little goofy and thinking outside the box. Whether it was our own doing or various things we stumbled upon, we found ways to have a fun time.

Tate, Choice, and Jason

Jason and Choice

Choice, Tate, and Shiloh

Choice, Tate, Shiloh, and Ryder

Choice

Juliann and Tate

Ryder, Juliann, Jason, Choice, and Shiloh

Shiloh and Tate

Choice

Juliann

9. Excellent Security

We stayed at an RV Park in Rapid City. It was a great place with amenities that made it convenient to catch up on our laundry and take warm showers. It also had a nice playground and pet area. An overall quiet and peaceful place. This quaint setting made it very obvious when we heard the sounds of sirens coming from all directions. The kids had been asleep for an hour or so and Jayce and I were still awake. We both heard the sirens and went to the bus windshield to see if we could pinpoint which direction they were heading. Much to our surprise, within moments, the RV park was completely surrounded by police officers. There were upwards of 20 police cars, accompanied by a fire truck, ambulance, undercover police cars, and armored vehicles.

This was no routine police stop. Each officer that got out of a vehicle was equipped with a machine gun. I have never seen so many AK47s in my life. I began to feel uneasy knowing they were in the middle of a manhunt and we were smack dab in the middle of it. Jayce and I went to the back of the bus and moved all the kids onto the floor to sleep. I wanted to keep them away from the windows in the event that shots were fired in our direction.

When the SWAT team showed up I knew we were in for a show. It was another hour or so before the situation calmed down. Once the police task force left, I opened the bus door and went into the office to inquire about our peaceful evening. This was the skinny...the police department received a phone call from somewhere within the park. It was a man who told them he had just killed his wife and he was about to kill his kids. Well, that explained why we watched four or five kids wrapped in blankets, put into the back of a cop car and escorted out of the area.

The first responders did an amazing job at protecting the community and thoroughly investigating the scene. I didn't sleep a wink that evening, obviously, but the kiddos slept through the entire ordeal. And, if Jayce's parents ever speak to me again after endangering their child, I will tell them how much his positive energy helped me. Thanks Jayce.

10. Great Hospital

Number 10 was the icing on the cake and solidification that Jayce's parents will most likely never allow him to travel with us again. We have adventurous spirits, as evidenced by this trip and enjoy living on the edge. Jayce marches to the beat of a similar drum.

He and Ryder decided to ride their skateboards around the park. It sounded like a great idea before you factor in that Jayce had never ridden a long board before and this park has extremely steep hills. I watched as Ryder and Jayce approached a large steep hill. Jayce was standing on the long board and Ryder was seated on his penny board. They took off down the hill. The next time I saw Jayce, he was walking towards me like this...

Jayce

He had to sit down to combat the dizziness and nausea caused by his epic wipeout. He was being so tough, a real trooper. Perhaps if he had a mirror and could see what I was looking at, he would have been a little more concerned.

Jayce

After a little convincing, he allowed me to take him to the hospital. Thankfully, Rapid City Regional Hospital was only 4 miles away. Their staff was delightful. They took Jayce back immediately and began taking great care of him. Within 30 minutes they had already x-rayed his wrist to ensure no broken bones. Then the most agonizing art of the process...cleaning all of his open wounds caused by road rash. My eyes welled up with tears watching the agony he had to endure. The kids didn't take their eyes off of him the entire time. Thanks to the wonderful people at the hospital, Jayce was bandaged up and discharged from the hospital after just a few hours.

Jayce

Right when we got back to the park I snapped these photos of Jayce "jumping back on the horse". He is one resilient guy. He's back home now and started school today. We'll continue to pray for his healing as well as improvements to his skateboarding skills.