Mount Rushmore

Today we attended church in Custer, WY, and then traveled from there to Mount Rushmore - a mere 4 hours of driving.

We had about 3 hours to see Mount Rushmore, followed by the evening show. We checked out the visitor's center, watched a short movie and hiked around the base of the mountain. We heard that the amphitheater which holds 3,000 people would be overflowing for the evening program. We found seats about an hour before the show hung out until it started.

The program at Mount Rushmore was very impressive. A forest ranger started the program with patriotic comments, including a detailed presentation about the Pledge of Allegiance. She also had everyone rise to sing the national anthem. A 20 minute video about Mount Rushmore followed. The video covered the creation of the monument as well as the principles that it represents. At the end of the video, bright lights illuminated the faces on Mount Rushmore. After the video, the ranger invited all active and retired members of the military to come onto the stage. A boy scout troop performed a flag ceremony to retire the colors.

This description really doesn't do any justice to the program and the feeling of patriotism generated by the discussion of our national values. The participation of members of the military and the boy scouts made it a solemn occasion. Overall, I thought the ranger did a fantastic job of directing a very moving patriotic experience.

The kids did extremely well today. It's amazing how they respond when we promise ice cream for good behavior. Kaylee earned the quote of the day award. She has learned that her baby doll, Anna,  gets soft and squishy when left in the hot car. She enjoyed squashing the baby's head and body into funny shapes. Her quote: "you can do a lot of things with Anna's squashed head." She actually turned it into a song and got all other kids singing it. Spencer gets the runner-up award for quote of the day. He ended up needing to sleep on Kaylee's Disney Princess air mattress tonight. His response: "I'm the lucky one. I get to sleep with pretty girls." I'm not sure if we should be happy about that comment or not.