Sunday, July 7, 2013

Mount Rushmore Visit

Recently I drove out to Rapid City, South Dakota, to see Mount Rushmore.

This sculpture was carved out of the side of a rock cliff.  The sculpture is of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

You can see the monument from quite a distance.  The first time you glimpse the sculpture it almost takes your breath away.


You usually see pictures of Mount Rushmore that look something like this.

 
 
But what some people, such as me, do not realize is that this monument is much higher up than first believed.  Also, it is in the middle of a forested area called the Black Hills.
 
 

 
 
What I remember about my visit to this place even more than the monument itself, is the heavy smell of Ponderosa pine trees. 
 


 
As you walk around you can see the monument from some impressive angles.


What I noticed the most were the eyes and how realistic they look. 



 
 This is what the sculptor wanted to do.


However, money ran out and also time.  Keep in mind this was done during the Great Depression which was followed by World War II. 

Still, as I looked at the finished work I thought of the expression "Sometimes less is more."


 
Thanks for stopping by.
 

3 comments:

Leslie: said...

Oh wow, Russell, what fabulous photos! I love the smell of ponderosa pine - they were all over the place where our cabin was at Shuswap Lake and in the summer, the scent just took over! So is there a big park there and accommodation so people can stay overnight and enjoy the entire area?

Small City Scenes said...

Extremely cool shots. I like the far away one--very impressive. I like the head sculpture better the a whole torso one. I guess I am glad he ran out of money. It is truly amazing. MB

Hilary said...

Lovely to see these. What a great sight to take in. When I was a child, I was silly enough to believe that Mount Rushmore was a natural phenomena .. as like other rock formations which resembled something familiar. Did I mention that I wasn't a very bright child? ;)