Mt Rushmore
One of the best days. I left the driving to Mt. Rushmore tours. I love trains, so I booked a trip on the 1880 Train followed by a bus trip through Custer State Park and Needles Highway. The highlight of the trip was I got to kiss George Washington.
Views from the train and the arrival in Keystone.
Meet the bus driver for the trip to Mt. Rushmore and beyond.
On to Mt. Rushmore.
And a feat unsurpassed on the trip – I got to kiss George Washington.
On to Custer State Park and Needles Highway.
Approaching the tunnels – tunnels 8’4″ wide and bus 8′ wide.
When the bus got to the tunnel, a goat had taken up residence and stopped all traffic. Luckily, three Harley riders from the other direction chased the goat out to the tunnel.
On the other side of the tunnel, a bison, limping like he just lost a fight, but still walked in the road as if he owned it causing a traffic jam.
One of my greatest laughs of the day was a story told by the bus driver regarding Mountain Beavers. Throughout the woods, there are large piles stacked timbers. He explained that Mountain Beavers made theses “beaver dams” in the woods. The truth is rangers clear underbrush to decrease wildfire spread should a fire occur and keep the beetles from quickly moving from tree to tree destroying the forest. In the winter, when there is enough snow, the piles are burned. A woman on the bus asked for the name of the animal again so she could Google it as she had never seen a “Mountain Beaver.”
Scenes from Custer Park including the rock that Nicolas Cage used to open the underground vault on National Treasure.
