On October 6th we visited Mt. Rushmore and the Wind Cave. There was fresh snow in the mountains but despite the cold, it was beautiful and we enjoyed our day. Did you know that each face on the mountain is 60 feet tall? Washington’s nose is 21 feet long and the noses of Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are 20 feet long!

The Wind Cave was very interesting. The original hole where the cave was discovered in 1881 creates a wind by differing atmospheric pressure from inside the cave and out, thus the name. Inside, we saw rock formations of boxwork, popcorn and frostwork. Our guide turned all lights out so we could experience true darkness. You could not see your hand in front of your face. He also lit a candle lantern so we could experience the cave as the early explorers did. Fascinating.

Later, we saw bison, deer and antelope out on the prairies. When evening came the black hills truly stood out black against the sunset.

~Shauna