75. See Mt. Rushmore

Seeing Mount Rushmore has been near the top of my bucket list for a while now. On the original bucket list, it is the first one under the US Places and Things to Do heading which means it was one of the first things to go on the original list. 

Since driving straight through to Denver was not feasible and the Omaha Stormchasers were on the road at the beginning of our trip, it made the most sense to go through South Dakota to get to Denver. Then I could finally get to Mount Rushmore. 

The hubby was not exactly excited about going to Mount Rushmore. He begrudgingly agreed to go. I am not sure why he was not all about Mount Rushmore. Knowing this, I decided to keep our visit as brief as possible. Really all I needed was a picture of the heads anyways.

Mount Rushmore was completed in 1941 by Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum. There is museum of the Borglum father and son in Keystone if you want a really in depth look at the artists that created Mount Rushmore. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln were all carved out of granite by this artist duo and took over 14 years to complete.

Mount Rushmore, located in Keystone, SD, is open year round and the hours vary by season. There is no cost to visit the Monument but there is a $10 parking fee which is good for the entire year. It is part of the National Park Service but the National Park pass is not good for parking.

Like I said the hubby really didn't see more than the heads. We walked in and once we cleared the entry way, we took pictures at the start of the Avenue of Flags. We did not walk down the Avenue of Flags or around the monument. We did not check out the museums. Besides being ungodly hot, the hubby wasn't interested. I would have liked to at least walked the Avenue of Flags and find Wisconsin's flag. 

Besides taking a few pictures and trying to pick George Washington's nose, we checked out the gift shop, got my passport stamped, and got ice cream. The Memorial Team Ice Cream has the original recipe for Thomas Jefferson's vanilla ice cream which was sadly sold out when we got there. I had mint chip and the hubby had some caramel one. They were both very good. 

The hubby said the views of Mount Rushmore were better as you were driving into the park. I would almost have to agree with him.

Mount Rushmore is definitely one of those places you need to see in the US. It is iconic, full of history, and where else can you see 60 foot granite heads of presidents. When you go, do take time to explore all everything the park has to offer and not just snap a picture to say you were there.

2427. Go to Effigy Mound National Monument in Harpers Ferry

 Being the geek that I am, I have a National Parks Passport. I'm trying to collect as many stamps as possible and trying to knock off the close ones. Effigy Mounds National Monument is in Iowa. I tried to figure out how to get there when I dropped off (or picked up) the hubby from Iowa earlier in the summer but it wasn't going to work. I figured we could stop on our way to Cedar Rapids.

Effigy Mounds National Monument is located in Harpers Ferry or literally about 10-15 minutes from Prairie du Chen across the Mississippi. It was not hard to get to. 

Inside the visitor center is a small museum of the area and Native American culture.

When we went in the visitor center, I asked about the hike up to the first set of mounds. There is only one small mound cluster near the visitor center. The rest are up on the bluffs that surround the visitor center. I heard the hike to the top of the bluff is steep and not very easy. The park ranger informed us that it is relatively steep the first third of the way and then you have switch backs the rest of the way. When you get to the bench, you are about 2/3 of the way up. The hike is about a mile. The hubby and I decided to try it. 

I'll be honest. Devil's Lake and the trail from the lower trails to the higher trails at High Cliff, I thought were harder. Yes it was steep but it wasn't that bad. We even did it in flip flops. Sure we stopped and rested a few times but it was nothing the hubby couldn't handle. I was worried about going down in flip flops but it was not a problem. I would recommend wearing shoes though. Do not wear flip flops. People will look at you like you are crazy.

We only checked the first Effigy Mound -- Little Bear Mound Group. If we walked another 650 feet we could have seen another mound group. 

There are longer hikes as well. To reach Hanging Rock, it is a seven mile round trip hike. Due to time constraints and the hubby's hiking ability the hike to Little Bear Mound Group was fine. 

We also checked out the view of the Mississippi from the top of the bluff. 

If you are ever in Iowa or even southeastern Wisconsin take a drive over to Effigy Mounds National Monument. It is a great piece of Native American History. There is no cost to visit and there is a hike for every ability. I would definitely go back and hike even farther and check out more mounds.