Day 5 - 6/25

Today we went and visited Mount Rushmore. Last night was the lighting ceremony, but today we learned more extensively how it was built and who was involved.  We met up with Dad's friend and his family again and toured the exhibits together. The sculptor of Mt. Rushmore was Gutzon Borglum. They built models and used a point system to recreate the image on the mountain. The point system was where they would scale the model using ropes and weights and translate those measurements to the actual rock. The project was started in 1927 and was completed in 1941. As a part of the National Parks, kids (and teens) can complete a packet and receive a Junior Ranger badge. All of us (except Julia) got one! After saying one more good-bye to Mt. Rushmore we headed off to Sioux Falls.
On the way we passed through Rapid City where my Grandpa Byrd was born. We also went through Wall, South Dakota. This small town is home to the famous Wall Drug Store. It was established in 1931 and remains a popular tourist site today where tourists can buy merchandise and drink some "free ice water". We got ice cream and enjoyed looking around. After traveling some more we passed by the Corn Palace. We did not have enough time to see it, so we kept driving on.
Finally we arrived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We went to the historical center to see a free laser show that tells the history of Sioux Falls while lighting up the waterfalls. It was very captivating and did not bore us. I would highly recommend attending it if you ever travel through South Dakota.