Mount Rushmore

I promise that we did tons more stuff after leaving Utah and Nebraska. Trouble is, I started back up in training last week and am having a very difficult time sitting down to write about it. As I sit in eight hours of powerpoint presentations, I try my hardest to focus on LEARNING ABOUT AFGHANISTAN and not drift off into daydreams of the Delicate Arch at sunset or Mount Rushmore lit up at night. It's tough.


My initial impression of Rushmore was "that's it??" as we drove up from the outside. That sounds pretty bad but it became quite a bit more impressive inside the park (it looked really tiny at the first view). An outdoor corridor was lined with the flags of all fifty states and we took the time to point out Texas, Ohio, and Virginia. In retrospect, I wish I'd checked if DC was there too. This was also the broadest view of the four presidents. We joined the crowds at the overlook, oohing and aahing for a few minutes. We then set out for the hike on the Presidential Trail that our guidebook mentioned.


Well, less of a walk than a flat boardwalk going around (under) the presidents, the trail still afforded various viewpoints and info stations where we could learn more about why each president was selected for Mount Rushmore. Sculptor Gutzom Borglum chose each of the four. Washington represents the spirit of independence in the US and, as the first president, is featured first on the left. Incidentally, while this factoid was mentioned in a guide, we learned at the Mount Rushmore museum the Lincoln was originally supposed to be carved into Washington's right, placing GW between him and Roosevelt! However, when Borglum started dynamiting the surrounding rock, he found there wasn't enough work space on that side of Washington and shifted Lincoln to the other side.

Thomas Jefferson, my favorite president, was the second selected for the monument due to his statesmanship and inspiring vision (particularly during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence). Theodore Roosevelt is to the viewer's right of Jefferson and is a particularly appropriate choice due to his instrumental role in the creation of America's National Park system but also for leading the country away from prior isolationist policies. Roosevelt's selection was controversial at the time as he'd only been dead for eight years but is now a clear choice.


Finally, on the viewer's far right, is Abraham Lincoln. Borglum chose to depict the 16th president with the beard he grew in older age, despite portraying the others in younger days. The beard comes out so precise and lifelike, it's hard to imagine how difficult it must've been to carve it into the mountain. Lincoln represents unwavering determination - a typically American characteristic - essential during the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation. Borglum's respect for Abraham Lincoln runs so deep that he ended up naming his son Lincoln.

Independence, visionary statesmanship, environmentalism, and determination. Four characteristics that all Americans should strive to live up to. I may have started out with low expectations but ended up leaving inspired by the four 60-foot faces carved into the Black Hills.