Trains and Presidents

Keeg was very excited to ride the train

Mount Rushmore- It looks different from different angles.

I need to turn this one. For now, just turn you head-you can tell the kids are getting tired of pictures.

This is just like a pic that Coley and Quail took in this spot years ago.

Notice Serena on her leash-we got plenty of odd looks.

We had a very busy day! I heard the heater come on last night, and it was a bit chilly when we got out and about. We rode the 1880’s train this morning. We were supposed to leave the station at 10 a.m., and be pulled by a steam engine from Hill City to Keystone. We left on time, but the first big hill right outside of the station has a 6% grade. We started up it, then stopped.Next thing we know, the engineer is backing the train down the hill to take another run at the hill. He could not get enough power to get up it. He did this twice, and it was not working. Each time he started to back up, it was rough and jerked the train. It was an interesting experience to say the least. We finally backed all the way back to the station and changed to the diesel engine. The conductor told us that this was only the 2nd time this had happened that he knew of. I guess they had some maintenance problems. That put us about 30 minutes behind schedule. It took about an hour each way with a quick 15 minute stop in between. Of course both kids had to go to the bathroom, so I got off the train with them and we ran to the bathroom and back. I think we may have been the last ones back on the train.
After a quick lunch at the trailer, we headed to Mt. Rushmore. It was pretty neat. It is amazing that they made such a detailed sculpture on such a massive scale. Of course we took the scenic trail along the base of the sculpture so we could view the faces from many different angles. This involved many steps up and down, but it did give some great views. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with ice cream at the Mt Rushmore ice cream shop-everything is commercialized! Coley was here when he was about 15, and he said it has changed a lot. We also drove into Rapid City to look for a WalMart ( which we did not find), but we found a Sonic instead. We ate pizza from the campground store, and the kids ran and ran at the playground. They are fighting sleep at the moment. I tried to get a faster connection tonight at the office, but it did not work. Pictures will have to come when we can find a better connection. We are not sure what we are doing tomorrow. There is not telling what trouble we will get into!