Mount Rushmore and the Needles Scenic Drive

Today dawned chilly and cold, but clear, so it was off to Mt Rushmore!

We took the scenic route which took us through this tunnel

and gave us this view on the other side.

We still had about 3 miles to go to the actual monument.....

Once there we took the obligatory family and Mt. Rushmore pictures that everyone sees on postcards and in magazines.

 We then walked the Presidential loop which takes you down in front of the mountain.  It was really cool to see it from all the different angles. Did you know you can see Teddy Roosevelt's spectacles?  I never realized that.

We then headed out to the Needles Scenic Drive and encountered this view of Washington as we left. 

This drive took us up to 6200 feet and through the most awesome tunnel I've ever been through.  We came around a corner and saw this

only to drive around to the left and through this 8' 4 wide one lane tunnel at the top of a mountain.  Cool.

Of course, we stopped at the other side to take another picture, feed the cute chipmunks and admire the incredible view.

The drive was windy, narrow and offered up some great views of the Needles and the incredibly blue sky here in South Dakota.