What started out as a rainy, overcast day quickly turned clear with blue skies as we drove up to Mount Rushmore. This is one of those things that everyone has seen plenty of pictures of, but few people (that I know) are interested in seeing in person. So I wasn't sure if I was going to be impressed or not. After getting a close look and learning about the history of the sculpture, I have a greater appreciation of this monument. Two interesting things I learned today: 1) The eyes are done by hollowing out the iris and leaving a slab of granite hanging on the roof of the opening, thus giving it the illusion of eyes that follow you around. 2) Jefferson used to be on the far left, but the sculptor (Gutzon Borglum) didn't like the way it turned out, so he basically erased him (read: lots of dynamite) and started over with Jefferson in the middle.
Just down the road was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This thing is quite a bit more ambitious than Mount Rushmore, which took 14 years to sculpt. By comparison, the Crazy Horse sculpture has been going since 1948 (though to be fair, it has significantly less funding, as the sculptor refuses to accept any state or federal aid). Someday this thing might get done (here's the model for what the finished carving should look like).
I'm not holding my breath.
