Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Carved into the granite face of the Black Hills are the towering likenesses of four of our presidential leaders. Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a ceremonial experience. Upon approaching the site, we walked the Avenue of Flags, with flags representing all U.S. states and territories. This walk takes us to the overlook where the monumental sculpture emerges from the mountainside.
The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were sculpted between 1917 and 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum. The project transformed raw stone into a lasting symbol of American ideals representing the nation’s birth, growth, development and preservation. The scale of this project is a part of the message as the mountain itself is enlisted in the act of remembrance.
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Golden Spike National Historical Park
There are places where history is marked by monuments, and others where it is held in the land itself. Golden Spike National Historical Park, located in northern Utah at Promontory Summit, is one of those places. At Promontory Summit, the significance is in the simple alignment of two rail lines that once approached from opposite […]
Devil’s Tower
On our family road trip across the northern states, our westernmost destination was Devil’s Tower. Rising suddenly from the rolling prairie of northeastern Wyoming. The massive stone monolith looked unreal as we approached. This monument stands alone and detached from the surrounding hills. We circled the base watching climbers inch their way up the vertical columns. […]
Badlands National Park
One of my favorite family road trips during our homeschooling days was driving across the northern states to South Dakota. There were so many special places we stopped along the way, but none left a stronger impression on us than Badlands National Park. The landscape almost did not seem real the first time we saw it. Layer after […]
