America the Beautiful!

We made it to South Dakota this afternoon and saw some amazing things. We had to stop our car as a buffalo walked right in front of us as we drove through the Black Hills National Park. We checked into our hotel in Custer, SD, and after eating dinner we drove up to Mount Rushmore for an evening show. The drive was breathtaking through the pines and the granite boulders, and then we came up to the monument. The pictures I have seen don't do it justice. We sat and watched the sunset and then stayed around for a special movie about the four presidents depicted on the face of the mountain. When they lit up the mountain at the end of the show, Holly and I both had tears in our eyes. Something about summing up all that was accomplished in this great land of America in the lives of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln, was very moving. The last thing they did was have all of the veterans and current military members come down to the stage of the amphitheater to watch as they took down the flag. We sang the Star Spangled Banner as loud as we have ever sung it. As Allison said, "I will remember this night for the rest of my life."
We live in a great country!
Tomorrow, off to Crazy Horse (and maybe a second viewing of Mount Rushmore, since I cut Holly's time short in the gift shop).