Take me back to the Black Hills

So Doris Day just came on the iPod and serenaded my eardrum with "Take me back to the Black Hills, the Black Hills of Dakota". Two years ago the g/f & 2 other friends of ours went to the Black Hills...and it got me to thinking about how much I would love to go back! We first went to the Badlands - it was absolutely a sight that can not be described. It was an ocean bed at one time and it's the remains of that. It's breathtaking. Then we drove on into the Black Hills. South Dakota is pretty flat and then all of a sudden it's MOUNTAINS. We took our first trip up to see Mt Rushmore the day after we got there. We curved up the windy mountain road, not unlike Route 2 in Massachusetts and all of a sudden we rounded a bend and there was Abe Lincolns face! I was awe struck and speechless. All my life I had heard of the great Mt. Rushmore carved into a mountain and there it was - right infront of my face. A few more successions of curves and the entire monument came into frame. It was a grand sight and I felt like I was looking at the cover of every history book I had ever had before. We did all the tourist-y things like learn how the rocks were carved and who designed it and how long it took and did the nature walk and saw the night time lighting of the faces. Then we returned to our campsite to sleep - and return the next day for other area attractions.
As much as we did that week at Mt. Rushmore, nothing will beat the first moment I saw the rocks. I still get emotional. I'm such a freak. While I have been on many other excellent vacations before, that was the first one I've been to that had historical significance to me, gave me a sense of national being. I suggest going if you ever get the chance...your kids won't appreciate it, but you might!