| Date & Weather | 6/26/02 (Wed) | Check Out | 6:00 AM (MST) |
| Milage & Route | 489 Miles (Rapid City, SD - Billings, Montana) | Check In | 9:00 PM (MST) |
| Motel | Motel 6 | ||
| Mount Rushmore NM - America's Shrine of Democracy I wondered why Mount Rushmore is so popular to Americans. It looked just big sculpture to me. Now I can understand why to a considerable degree because a phrase for this monument on a brochure of South Dakota hit me the day before yesterday;  America's Shrine of Democracy. That is, shrine is very familiar to Japanese
because it is the place where they sometimes make a visit to and hold a
festival. In addition to this, in Japan, the "giant statue" of
Buddha in Nara has attracted a tremendous number of people. So, I realized
that this monument is worth visiting for Americans. It was at about 6:30 AM that I got to the Monument. The reason why I went there so early  was that an official guide recommended it is the best time to see it in the morning light. Is
it too early? No, because sunrise time was about 5 AM. Although I originally planed to check out motel before sunrise, beautiful view of sunrise from motel prevented me from leaving it. Anyway it was a good idea to get there early time. First, I could feel some kind of holy atmosphere because it was voiceless place. So, I  was the second visitor there, probably. Second, I could firstly see "Mountain
Goat" near "Presidential Trail." In addition, I couldn't
even pay a parking fee because there was no staff. Moreover, of course,
it was a good time to view it in the morning light. The only small problem
was the face of Roosevelt was always shaded. The reason is he is the least
important of all four great presidents, I guess. About 8 AM after viewing
it and finishing walking "Presidential Trail" there were not
quiet place at all. Custer State Park - Buffalo Are Dangerous I decided to go there because in U.S. it is one of the biggest habitats of  some famous wildlives, which are native to Great Plains. Visiting there
was good choice because today I could see not only "Mountain Goat"
but also "Buffalo," "Bighorn Sheep," and "Prairie
Dog" for the first time. Although a sign "Buffalo are dangerous"
looks kidding, it was quite correct. The view of dozens of Buffalo running
across the paved road to grassland was really awful. |
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What I Learned Today - Your Favorite President?  In a rest house of Mount Rushmore NM, I could see the result of vote for
the favorite president. Some interesting points to me were that Regan was
more popular than I had expected and Truman (President who not only finished
the World War 2 but also established United Nations and NATO) was the most
popular to the age over 65. |
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