Mt. Rushmore: A Somewhat Summary

All I can really say is that I am SO glad I was able to go. At first I was a tad regretful about buying the ticket, but now, I'm thankful my impulsive side won out--for the better this time.

I got to spend time with one of my best friends in the world and her singles group from North Dakota (affectionately known as NoDak). They drove, but I flew in and met them in Rapid City, South Dakota. Honestly, I was thinking that Rapid City was going to be a podunk, backwoods place and that the only highlight of the trip was seeing Mt. Rushmore. I was wrong.

The land was just . . . unlike anything I'm used to. It was simply lush and beautiful. Animals that my mind usually relegates to the zoo, I saw roaming around in their natural habitats. I ate a buffalo burger. I bought a stick of elk jerky. (I haven't been able to bring myself to eat it.) I went rock climbing in a skirt. We hiked trails and took scenic routes. We grilled hotdogs and bratwurst (oh, so Midwestern) and skipped rocks in the pond after we had a devotion.

I'm not normally a patriotic person at all. Seriously, like I've never been one to get all red, white and blue on the 4th of July. I don't go around singing "I'm Proud to Be an American" with gusto. I know that I'm blessed to have been born in a prosperous country like the US, but I'm not all that wild about "God bless America" rhetoric. But when I saw the iconic monument of Mount Rushmore arise around the bend in the distance on our way there, I was . . . I dunno, stirred. It was weird. Just beholding those "old dead white men's" stone faces was more impressive than I ever would have imagined. Postcard pictures really don't do it justice.

But apart from the animals, scenery and monuments was the fellowship. I don't mean to get all woe-is-me, but I feel the lack of not being able to hang out on a regular basis with people I click with. Very often, I feel like a girl inside of a box. But here was a rare opportunity to spend time with people I love dearly and get to know some other people that I would probably never have gotten the chance to know otherwise. It was great. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. And the pens and the keychains and the refrigerator magnets . . . ahem.

Look below for slideshows to get a picture (pun intended) of my trip!