South Dakota - Goal #2 completed

When I was a young teenager, I wrote a report about Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Learning about the history and process of the creation of Mount Rushmore intrigued me so much, and I decided then that I wanted to see it.

Over the years, I would think about that dream of going, and yet it never happened. I kind of didn't fully believe I'd ever make it happen. As I wrote down my forty goals before I turned forty, I wrote down Mount Rushmore. I didn't know if it was possible, but if it could be, that would be a trip I would really want to take.

We were unemployed when I made my list of goals. That makes it even a step harder to believe in accomplishing them. In April 2023, Matt got a job. We were still living with my in-laws, so we started saving as much money as we could to move out. It was hard to find a rental, so we just kept saving. Several months passed, and we were still looking for a place to move. The idea came that now would be the time to go to South Dakota. We had enough saved up for a rental and extra. We quickly planned a trip and left on our trip in June 2023.

We drove across Wyoming. I hadn't seen much of Wyoming outside of Yellowstone, so it was interesting to drive across the state. I love road trips. I love the scenery, playing music loudly, singing along, or talking with Matt and the kids. I enjoy the time with them.

We made it to Rapid City and found our Airbnb. It was an old home that was small and cozy. The next day, we woke up early and drove to Mount Rushmore. It had been raining and we were worried about the weather, but as we drove there, the sky cleared up to a brilliant blue, and it was a beautiful background to the monument.

Walking up to it, I felt gratitude and joy. To be in this place that I had wanted to come to for so long and to be there with my family was a happy experience. Matt took the kids to get an ice cream cone, but I stayed, sitting on a bench, looking at the presidents. I can't express how glad I was to be there. I finally said yes to something I really wanted to do. The theme I'm learning from my 40 goals is how many things I want to experience and how many times I say no to them. Saying yes is giving me experiences that bring a lot of joy into my life. It has been so worth it.

We left the memorial, did different activities throughout the day, and returned to Mount Rushmore in the evening. They had a program in front of the monument, with a video, lighting up the memorial, and veterans going to the front, and we sang the star spangled banner. It was stirring, and patriotism filled me. It was a few days before the 4th of July, and I loved being in that place a few days before celebrating our country. It was a memorable experience.

We spent several more days in South Dakota. We saw the Crazy Horse monument and museums, went to Custer State Park, and traveled out to Badlands National Park. On the drive home, we saw Devil's Tower and Custer's Last Stand memorial. It was a trip full of history and scenery. I am so happy we went.