Black Hills SD

Even though it's called the Black Hills in South Dakota, I don't think they looked black.
There are lots of ponderosa pines and this is a picture of me hugging one while I'm doing the bingo Junior Ranger activity.  Park rangers protect the park, pick up trash, give tours and teach kids but I don't understand why someone would build this in an Indian sacred site like the Black Hills.  I saw a movie in the Visitors Center after walking through the Avenue of Flags and found Minnesota.  It's on the right side half way.  I learned that George Washington's face was unveiled on my birthday -- the fourth of July-- 1930. Gutzon Borglun took the idea from another man named Doane Robinson and it's interesting why these four men were picked. It took 14 years to make and I wonder if they would like the idea of their face being that huge and people coming to take pictures of their rock heads.  Here's what mine would look like... I don't think I'd like to take a beautiful rock and make my huge head in it.

 I finished the Bingo game when I found out that over 400 people helped blow up the mountain making the faces.  There was a cool map with the United States history which showed the states when they joined and I have lots of questions about how the USA became the USA.   There is a big parking ramp -- it looks out of place with all the trees.   We were there on a day when no one else was outside --we had the whole place to ourselves!