A while back, my travel partner said let’s do the Mount Rushmore Half Marathon. I said send me the details. With a description of “This is a challenging course with lots of gorgeous views of Mount Rushmore and the surrounding Black Hills“, how could I resist? Anywho, Mount Rushmore and visiting my 41st state, here I come!
The Trip
Let me tell you, it ain’t easy getting to South Dakota. Flying out Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, it requires an act of Congress. Yep, two connections. Tell me why!! 😫 What is even crazier, I had a business trip scheduled during my trip to South Dakota. So I had to call Delta and change my itinerary without losing my sanity.
So my week started flying from Ft. Lauderdale to Salt Lake City to Reno, then driving to Carson City. On Thursday, take an early morning flight from Reno to Salt Lake City to Rapid City. By the time we landed and deplaned, I was exhausted to the point I forgot my luggage on the jetway. I had to run back and get it. 🏃♀️ The final straw was attempting to check into the wrong hotel. I’ve been in 3 different time zones in less than one week. Kiddies, don’t try this!
After checking into the correct hotel, I decided to rest and relax for a minute before exploring Rapid City.
Rapid City
Rapid City is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the gateway to Mount Rushmore. Did you know that Rapid City is known as the “City of Presidents“? The downtown area which is on Main Street (yep, there is one in every U.S. city) has statues of the Presidents on each corner/intersection. Yep, all 43 are there! Number 44 (Barack Obama) will be installed in Spring 2019. Here is a little sneak preview and let me know whose who.
I even took a picture with Martie. You know Martin Van Buren, the 8th President.
Boy did I have a great time? It was like a scavenger hunt and a history lesson. Now that I met all the Presidents, it is time for some real sleep to actually see the 4 dead white President on the side of a mountain.