Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 55 miles throughout the day, approximately 1.5 hours. Biking 30.1 miles; max of 4% grade and 500 feet in elevation gain; a wide trail of crushed gravel and limestone. A sag wagon will parallel trail for those who may need assistance during the ride. Walking up to 1 mile throughout the day; moving through museum up to 1 hour. Elective walk on the Presidential Trail, about 1/2 mile, some stairs.
At the hotel.
We will board the motorcoach and travel back to the Harbach Trailhead where we’ll collect our assigned bicycles and prepare with another Group Leader safety and trail highlights brief. We’ll then bike from the Harbach Trailhead to the Mystic Trailhead, about 30 miles. The historic town of Mystic, was named on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Once a bustling town visited by President Coolidge in the summer of 1927, it is now marked by the McCahan Chapel and a few other historic cabin buildings. The ride to Mystic encompasses some of the most breathtaking scenery along the trail. Lush meadows, pine and evergreen forests, crystal stream waters, and two of three hard rock tunnels will greet us along the trail. For those who wish, there will be an opportunity to stop and explore the quaint town of Hill City independently. It features local artist galleries, shops, and museums including the South Dakota Railroad Museum and the Black Hills Institute of Geologic Research.
At Mystic, we’ll have a pre-selected box lunch.
Continuing via motorcoach, we’ll ride to the town of Keystone. Under the guidance of our expert Group Leader, we’ll explore the United States’ Shrine of Democracy: Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Danish-American sculptor Gutzon Borglum, the creator of Mount Rushmore, wrote: “The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States with colossal statues of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.” Borglum intended his monumental sculpture to be not only a memorial to four of our greatest Presidents but a Shrine to Democracy. Why these four? Washington led the nascent United States to win independence from Great Britain. Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence. Roosevelt the “trust buster” ensured the rights of working people and was instrumental in building the Panama Canal. Lincoln led the country through the Civil War. Borglum began work in 1927 and continued until his death in 1941, when his son, Lincoln Borglum, took it on and ended work later that year. We will have an opportunity to expand our exploration of Mount Rushmore with an elective, independent short walk on a portion of the Presidential Trail to Borglum’s studio. Interpretive signage along the way will illuminate more about the monument, its construction, and the artist whose vision produced one of America’s most iconic symbols. We will return to the hotel after our field trip.
At the hotel.
We will board the motorcoach and travel to attend the Lighting Ceremony at Mount Rushmore, a patriotic program presented by a park ranger in the open, outdoor auditorium. Subject to weather.
