The Shrine of Democracy...

I didn't have a plan - just wanted to ride.  I suggested to Joan that we take the back roads to Keystone and have a late lunch.  Along the way, I presented an alternative: How about we go to Mt Rushmore and have lunch there, with a view of the Presidents?  She was in.

Along the way...

Neck Yoke Road, and then Rockerville Road are a great alternative to Hwy 16, the main highway between Rapid City and Mt Rushmore; instead of dealing with traffic, we had fun curves and hardly any other vehicles.  It has been a while since we've had the opportunity to crank it up in the twisties... and my first time to do so with the Vespa.  This is a good road to knock the rust off.

This eventually takes us to Keystone, the ultra-touristy town near Mt Rushmore.  I was needing gas, so we pulled into a station there... $3.59/gallon... because they can... fortunately, the Vespa doesn't hold much.  From there, it is about 2 miles up-hill to Mt Rushmore...

The photo immediately above was a grab shot - yes, that is "the faces" in the upper right.  LOTS of traffic heading into the parking at the Memorial...

The area around the Memorial has changed over the years: it used to be mostly natural, but about 30 years ago, it was decided that the grounds needed to be "more impressive"... it became like other large memorials, with granite columns and large framework.  The carving didn't change, just the area around it.  Gutzon Borglum, the artist who designed and helped carve the memorial had one requirement before it was turned over to the government: they could never charge people to come see this magnificent mountain carving.  SO, in order to raise money to fund the parking ramp and "Washington DC looking entrance", they started to charge for parking.  It does not cost to go to the Memorial... but they eliminated ALL the free parking; so, now it is $10 per vehicle to park there.  No charge beyond that.  Pretty sure that isn't what my buddy Gutzon had in mind, but the folks who ramrodded "the upgrade" got around the "no charge" thing.

On the bright side, as I was handing the young lady at the parking booth for our lane (there are multiple lanes leading in), she asked if either of us was "62 or older."

"Yes, ma'am, we both are."  We got our parking passes for $5.  Another perk for living this long.  The pass is good for one year, so we will be back again while we're here.  The grounds are beautiful; some nice walks below the carving; and you can have a meal while taking it all in.  I think breakfast here will be our next visit.

Another guy directed us which ramp to go to: Ramp 6, which turned out to be one of the reasonably close ones and not a lot of stairs to climb.  Getting parked and ready to visit...

Walking up towards the Memorial...

We have been here many times - this was one of our favorite rides when we lived in the Black Hills.  Any time anyone came to visit, a trip to Mt Rushmore was a must.  I am still awe-struck at the vast undertaking the creation of this Memorial was.  There is some interesting history on how Gutzon Borglum wound up selecting this mountain and determining how to do the actual carving.  I won't be going into that here, but it is worth a visit to the Rushmore Borglum Story Museum in Keystone to learn more about it.

We bypassed the huge crowds waiting in line to buy ice cream and went to the restaurant.  It used to be run by a local woman, but has since been turned over to Xanterra, one of the major vendors at many National Parks.  The food is more "institutional," but it was good, considering.  Our table had a nice view of the carving.

After we ate, we went out onto what used to be the observation deck... it is now an area with tables with umbrellas, but you can still get an unobstructed view of the Memorial...

Back to the bikes...

Down the mountain, and back into Keystone...

In that image above, this lane of traffic was backed up due to the pedestrian crosswalks regularly spaced thoughout the 4 block touristy part of Keystone.  I have no issue with the crosswalks... it is surprising to me that people walk out into them without looking first.  Yes, vehicle traffic is supposed to stop... I still look before taking that first step.

Back roads back to the Ranch.  We did get passes for each bike that go on the handlebars (like a wrist-band) so we don't have to get out the paper entrance pass.  The riding back was just as much fun.  There was a Harley trike that went by us while we were stopped in Keystone so I could put my phone in the holder.  They had a 4 or 5 minute head-start on us.  We caught up to them before our turnoff into the Resort.  I joked to Joan, "We could have spanked them if we wanted."  As we got close, you could see that the guy was pushing it harder - he did not want to be passed by a couple scooters.  We backed off, taking any pressure off that guy.

It has been a while since we've been able to ride some good twisties... I have really missed this.  The Vespa did great - I think the PCX may have a bit more jump on it off the line, but the Vespa continues to pull like the throttle was a rheostat.  The wheelbase is a bit longer than the PCX, but the wheels are a bit smaller diameter, making it equally sporty.

It was a great afternoon - can't wait to do it again!