In the summer of 1996 we made a trip to Mount Rushmore. This trip became a series of quests. This started innocently enough. We stopped at a Burger King for lunch in St. George, Utah. And there it was, in a lexan display, a Quasimoto finger puppet. Being in a generous mood and partially as compensation�for being stuck in the car for so long, we bought one. Thus it began. The quest to find them all. It is safe to say that no Burger King escaped us. We hit them all until we had Quasimoto, Esmerelda, Phoebus and Hugo.

In Jackson, Wyoming the second quest began. The quest for hat pins. We collected fourteen different hat pins from the various places we visited on this trip.

The third quest....

The quest for Junior Ranger Programs. The National Park Service has a program for youngsters twelve and under (age limits vary by location) called the Junior Ranger Program. This program of activities, such as lectures, slide presentations and walks is designed to educate the kids about facts concerning that particular site. We went to National Parks and National Historical Sites that were not on our original itinerary. Places I didn't even know existed like, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, Ft. Laramie National Historic Site in Wyoming and Scott's Bluff in Nebraska. �This was a great activity for the kids. And at the completion of each program the Junior Ranger received a patch or badge commemorating the achievement.

The primary goal was Mount Rushmore. This is quite a spectacular memorial. At first glance the sculpture looks like all the pictures you've seen before. However, if you listen to the talk, (part of the Junior Ranger Program) given by the staff on how the work was done, you will get a better perspective of, and appreciation for, this artwork. Really amazing! You can find a South Dakota Office of Tourism website here.

Less than twenty miles away stands a work in progress. The memorial to Crazy Horse. This is also a must see. The sculpture is starting to take shape. And when you think that this work may still be on going when the sculptors pass on, that their successors will carry on their vision....

These quests, while at times tedious and time consuming, formed the binder that made this trip a "family" undertaking.

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