The Black Hills Travel Blog

Holiday National Treasure Preview & Rushmore Trip

By Dustin • Nov 26th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Mount Rushmore and the Avenue of Flags Lit at Night

I haven’t been keeping good track of which movie trailers I see on TV – there’s been a lot of them this time of year, after all – but for the first time I can remember, I saw a promo for National Treasure: Book of Secrets on the boob tube over this past holiday weekend.

It was just a 30-second spot, but there were several Mount Rushmore scenes sprinkled around – and a few I hadn’t seen before. The one that comes to mind was a nicely-staged shot of Nicolas Cage and Justin Bartha in front of the Lincoln Borglum Museum, the four faces of the mountain reflected in the granite-framed glass behind them.

This struck me in particular because I had only been there a few days before. My wife and I took a friend visiting from Mississippi, and we poked around the memorial right around sunset. I wasn’t sure if they were lighting the mountain in the winter, but a helpful ranger pointed out that they brighten Rushmore year-round. We explored the museum until it got dark, then we wandered outside.

By the way, I love that museum. I can’t decided which is my favorite – the plunger that lets you set off historic explosions on the video screen, or the compilation of Mount Rushmore’s appearances in pop culture. The pop culture display might edge the explosions out, thanks to the Muppets.

Anyway, I got a couple of neat night shots while we were there. Nothing Pulitzer-prize winning, but fun anyway. I posted my favorite above, but you can see the rest in my Mount Rushmore Flickr album.

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About the Author

Dustin is a fifth-generation South Dakotan, grew up exploring the forested gulches of the Black Hills. While studying at Oxford University, Dustin discovered the amazing combination of student discounts and the European rail system, and set off to see the continent. Eleven countries, five trains, a Greek fishing boat and several pubs later, Dustin realized a deep affinity for travel. Although he’s journeyed across three continents since then, the Black Hills remain one of his favorite places to explore. Now a member of the Western Writers of America, Dustin has penned several travel guides on the Black Hills, Badlands, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming for publishers including Fodor’s and Globe Pequot.
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