Just use a few boxes of these
Posted on 07/07/2005 7:01:58 PM PDT by Liberty Valance
Call it a makeover of monumental proportions. A crew began a project Thursday to wash the granite faces of Mount Rushmore to remove decades of dirt, grime and lichens that can damage the complexion of the four presidents.
The workers began scaling the mountain and offered a demonstration of the pressure washing on Thursday, and plan to start the full-scale cleaning Friday. The job could take five weeks.
Thorsten Mowes, a technician with the German company leading the project, started the demonstration Thursday by spraying the left side of Thomas Jefferson's forehead with a stream of pressurized water. He also gave Jefferson's eyelid and jaw a quick blast.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
I wonder if they'll find Martin Landau's body up there. ;)
Well, about time is all I have to say. If there is anything that gets my blood boiling, it is a dirty monument.
I feel like my Mother saying that. I can hear her "Get that monument clean, yall hear me! I dont wanta say it again or I will call you Daddy"
Maybe they're doing this as a warmup to the next HUGE project, giving Ted Kennedy his semi-annual sponge bath. He gets one every few years whether he needs it or not!
When are they getting The Great Ronald Reagan's face up there?
5 Weeks.....They could rushmore!!!
You are really bad for making me laugh at the thought.
LOL! If you've never been to Mt. Rushmore...do it! My wife and I made the trip about 15 years ago and were awestruck by the monument and the work that must have gone into it. It really is magnificent.
I have never been there.
I want to go there and to Deadwood. Since I have watched the HBO show I have been dying to go to Deadwood.
Yeah, you laugh, what about the poor slobs who have to repel down that massive mountain, spraying away any grotesque thingees growing in the crevices--I'm talking about Kennedy, of course, not Mt. Rushmore. Hey, is this mic on? There's a Nancy Pelosi lookalike contest in the house tonight, and so far the men are winning! Good night folks, don't forget to tip your waitress!
Quit it, you hear me. Or I am going to call your Daddy!
LOL so hard I can't type!
Speaking of which, Ernest Lehman died last Saturday.
Just use a few boxes of these
Re: "...I have been dying to go to Deadwood."
Well, you've capture the entire spirit of that #%*!ing show where every c#*&#uker gets killed eventually...
I know. He was a great writer and gave some great interviews on working in Hollywood. He had a terrific ability to tell a story and deliniate character. I remember him talking about how he turned down writing the script for The Hunt for Red October because he couldn't figure out how to tell the story--most writers aren't so honest.
and some photos...
http://www.travelsd.com/parks/rushmore/photos.asp
More outsourcing to those damned Indians, er Chicoms, er, oh, never mind.
Now we are outsourcing washing of our presidents? What? No American washers?
Gee, great minds.... ever mind :-)
The washings are compliments of a German manufacturer of cleaning machines that has donated 80 such projects around the world, said Alfred Karcher GmbH & Co. KG spokesman Frank Schad. He said the company pressure washed the base of the Statue of Liberty two years ago and was looking for another interesting project to do in the United States.
"As a federal agency, we don't have a lot of money in our budget to be pressure washing faces," said Judy Olson, Mount Rushmore's chief of interpretation. "When they said they would do it for free, that's when we started considering having this done."
>>we don't have a lot of money in our budget to be pressure washing faces<<
That's my excuse too.
LOL!
I live four miles from the "faces". I never tire of taking visiting relatives and friends to the monument. If anyone needs a personal tour guide, let me know.
Another great trip is the Crazy Horse carving between Hill City and Custer, SD. (about 20 miles from me) Still under progress, but it will be fabulous when done. It will be even larger than Mt. Rushmore.
Our Sturgis/Black Hills Classic/Harley Davidson motorcycle rally is about four weeks from now. Another "must see to be believed" experience. We are expecting about 500,000 bikes and riders. Pretty awesome.
Perhaps the Chamber of Commerce should hire me.
Presidents of Mount Rushmore Getting a Much-Needed Face Wash
Published: Jul 8, 2005 MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) - Call it a makeover of monumental proportions.
A crew began a project Thursday to wash the granite faces of Mount Rushmore to remove decades of dirt, grime and lichens that can damage the complexion of the four presidents.
The workers began scaling the mountain and offered a demonstration of the pressure washing on Thursday, and plan to start the full-scale cleaning Friday. The job could take five weeks.
Thorsten Mowes, a technician with the German company leading the project, started the demonstration Thursday by spraying the left side of Thomas Jefferson's forehead with a stream of pressurized water. He also gave Jefferson's eyelid and jaw a quick blast.
"The roots of the lichens are digging into the stone," said Mowes, who scaled George Washington's face in April and discovered invasive lichens.
It is the first time in Mount Rushmore's 65-year history that the famous South Dakota monument is getting such a cleaning.
The washings are compliments of a German manufacturer of cleaning machines that has donated 80 such projects around the world, said Alfred Karcher GmbH & Co. KG spokesman Frank Schad. He said the company pressure washed the base of the Statue of Liberty two years ago and was looking for another interesting project to do in the United States.
"As a federal agency, we don't have a lot of money in our budget to be pressure washing faces," said Judy Olson, Mount Rushmore's chief of interpretation. "When they said they would do it for free, that's when we started considering having this done."
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum carved Mount Rushmore in 21 blocks of granite that contained many pre-existing cracks. Borglum's maintenance plan called for filling the cracks with a mixture of white lead, linseed oil and granite dust. In 1991, the monument switched to a newer silicone sealant, and Park Service workers dangle from harnesses each year to inspect and fill the cracks.
But lichens still develop in crevices and can cause "bio-corrosion," producing an acid that can damage the faces.
"I don't think the average visitor will be able to tell the difference" after the power washing, said Duane Bubac, Mount Rushmore facilities manager. "It's mainly a stabilization and preservation activity."
Schad said workers will take special care near the cracks, which are more porous than the granite. They will use no chemicals, opting instead for pressurized water of more than 200 degrees.
Pressure washing is the perfect method for historical structures, Schad said, because it offers an incredible amount of flexibility. Workers can adjust the pressure in the pump, water flow, temperature, and spray distance, as well as their own muscle movement, to get the effect they need.
Six National Park Service rangers from Mount Rushmore and a volunteer from the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial are working with the German company on the project.
"I've been wanting to go out on the faces for a long time now since I got here," said Blaine Kortemeyer, who has spent five of his 15 years as a ranger at Mount Rushmore.
AP-ES-07-08-05 0026EDT
At least the show is on hiatus and my coworkers don't have to hear the "c" word so often. It shocks them when it slips out of my aging mouth. Especially the young ones who think their Granny has slipped a cog.
Come to think of it, I'm sure that pressure washing my house would also be an interesting project. Maybe I should check to see whether they're still making donations.
while they're up there maybe they can help Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall.
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