It was thoroughly expected that today was going to be the most boring day of the road trip. Driving all day with a short stop to see Mt. Rushmore? Hardly the same thrill of Wisconsin cheese curds or vast Grand Canyon chasms.
However, the day that did transpire was the most comprehensively beautiful in my memory. It really made me appreciate the full experience this country has to offer. It is easy to see why people flee to this country and hard to understand why people forget its wonder (Dammit Elian Gonzalez).
In a single day we managed to travel from rolling hills that were straight out of the bucolic-gasm that is a Thomas Kinkade portrait to the Badlands, whose immediately apparent age and desolate creepiness were intimidating and "Wow"-inducing. As if that contrast wasn't enough, the Black Hills, Kansas grasslands, and what seem to be the foothills of the Rockies were all equally breathtaking. It is the sort of thing I had always associated with German, Irish, and Swiss countrysides (respectively).
We drove on backroads and through towns that didn't exist on our GPS averaging a speed of 90 miles per hour (this was not purposeful, but rather a result of being so distracted by the beauty around us and the smoothness of the road). The little town of Van Tassle was a shock as the elevation out numbered the population almost 250 times over. With a population of 18 it is fair to say that I actually know personal residences with more people than Van Tassle. Alex, Dave, and I plan on one day moving to Van Tassle to use our political clout to get the name changed to something more fun (like F--- It, Nebraska).
If only the journey occured today, the hours would have been a smashing success, but we did manage to see the two of the biggest sights of South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore is a very strange paradox as it is both impressive and kind of a let down. The stone faces of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Teddy don't scream adulation and wonderment. However, the technique of such precision dynamite and jack hammer work and the engineering and large-scale art tools is simply too much to not be impressed. Unless you are Dave... but he is simply a American-Canadian and may not understand.
The other stop was at Wall Drug, which is essentially a GIANT drug store filled with souveniers, food, kitchy items, and small sights (like a large dinosaur or jumping water fountain for example). It is really, however, a testament to the power of advertising, because it is a tourist hot spot but offers nothing special. It is like some weird meta-joke, a landmark for landmarks sake. Billboards for the location can be seen for hundreds of miles, even thousands. A multi-million dollar empire simply build of the premise of "Free Ice Water." Pretty cool.
I am sorry dear readers that I didn't hyperlink like crazy today, I am sure you will miss it. I am also sorry that I wasn't as comical as usual today, but I think the post below about Alex makes up for it. There is so much more to talk about today racing trains, rhubarb pie, ghost towns, solar panel flora, but I will not bore you with the space. You gotta just experience it for yourself.
The motto we came up with that we feel the tourism board should pick up, "South Dakota: Prepare for awesomeness."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment