Margaret M. Manchester Writes

On our way west, Bernard and I made the trek to see Mount Rushmore—it figures prominently on lists of places to visit on the northern route of a cross-country trip. It is located in the Black Hills, a site sacred to the Lakota Sioux and many other Indian nations. I’ve always wanted to see it. I have to confess we were underwhelmed. I expected it to be much larger .

We were more fascinated by the vision and the engineering that enabled completion of the sculptures in fourteen years. 90% of the sculpture was carved out using dynamite and a precision form of pointing and drilling different size holes that would then be filled with dynamite—the explosions resulted in the energence of the four presidential busts each of which are 60 feet all. The sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed the sculpture called the “Shrine of Democracy.” It is astonishing that no workers died working on the monument. It was really an impressive feat, and learning about how the sculptors were able to carve the busts into the granite walls of Mount Rushmore was far more interesting than the monument itself. More than 2 million visitors visit the monument each year; this year we were two among many!

As you travel west, you can’t help but notice the signs for Wall Drug on the side of the road. The first one I recall seeing was 255 miles away. As we drew nearer, the signs (and the claims they made) grew bigger and bolder. We couldn’t NOT check it out.

Wall, South Dakota became an iconic stop on a western road trip when the National Park Service built the road through the Badlands National Park in the early 1930’s. It became famous for offering thirsty travelers a free drink of water and a 5-cent cup of coffee. Today it is a 76000 sq. ft emporium selling all things western. During peak season, an estimated 20,000 tourists a day stop there. There is a separate parking lot for buses.

I honestly don’t know how I feel about the whole Wall Drug experience. It has a positive impact on the local economy, providing jobs and attracting tourist dollars. Like a lot of things American, it started out small and has been supersized.

We had breakfast at the café, and the coffee is still five cents a cup. We bought a piece of homemade cherry pie for our picnic later. And on the way out of town, we saw the worlds’ largest Jackalope!!!

I recognize that everyone needs to earn a living. Tourist dollars have a huge impact on the local economies; but, personally I find the extreme commercialization to be off-putting. On the one hand, I am glad we made the effort to visit there; on the other hand, we won’t return.

Truckers can get a shave, a haircut, see a dentist, and a host of other services (including getting their dog washed)! It was amazing! And there is a huge truckers’ museum as well. Somewhere on the road, we had passed a huge truck that had run off the road and overturned in the gully. It must have just happened, and we saw a last 6 truckers who had pulled over on both sides of the road and were running to help. We witnessed firsthand the fellowship and brotherhood of truck drivers as they came to one another’s assistance. I will definitely go back, especially when I get my dog!

Thanks for tuning in.

Margaret