One of my all-time favorite movies is “Animal House”, based on a fictional college fraternity starring John Belushi and Tim Matheson among others. When the Brothers of Delta House become bored with the routine as well as the oppressive demands of Dean Wormer, the only remedy was a “road trip!” My wife Kathy and I were looking for an early fall getaway from God’s Country here in West Central Ohio so we decided to venture out to South Dakota and the Black Hills including Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands along with the Crazy Horse Memorial and other sites on our own road trip.
The only other time I had been out that way was back in my bachelor days of 1974 when I ventured on a 6,000-mile journey with two great friends for a three-week trek. Kathy had never been to the Upper Midwest so we packed up a rented Wagoneer (I don’t like putting extended miles on our cars) and headed to Union City and points west.
Driving through Indiana and Illinois we decided to stay off the interstates as much as practical and went through small towns along the way, most of which were located among the beginning of the famous “Corn Belt” of the American Midwest. Have to tell you that the crops for the most part look pretty good so a bumper crop could be in the offing! Crossing the Mississippi River at the Quad Cities we concluded our first day in Dubuque, Iowa, the oldest city in Iowa and a quintessential river town.
The next day saw us drive through some of the prettiest areas in the Midwest, that being Northest Iowa and Southeast Minnesota. For those of you who think of Iowa as being flat and nondescript with nothing but cornfields you need to venture to this part of the state. The rolling hills and panoramic views of the countryside are well worth the drive! One of the prettiest little towns you’ll see is Decorah, Iowa, home of Luther College, the alma mater of retired Greenville physician Dr. Bill Osterbur.
On to Rochester, Minnesota and my brother Mark and sister-in-law Mary Ellen’s home southwest of the site of the world famous Mayo Clinic. Always a great time visiting the northern branch of the family!
Onward on day three to Sioux Falls and the beginning of the South Dakota adventure which began with an overnight lightening display that reminded me of the prolonged heavy artillery fire along the Western Front in World War One. South Dakota is a state that can be divided into four parts geographically—the eastern fourth is basically an extension of the corn and bean fields of Minnesota; the next fourth, beginning at the Missouri River (with a tremendous overlook and museum highlighting the Lewis and Clark expedition) reminds you of Kevin Costner’s epic film “Dances with Wolves”; the third section is part Badlands and prairie (the Badlands is amazing, look it up on-line as it’s a geological gem); and the western fourth of the state is grasslands and the Black Hills, truly spectacular scenery.
The object of our drive was, of course, Mt. Rushmore and the four presidents (quick, name the four!). From 1927 through 1941 the iconic American site was painstakingly carved from the mountain which was almost whimsically named after a New York lawyer!
Truly impressive, Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln come to life in awe-inspiring fashion. They were chosen to represent the birth, growth, development, and preservation of the country. You could spend days there just absorbing the history of the works and the various angles and views at different times and points.
One of the truly inspirational efforts in American history is the Crazy Horse Memorial which was started in 1947 and, while having come a long way, still has much more to go as it is predicted to become the world’s largest free standing statue. Dedicated to the preservation of the Native American culture, the size is overpowering as basically a mountain is being sculpted (see the photo for the 1/34th size model and the present work in the background). As Michelangelo said about the statue of David, the “work is being freed from the stone”. Crazy Horse when asked after his capture where his land was now, said “My lands are where my dead lie buried.” Truly will be monumental when finished but most of us won’t live long enough to see it completed!
Finally, some random thoughts as we returned home after the 2,800 mile journey—
Interstates 80 and 90 out west are easy driving as they are straight as can be (think Route 49 from Arcanum to Phillipsburg) with minimal traffic compared to around here.
Western Nebraska and its Sandhills Country is starkly beautiful but desolate. We had a 50-mile stretch where we only passed three cars! It takes a special person or family to live in that part of the Cornhusker state!
The Black Hills around Rapid City are well worth your time if you choose to go out that way. What a variety of wildlife, from the prairie dog towns to the herds of buffalo and big horn sheep. And cattle were grazing everywhere throughout our trip.
I could go on about the Minuteman Missile Museum, Wall Drug (if you’ve seen the billboards it lives up to its reputation), and the beauties and vastness of our blessed country but I’ve rambled enough. Needless to say if you have the chance, “Go West, young man, go West” as Horace Greeley once said. You won’t regret it!!
