Interstate Adventures

When we arrived at a Best Western hotel in Spearfish, South Dakota, it was time to do the laundry. I walked into the local laundromat and was greeted by a sign that read “We also own the casino next door, if you need assistance please come over.” I put a ten-dollar bill in the change machine and the quarters flowed out.

I was glad the laundromat was mostly empty so that I could get the laundry done as quickly as possible. There was another couple near the dryers folding more towels than the two of them could possibly use. I maneuvered a large pile of wet clothes from the washer area to the dryers and the gentleman wheeled over a cart to me. I asked if they were from Spearfish. The woman said she has a family house in the canyon and they have been coming from Oregon to South Dakota every year. They were folding towels for the next guests as we talked about their trip home. We laughed about how we were very close to the geographical center of the nation, so we met half way.

I mentioned we were going to Mount Rushmore after dinner for sunset. The gentleman talked about his first time visiting Rushmore which was about fifty years ago. He said it was a gravel lot, now they have organized parking. “They really commercialized it.” He mentioned how a park ranger invited everyone to sit down on a bench, there were enough seats for about 500 people. He gave a talk, they watched a video, and everyone sang the national anthem. After he heard click click click and Mount Rushmore went from dark to lit up. I was surprised when he said, “I get teary just thinking about it.”

Later that night we went to Mount Rushmore and true to the gentleman’s word, the parking was modernized and efficient. We found a spot in between two other vans similar to ours. We followed a path toward the monument and I noticed a couple with two children speaking French taking a selfie in front of the monument. 

We explored and eventually joined everyone else in the amphitheater. There were about 2,500 people gathered. The park ranger opened her presentation with memories of her own road trip with her mother after she graduated from high school. 

As the ceremony began a few stragglers balancing big cups of ice-cream came to find seats. The arena was quiet except for some complaining from the youngest members of this audience. At the end of the video, we all sang the National Anthem, and I noticed we sounded surprisingly harmonious. All veterans, people currently serving, and those who lost loved ones in the military were invited on stage. The stage was crowded as they conducted Evening Colors. This moment transcended time and modernization. It was then that I understood why a visit to Mount Rushmore for the sunset ceremony could move someone to tears.