One of my most memorable vacations was actually a road trip my family and I took about nine years ago. Our last major trip the family made together.
We traveled from Oregon to Minnesota to visit my extended family. By the end of the two weeks, we were all extremely tired and didn’t want to see a car or freeway for months. Like most people we planned our trip with an atlas and AAA books with sticky notes on places and cities we wanted to see. Only we didn’t realize the magnitude of the distance we needed to travel and the short amount of time we had available. Many of the sticky notes we weren’t able to visit.
We made the traditional stop of Mount Rushmore. Although I’d seen this as a child, I was once again amazed at the enormity of the sculpture and wonderment of how anyone could make something so grand. The day of our visit was the day before Pres. Bush was to speak there. The area was swarming with Secret Service and technicians preparing for his speech. The novelty of their preparations added to our memories and excitement of the day.
Another stop was to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota where my grandmother was raised. Although she’d never told us about her life there we discovered how desolate and isolated the area is.
The trip reminded me of the old song This Land is Your Land for we truly saw how vast and varied our country is, from the enormity of Yellowstone to the uniqueness of Deadwood, SD. There are many places my husband and I would love to go back and see again. This time without the kids asking every 15 minutes “Are we there yet?”
Cinnamon
What a great trip! Would love to have made it with you. Always wanted to see the Dakota Hills and the state where my dad was born.
ReplyDeleteI think every parent in the world hates the phrase, "Are we there yet?"
Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories with us.
Sable Angel
You needed your angel wings so you could have flown from place to place!
ReplyDeleteBoth of my parents were raised in South Dakota, and we made several trips there when I was growing up--usually without any extra time either. My parents tell of one trip where I screamed all the way across the Red Desert while their old car overheated. Of course, I don't remember any such thing. :)
This land truly is amazing, isn't it? Someone could spend a lifetime exploring it and still not see everything!
Thank you for sharing your memories of seeing a few pieces of this beautiful land!
-Amber Angel