My daughter and I got on the road about 10 AM on Friday the 17th. Traveling across the US with a companion is a new experience. I have done the trip twice alone. I like being with someone – someone I care about. We have not seen each other this summer so there is plenty of time to talk and laugh.
We have started some daily lists on the trip: best name for a town (Lover, PA, Paw Paw, Indiana, Blue Earth, MN). Signs we think are outrageous or odd: “Toe Service” in SD, “Abstain from sex to attain your goals” in Wisconsin. And we count things: 15 signs for cheese in Wisconsin and over 50 signs advertise Wall Drugs in SD.
We have eaten fresh cheese curds in Wisconsin and buffalo burgers in South Dakota. We have seen the world’s largest Prairie Dog (a statute) and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD ( a building covered in corn cobs and husks)
On August 21, we will drive through the Badlands and go to Mt. Rushmore.
Twenty-Seven years ago I drove these same road to move to Seattle. I remember South Dakota so well – I hated it. It was very hot, my car had no air conditioning and was running poorly (the water pump was about to go- and it did in Rapid City). The land was dry and brown and bleak. It was the day I realized I was MOVING to Seattle and not just on a trip and I was filled with fear and sadness.
This time is so different. I have a wonderful young adult daughter with me who loves to be with her mother. We share jokes and driving and philosophies of life. The land is green as they have had sufficient rain and there are huge fields of beautiful sunflowers growing along the highway.
If any one had told me 27 years ago that this would be my future I don’t think I would have believed them – it is so much better than I could have imagined! I can only suspect that the next twenty-seven years will hold at least as many wonderful surprises!
