Tuesday night, the night before we left for South Dakota, I drove to Tonya's and we loaded shoes into my van. Boxes and boxes and boxes - and boxes - of shoes. The Caravan is CAVERNOUS, and the majority of the shoes fit into the back with no trouble. And rather than put down the back row of seats, we used the stow-n-go compartments, and had plenty of room in my vehicle, and left plenty of room in Tonya's vehicle.
Seeing my van FULL of shoes intended for kids really made everything about our trip seem more real - that we were going, why we were going, what it could mean to lots of families... For me it was energizing. Like I felt as though I had a purpose in going on this trip.
This trip.
I'm not sure how I really even ended up on this trip. I just sort of jumped right into it back in the spring. Sarah and I were helping with a shoe drive here in town, and Tonya told us she was working with her sister-in-law, Karen, to plan a shoe drive in Eagle Butte, SD, right in the middle of the poorest county in the U.S. And before I knew it, I was saying that I'd go. Right there, right then, I said "definitely, Sarah and I will go". Thank God, Charlie was cool with the idea when I told him. (Yes, thank God... Because I'm sure God did set me on this path.)
What amazes me most about this trip coming together with me going along is that I'd never spent any real time with Tonya or Heidi when I enthusiastically agreed to travel 2,000 miles with them. And even as hotel arrangements were being made, and we discussed who would be driving and riding with whom, it still never really occurred to me that I had no idea what I had gotten into. It didn't really start to hit me until we were well on our way.
Wednesday morning we were supposed to meet at 5:45 am. Sarah and I were late. (OK, OK, OK... I was late.) But we were all ready to hit the road, so we didn't really lose any time. By 6:00 we were on the highway, and headed for adventure. Because it was so early, we missed alot of commuter traffic and made great time, not really stopping except for quick bathroom breaks until the edge of Des Moines, where we hit up McDonald's for a quick lunch. Nine-ish hours of driving does make for a long day, but the first day of a trip is a good day for a long drive... You're always excited to be going somewhere, and the drive is somehow easier because of that fact..
And, besides, something I can't explain happened that first day. About half way through the afternoon, I saw a sage brush. Of all the things along the side of the road, I spotted the sage brush. And the second I did, I felt relief. At first, I wasn't sure that was the feeling, but after LOTS AND LOTS of thinking, that's what it was. I felt comfortable, and relaxed, and almost like I was in a familiar place. I still can't explain why, but that is how I felt the entire time I was in South Dakota.
Our first real stop along the way was in Sioux Falls, SD. We got there early enough that we had time to check into our hotel, get a little bit 'settled in' and drive around town to find the falls of Sioux Falls.
After our short trek to what I think was downtown Sioux Falls and the Falls (which were beautiful!), the girls wanted to go and walk around at the mall next to our hotel, so we sent them on their way to shopping glee, and we grabbed some cheese, crackers and wine for us to have back at the hotel. I think that is when the magnitude of the situation occurred to me.
I was 9 hours from home, traveling with two women I really only sort of know, and 5 of our combined daughters (well, "ours" plus one). I had nearly 100 pairs of shoes in my van, and we were headed to an Indian Reservation to distribute them in a community we'd never seen, and knew little about. The traveling with people part was remarkable in and of itself, considering how particular I am about what and where I eat and drink, and how often I like to stop when I'm driving, and all that sort of thing. But I was also rooming with those two women I really only sort of know, and that's even more remarkable for me. I'm weird about my "space", and usually do everything in my power to room alone. But there I was, realizing that I was right in the middle of it. And there was nothing to do about it but go with the flow, because I knowingly put myself there. So Tonya, Heidi, and I sat around talking for hours while the girls shopped at the mall, and by the time we we ready for bed, I had realized that the "magnitude" of things didn't really matter. I have no idea why, but I felt like I belonged there. Like I was somehow, for some reason, supposed to be exactly where I was.
And when I awoke the next day to a beautiful sunrise, I felt even more that way.
We got an early start to the day on Thursday, knowing that we had a long drive to get across South Dakota by evening. We had reservations in Rapid City, and wanted to get there in time to get our bearings,relax a little, have a decent meal, and make it to Mt. Rushmore in time to see the lighting ceremony that takes place at dusk. And, of course, we had to make a stop at the world-famous Wall Drug along the way, so we could find out for ourselves that it's really just a very, very, very large tourist gift shop.
When we got to the hotel in Rapid City, the girls were thrilled to learn there was a small water park attached to the hotel. They got their suits on, and played for a short while in there, while we three adults decompressed after a day of driving. We got an early dinner at the hotel restaurant, and then went to Mt. Rushmore.
I'm the only one who'd been to Mt. Rushmore in the past, and so it was kind of fun to see everyone's reaction when they saw the monument for the first time. As we walked onto the viewing terrace, everyone stopped to get their phones and cameras out to take pictures.
We didn't "have" to go to Mt. Rushmore. We could probably have shortened our trip by a day and skipped it, but I'm glad we didn't. I'm glad we took the time to give that experience to the girls. Our nation has some AMAZING monuments, parks, and attractions, and Mt. Rushmore is one of the cooler ones, in my opinion.
We were there with enough time to look around the gift shop, grab some ice cream, and take a few group pictures before the lighting ceremony started at dusk.
I wish I'd known about the lighting ceremony when I was at the monument a few years ago with my dad. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it. While it was much less eventful than I'd expected, it was still pretty awesome. Someone from the National Park staff came onto the stage at the base of the viewing terrace and told about the history of the monument, and gave some interesting facts. Then he invited any current and past members of the military who were present in the audience to come to the stage and be recognized, and a few of them helped with a flag folding presentation. It was a rather solemn presentation, and I was amazed that an audience of so many was so quiet throughout it. At the end of the presentation, when the skies were completely dark, the stage and viewing terrace lights dimmed, and the faces of stone were illuminated. It was beautiful!
While the lighting ceremony had been solemn and quiet, the trip from Mt. Rushmore back to the hotel in Rapid City was an adventure. We missed our turn to skirt around town to the highway, and ended up about 10 minutes into the middle of the town. Naturally, we turned back. And... you guessed it. We missed the turn again. Thanks to Google Maps and Mapquest, we finally made it back to the highway and back to the hotel, where we had a quick meeting of the minds to figure out the next day's schedule.
Rapid City is just about 30 minutes from Sturgis, and we just happened to be there on the weekend that kicked off the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. It didn't take much convincing for us to decide that we HAD to stop off in Sturgis on the way to Eagle Butte. We'd seen hundreds of motorcycles on the highway, and heard countless stories of the legendary Sturgis, and wanted to see it for ourselves. Plus, we figured the girls would get a kick out of it. With that decided, day two was done, and we hit the hay.
I'll stop part 1 of this story there. Friday and Saturday were emotional days for me, and it's hard to explain how and why. Besides, I'm sure I'm rambling and should probably collect my thoughts before I go on. Sooooo.... look for part 2 soon.
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