Strapped into an American Dream by Glenn G. Maynard

Author:Glenn G. Maynard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Publish on Demand Global LLC

September 10, 1992

What a thrill we felt, being close to Mount Rushmore. Never would we have visited South Dakota just for this attraction, but now it almost smiled upon our doorstep. There are so many attractions in this southwest corner of the state, but when the day began, we wondered if we’d be doing anything due to the clinking and whistling in the engine. We could not put off finding an RV center even though we found ourselves in the middle of tourism.

When a mechanic asked me to start the engine, we heard no noise even remotely foreign. The engine actually sounded pretty good. The mechanic jumped in and took a ride with us up and down the Black Hills, a fairly decent challenge, but the engine still behaved well.

Finally, a slight rattle took some concentration to hear, but the mechanic could only offer a suggestion that the U-joint might be the cause, eventually spelling trouble for the driveshaft. His seventy dollar estimate entailed one day to chase the part down in Rapid City, so we agreed to return if the problem worsened.

The mountains leading to Mount Rushmore steepened, and the camper choked, spit, and sneezed to the top. The earlier problem recurred and intensified as we wound our way up. We resigned ourselves to the fact that the work had to be performed on the engine, but we wanted to view the faces carved into the mountain first.

As we ascended the mountain, roadside trees gave way to a clearing, allowing a distant view of what we had come to see. There it was…Mount Rushmore, but additional trees blocked the monument out again until we could stand before it.

Gutzon Borglum’s sculpture required ninety percent dynamite blasting and ten percent hand carving by a crew of over three hundred sixty men. Mount Rushmore, named in 1885 after New York City lawyer Charles Rushmore, became the dedicated site in 1927 by President Calvin Coolidge. The Memorial site had smooth grain and a fine texture of stone that appealed to carving. Unfortunately, lack of funds and bad weather prolonged the project, which lasted fourteen years and cost $990,000.

It was time for us to see this work, so our quick steps moved us to the visitor’s center before feasting our eyes. Standing before Mount Rushmore felt better than I imagined. A genuinely patriotic feeling delivered shock waves through me as I focused in on the individual presidents who paved the way for the creation of the United States as we know it.

George, Thomas, Theodore, and Abraham stared blankly over our heads, admiring the country that had become as much a part of their lives as their lives had become a part of the country.

I had no idea that this popular attraction would be more than faces in the mountain. Tracy could not break away either. Enraptured, she did not want to lose the moment any more than I did, and that was the reason for our moment of silence.

Not wanting it to end, we agreed to return to the camper for dinner, then watch the lighting of Mount Rushmore at night.

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