This is a good example of how traditions get started on the trips, now that we went to Mt. Rushmore once, and it seemed to be a success, it is a requirement to visit Mt. Rushmore again whenever possible, like it or not. So a few years later after the first Mt. Rushmore visit, we were on the trip this time with my friend Ted and the entire rest of my family (Mom and sisters) I mentioned before about the trip with Ted that Mom came along under duress and was somewhat miserable the whole time. We reached the main milestone of Estes Park and had an unusual adventure there (Big Thompson River flood of 1976 - another story), so after Estes we were officially on our way back home taking the customary Northern route, and like always the trip back home was an intentionally drawn out and meandering route, which was Dad's way of taking his time getting home and avoiding ending the trip for as long as possible. It was not unusual for Dad to successively take shorter and shorter legs the closer he got to home, travelling sometimes only 25 miles at a time and basically staying at motels in our own neighborhood before actually getting home, for some reason arriving home and ending the trip was upsetting and traumatic for Dad so he did his best to prolong and avoid ending it, much to the frustration to everyone else on the trip who was ready to go home the first week. But anyway, we were in Estes Park a few days longer than expected due to the flood, Mom long since had enough and just wanted her misery to end and would have gladly just driven back home straight through, the whole 1200 miles without stopping. But Ted, still amazed and excited by the whole adventure mentioned casually that he would like to see Mt. Rushmore. I remember the look of horror on Mom's face when Ted suggested this and an appearance of panic mixed with a helpless anger came over her face, knowing that just the slightest mention of any roadside attraction would surely turn into a week long detour. Mom yelled out a desperate and vain "NO!!" which only succeeded in clinching the deal with Dad, who then felt obligated to make this Mt. Rushmore request a reality for Ted. Dad also for some reason was intent on doing whatever the opposite Mom or anyone else wanted just out of spite and to contradict, thus making it seem like an unreasonable request to deny Ted and the rest of us a chance to see Mt. Rushmore. So with a bit of tension we were off again back home to Los Angeles, via So. Dakota.
The night before we got to Mt. Rushmore we had traveled an unusually long distance and got into some town later than usual. Everyone at this point was tired, upset and cranky, and we couldn't find any suitable motels with a vacancy. Dad however managed to find a hotel in town, one of those older drab and dreary hotels with bathrooms down the hallway, places Mom and I would consider a dump, but this seemed the only place Dad would accept us staying at for the night and refused to look any further for a better motel. I think I was feeding off my Moms unhappiness and I recall that I had a tantrum and refused to sleep the night in the hotel, Dad countered with the suggestion that I sleep in the car, which I considered but with further thought calmed down and conceded to sleep with everyone else in the hotel room. As it turned out everyone was so tired that we hardly spent any awake time in the room and promptly went to sleep. Silently we endured the atmosphere of the hotel and the inconvenience of using the bathroom down the hall, and despite the ridiculousness of the situation Mom and I managed to complain about the hotel for days after that stay.
The next morning was my birthday and we were scheduled to be at Mt. Rushmore later that day. I think we were glad to be leaving the dumpy hotel not so much that it was dumpy, but that it caused such a hissy fit among us. Even as we were leaving early that morning I couldn't let it go and was still complaining about Dad's choice of accommodations. This sent Dad over the edge and he lost his temper demanding that I shut up about the whole thing already and he threatened to withhold my allowance for the day. This only upset me even more, being my birthday and all, and I expected better and preferential treatment, but Dad's anger was formidable and I went to sulking in the back seat for a few hours.
When we arrived at Mt. Rushmore tempers had cooled and things had calmed down to a normal tempo forgetting the unpleasantness of the morning. The monument itself was spectacular as usual and even Mom was impressed for the moment. Everyone had a good look at the presidents faces in the mountain and we were all happy again. The attraction had something new to offer this time, helicopter rides to view the mountain from the air. For $50, the helicopter flight was a 5 minute jaunt up in the air, an exciting bank and turn, and back down again. Well, Ted and I couldn't resist and we pleaded with Dad to let us take a helicopter ride, especially since it was my birthday and deserved something special - especially after that miserable night in that flea bag we just stayed in (but I didn't dare mention that now...) So Dad and Mom nervously watched a few flights to determine the practicality and safety of this special treat, Mom noticed and read the disclaimer and laughed that they're insured for $1,000,000, like that would make any difference. So to my surprise (I was sure they would say no) Mom and Dad agreed to the helicopter ride for me and Ted. Ted And I climbed into the seat with the pilot and buckled up and we immediately took off into the air, It was totally exciting and I wasn't afraid at all, the sensation of flying in a helicopter gives you the feeling of freedom and weightlessness. I don't even really remember seeing Mt. Rushmore being too enthralled with the actual flying in the helicopter. After a short time the pilot made a sharp turn and bank and looking off to the right out the door of the helicopter, we were looking straight down off the side, it was so cool. A short time later we landed and it was the shortest 5 minutes I ever spent. Dad and Mom greeted us, and they sincerely felt just as excited about our adventure as we did, noting how the bank the pilot made for us appeared more extreme and exciting than some of the other flights they observed, Ted and I felt privileged and somehow thought the pilot considered us especially brave and deserving of an exciting maneuver. Mom was now relieved we didn't crash and had to explain to Ted's parents he died in a fiery helicopter accident. My sisters seemed a little put out and jealous but resigned they were too little to fly. I thanked Dad profusely and decided to forget about the dumpy hotel forever, this helicopter ride more than made up for that miserable night. After the helicopter ride we took one last look at Mt. Rushmore and then all got into the car and proceeded to the next destination. Ted and I were pumped for hours and talked about nothing but the helicopter.
Later that evening we arrived in Rapid City, and much to everyone's relief Dad was feeling nice and found us an especially attractive and unusual motel to stay for the night, a complete contrast to the night before, It might've been just luck but it was one of the nicest, roomy and clean motels during that whole trip, which goes to show how unpredictable events on our trip can be. But in any case it was a nice and memorable conclusion for my birthday.
No comments:
Post a Comment