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Over the past couple weeks, Norman and I have seen a lot in the Midwest. And one of the common themes we've noticed is there seems to be a higher level of patriotism. Old Glory hangs from the front stoops of houses and can be seen painted on the barns. N & I have even joked that we are performing our patriotic duty by supporting middle America's economy rather than spending money overseas. We're buying from the local grocery store and gas station. We even are driving an American made car ('92 Dodge Spirit baby!).
The past couple days have been a climax of this observation. After we left North Dakota, we made a stop in the "geographic center of the United States". Actually, we made two stops. The first was the convenient and glamorous visitor center in Belle Forche, SD. The only problem is that the real US center is in the middle of a grassy plain, 20 miles outside of the town. They built a "more convenient" marker for the tourists. But it just didn't feel right, so we trekked it out to the actual site as well.
The "convenient" geographic center of the US. 
The REAL geographic center of the US (photo courtesy of N. Meznarich)The climax of patriotism was after we arrived in Keystone, SD. The town is a combination of western facade and Vegas glitz. But the main reason that Keystone is popular is because it's two miles away from Mt. Rushmore. I've never visited the memorial before, and to be honest, my initial reaction was not great. We arrived in late afternoon, so we decided to head up to the site for dinner and then catch the evening light show. The buffalo stew was tasty, but the light show left much to be desired. Most of it was displayed on a big screen, with narration by James Earl Jones. I'm sure it was a riveting video, but we wouldn't know since we couldn't see it where we were sitting. Another reason we were probably put off was the entire area was the antithesis of Theodore Roosevelt NP. Large crowds, lots of pavement, gifts shops, and a four story parking garage... I think we experienced culture shock. Nonetheless, we took our pictures,and left the presentation thinking disappointed thoughts. After taking a day off, we decided to return to the memorial during the day this morning. And I do have to say, after spending some more time looking at faces etched in granite, my opinion changed a bit. Sure, I still think what I said earlier rings true, but I have the utmost respect for the vision and labor put forth to transform a piece of massive rock into a natural treasure. Too much blood, sweat, and tears have gone into making it for me to blow it off because of all the hoopla surrounding it.
Mt. Rushmore at night. So that was this morning. After we visited the four presidents, we moved to the Badlands this afternoon... and what a change of history that is. One of the black stains in our US history is how we treated the Native Americans of the Badland region. The Oglala Lakota Tribe has resided in the area for hundreds of years. But once gold fever hit, the US government seized the land without regard for the Native Americans. Only in 1980(!) was this addressed by the Supreme Court as a "despicable act", and the Tribe was awarded over 100 million dollars. The Oglala Lakota turned the money down, stating they would rather have the land. And so it is to this day -- the OL Tribe hasn't taken the money, and the value has grown to 900+ million dollars in a trust fund of sorts. And the catch is that the tribe will never be able to recoup the land that once was theirs.
Sorry, this is the only picture I have to convey the culture of the Native Americans.
View from "Notch Point" overlooking the Badlands.
So what can I draw from this? That over the past 200 years, our country has much to be proud of and much to be ashamed for. But I do feel that although we can't correct our transgressions of the last two centuries, we can learn from them, and continue to strive for progress. And that is
something to be proud of.
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