Chapter Thirty-Four
Secret Dakota Child Labor
May 23, 2009—Sergeant Bluff to Chamberlain, SD: Today was "wait for the credit cards" day, and it started with a reasonably good chain-hotel breakfast (Bagels, toast, and orange juice).
I then camped out in the lobby at 8 AM, working on the journal and waiting for Mr. (or Ms.) FedEx guy. I called BofA to make sure that the cards had gone out, but the answer was ambiguous.
Lena spelled me at 10, and at 10:45 FedEx pulled up with our new cards. There was much rejoicing that involved dancing with the FedEx guy, the lobby clerk, and the woman in room seven. We were made whole again, and ready to resume our trip.
So off we went across South Dakota, flying along at 75 MPH. We made the obligatory stop at the “World's Only” Corn Palace, in Mitchell, SD, which has been redecorated with corn parts annually since 1890.
Mitchell is a small town, with a dark underside. Check out this picture:
You may think this is just a kiddie ride, but it’s actually a glimpse into the secret child-labor camps in Mitchell, South Dakota. This train picks up the kids for their 16-hour shifts in the sweatshop. Think I’m wrong? Do you see any smiling faces? Notice the suspicious glances of the driver and the trustie behind him?
We snuck out of Mitchell, and got one of the last campsites at the American Creek campground in Chamberlain, SD. It was a nice place on the edge of the Missouri River. We rode our bikes into town and got food for dinner and breakfast.
Something I’ve noticed on this trip is that John Lennon was right when he said “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” No matter how much fun we’re having, we’re almost always thinking about or planning the next activity. When we’re driving to the campsite, we’re planning what we’ll have for dinner. While eating dinner we’re thinking about getting the firewood. Around the fire, we’re planning the next day. It’s like watching a TV program, and having advertisements at the bottom of the screen for the next. If you’re not careful, these mini flash forwards will continue until they are cut off by death.
So you have to learn to say, “Excuse me, but I’m watching this show now.” That is, you have to remember to enjoy what you’re doing at the moment. Enjoy the journey. Not always possible, but a worthy goal.
Thunderstorm adventure coming up in the next chapter!