by Jon Balsbaugh
“I sometimes think drivers don’t know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly,” she said. “If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! he’d say, that’s grass! A pink blur? That’s a rose-garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows. My uncle drove slowly on a highway once. He drove forty miles an hour and they jailed him for two days. Isn’t that funny, and sad, too?”
— in Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451
As we wound up the one-and-a-half lane road (at its best) with a steep incline, obscured views, and a posted speed limit of 5 mph, my teenage daughter asked with a tone somewhere between amazement and utter perplexity, “Where are we, anyway?”
I didn’t really know, but thanks to Google I at least knew where we were headed — to Elk Mound Hill Castle. I had never heard of Elk Mound Hill Castle until the trip. All I knew was that it was just off the freeway somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin. I had discovered it simply by searching for “attractions” along our route instead of “rest stop” or “gas station” when we needed a break.
When we reached the top, we found a three-story limestone lookout structure, a single picnic table with a simple grill, and a number of commemorative plaques. (Later research would reveal that the tower had been built with WPA funds in 1937.) We climbed to the top to take in the amazing view of the rolling hills and miles of farmland. We wondered who Gary and Judy were and how long ago they had inscribed their names into the limestone. A plaque reading, “In Memoriam of the Deceased Rural Letter Carriers of Dunn County” piqued our curiosity. Another expressed a special thanks to “Mrs. Hostak and the Social Problems Students of Elk Mound High School.” We watched a grasshopper crawl along a rail. Then we got back in the car and drove down the short and winding road to the interstate, continuing on our hasty way.
Are you thinking about a long drive that involves long stretches of freeway? Would you normally settle for one of those monotonous, cookie-cutter industrial pull-outs with one lane for trucks, one for cars, and shelves full of brochures and maps? Maybe a Kwik Trip or Speedway selling souvenir key chains, overpriced bags of chips, and heat lamp chicken thighs? You might at least consider searching for “attractions” along your route instead. If you do, prepare to discover a world of places like Elk Mound Hill Castle, quirky parks, dozens of roadside statues, historical markers of questionable significance, and a myriad of other delightful oddities.
Yes, your trip might be lengthened by a few minutes; but if you’re travelling with young children, you never know discovering a fairy forest wonderland, having their picture taken with a large pink elephant, or hugging a gnarly tree in the middle of a city parking lot won’t end up being the highlight of the trip. Even if you don’t have kids in tow, dropping out of the interstate fast lane for a few minutes certainly can’t hurt. Reduce the blurring effect of modern transportation. Ignite your curiosity. And experience what Ray Bradbury called the “pores of life” instead — its finer features, texture, and details.
Whatever your destination, may every journey be one of wonder and discovery!
Do you have any favorite roadside surprises from your own trips?
Join the conversation and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Jon Balsbaugh is the founder and editor-in-chief of Veritas Journal and owner and operator of Kairos Educational Consulting. Though his soul still imagines itself in the Pacific Northwest of his childhood, he now lives in South Bend, IN. He and his wife have five children. Mr. Balsbaugh has been involved in classical education for nearly thirty years as a teacher, administrator, speaker and consultant. In addition to reading, writing, and thoughtful contemplation of ideas, he enjoys seeing the world through the lens of his three primary hobbies: fly fishing, foraging, and photography.
Header Image: “A View from Elk Mound Hill Castle,” by the author
One Comment
Patrick Clark
For three summers in a row, I drove from South Bend, IN, to Santa Fe, NM. Not long before my third and final such trip, the cover story in the AAA magazine talked about the Old Santa Fe Trail that started in St. Louis and ended in New Mexico. Since I had traversed the all-interstate route twice already, I decided to follow the Santa Fe Trail instead. Along the way, I got to see wagon trails that were still extant in a farmer’s field. I also diverted from the trail in order to drive through the town of Liberal, KS. (It was 1996, and Bob Dole was the Republican candidate for president, so I thought it was imperative to set foot in Liberal, Kansas.) In a similar vein (but in the opposite direction), going home from Santa Fe one year, I made a point to visit Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. It had been on my mind (albeit not to the same degree as Richard Dreyfuss’ character) since seeing ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ as a child. Well worth the “take the slow lane” approach.