My First Big Trip

I was eight when I took my first big trip. Nana and Papa invited me to come along on a three or four week trip to visit Nana's brothers in Idaho. They planned the trip to include (not in any order): traveling along the Lewis and Clark Trail, a visit to Bryce, Zion, Yellowstone, the Snake and Columbia rivers. It was a very special time with Nana and Papa, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Here are special highlights:

Zion Canyon National Park — the Anasazi Southern Utah Indian area was my favorite. As a kid, I had no idea people lived as these people did, in cave "apartments" accessed by ladders. I appreciated their skill and ability to utilize all that was available to them. Zion National Park has remained one of my favorite destinations.

Snake River — We stopped at Snake River to do some sightseeing and learn a little about the Lewis and Clark expedition. The river was wide and fierce. I was told there was a bridge to take to go to the other side of the river, which sounded like fun, but Papa didn't tell me it was a rope swing bridge with wooden slats to walk on. The rushing river seemed so wide, and the other side seemed so far away, but I wanted to be brave. I went first, Papa right behind me. We held on to the ropes suspended on either side of us, carefully taking a step at a time on the wooden slats. When we got half way across the river, Papa began to swing the bridge! He thought it was fun; I thought it was terrifying! We made it across, but took the trail back to the car. Solid ground never felt so good!

Boise, Idaho — Uncle George and Aunt Joy Staley's potato farm was a wonderful learning experience. Farm life was so different from my city life. Papa took me on a walking tour of the acreage, telling me stories of farm living. On our tour we came to a large irrigation pipe that crossed a deep ravine. Papa had taken this shortcut to the other side before, so he led the way, showing me how to scoot across. However, this time Papa had discovered Uncle George had greased the pipe to keep animals and people from using it as a crossing. So Papa told me to back up so we wouldn't slip off. That was a crazy, new adventure. As an aside, Papa as a young man had an accident that shattered his knee, so he was unable to bend his leg as he walked with a significant limp. From my stories, you can see it never stopped him from doing physical things.

On our way back to the house, we went into the underground cave-like potato storage, called a cellar. The storage cellar was dark and filled with potatoes. It smelled like moist dirt but, somehow, it smelled good. An earthy, potato smell was a real smell, not artificial in any way.

Back at the barn near the house, Uncle George taught me how to milk a cow. I couldn't quite get the knack of it, but it was another great new experience.

Yellowstone — Uncle George, Aunt Joy, and the three of us took a side trip to Yellowstone. On the way we stopped at a souvenir shop. Nana and Papa bought me moccasins, and I thought they were the best shoes ever.

After our stop, we went on to Yellowstone Park. Soon, we pulled over along with other cars. People were feeding the bears from their car windows. Aunt Joy brought some bread along for this purpose. She rolled down the window a bit to offer a slice to the bear. However, the bear tried to stick his head into the car, rocking the car as he tried. Aunt Joy screamed, rolled up the window, but pinched the bear's nose in the process. When she finally got the window up all the way, there was a smudge from where the bear's nose was pinched. Papa drove the car away from the mad bear! We went on to see a geyser, but after such a thrilling experience with the bear I wasn't quite as interested.

Pocatello, Idaho — After a very fun visit with Aunt and Uncle George, we drove down to visit Uncle Jack and Aunt Kay Staley. They had a daughter, Jill, who was my age.

I have two vivid memories from our visit. The first memory is of my very first encounter with an outhouse — no further explanation is needed. The next is that Jill took me out for a long, morning horse ride. She taught me how to ride as we went along. We had such a great time, riding and getting to know one another.

I was really sad that our trip ended. I enjoyed meeting family, having exciting adventures, learning a little about the Lewis and Clark expedition, seeing life on farms, walking in forest, and seeing wildlife, waterfalls, and the red soil of Utah and Arizona.

I am so grateful Nana and Papa took me on this trip. Being with them one on one in an unhurried and interesting trip is a memory I will have all of my days.