(I am posting this on my father's 100th birthday - Feb. 25. 2021. This series of posts are for his grandchildren - who never got the pleasure of knowing him. After this post, there will be two more.)
The BIG trip
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| June of 1964 - the end of our "Big" trip - at Uncle Bill and Aunt Lois's home in Spangle, Washington |
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| Dale and Lance - Yellowstone Dale caught a fish! |
In 1964, Mom and Dad decided we needed to take a trip. Dale was going to be a senior, and it would be difficult to travel as a family once he was off to college. So they piled us all in a station wagon, pulling a rented trailer.
We started traveling south to Ukiah, California, to see Aunt Bette and Uncle Ernie. Then we went to San Francisco (I remember being in Chinatown). From there we traveled across Nevada to Colorado, then up to Casper, Wyoming, to visit with dad's Uncle Joe and Aunt Sarah.
We then went to Yellowstone. Dale wanted desperately to go fishing - so Dad dropped him off while we went sightseeing. I remember seeing Old Faithful. From Yellowstone, we went to Spangle, Washington, where Uncle Bill and Lois were living at the time. We did the trip in 10 days. Yes, my dad continued his truck driving habit of driving long miles before agreeing to stop.
Memories tend to become selective over time, but traveling in the car that distance had to be challenging. Dale claimed the back seat for himself. Susie, Ross and I "shared" the middle seat - but in the battle for a window seat, you can guess who always came in third. Lance was in the front between Mom and Dad. Even with the challenges, we all have fond memories of that trip.
Dad's parents: Grandma and Grandpa Greenley
Grandma and Grandpa moved into the first house Dad built, known as the Little Pink House August of 1966. Grandma and Grandpa were thrilled to move in and be up the street from us. All of dad's siblings came to town to help move them into their new place. In her diary, Grandma declared that day the happiest in her life
My grandparents had a automatic washer and dryer for the first time. Grandpa was doing the washing because Grandma was so weak, but she comments how easy life was with a washer and dryer. Grandma documents that one of us stopped to visit her almost every day -- bringing her much joy. She is excited to have Susie come help her with housework. She called her "my Susie Jewel."
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| Me (Marianne) stopping at Grandma and Grandpa's house - first day of school 1967 |
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| Barbara (Mom), Everett, Mary, Bette, Bob (behind Bette), Ernie, Lela, Duane, Lois |
Grandma lived there for just under a year, until she died in April 1967. Grandpa continued living in the
house until his death in October 1969. I walked by their house going to school every day. I stopped often, because Grandpa always gave me a bowl of ice cream. I had it figured how many times a week I could stop before I would be pushing my luck on the ice cream.
These pictures show my Dad's siblings AND their spouses the day of Grandpa Greenley's funeral - the last time they would all be together. My Dad died just one year later. Evidently, there was nobody to take the picture so Uncle Bill took the first picture, then switched places with Uncle Everett.
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| Barbara, Bill, Mary, Bob, Ernie, Lela, Bette, Duane, Lois |
There will be two more posts about my dad - the next one will focus on his love of the outdoors - hunting and scouting. The last post will focus on the last year of his life.
Nit picky the trip was in 1963.
ReplyDeleteNope, June of 1964. The pictures are all dated.
DeleteI was 13 on the trip something I knew. 13 implies 1963 thus my thoughts but we did this trip in the weeks just before my 14th.
DeleteI should have read my grandmother's diary before posting. She documents we left on our trip June 6, 1964 and returned home June 22nd. So trip was about two weeks. My mom sent post cards to grandma - and told her about our visit to Montrose, Colorado (where grandma was born. And visiting Rocky Ford, Colorado, where we visited the graves of our dad's grandmother (Mary Brown Greenley) and dad's brother Joey, who died as an infant in 1929.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Faithful story as I recall it. You are so right about Dad never liking to stop driving. We were approaching Old Faithful and a sign said it would erupt in about 30 minutes. Dad said that was too long to wait and Mom, bless her heart, blew a gasket. She made Dad pull over. I saw this as my only opportunity to fish Yellowstone so I grabbed my fly rod and ran down the road past the parking lot and found a place where I could climb down the bank and have room behind me to cast. I started using a yellow streamer fly Uncle Joe had given me, stating that it was his favorite Yellowstone fly. I caught one little 8" trout on it then switched to my favorite fly, the Bucktail Royal Coachman. Just a few casts later I hooked another fish and it proved to be the 23" Brown Trout in the photo, quite a trophy.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure out how you remember Rocky Ford. Did you go later on another trip? We didn't go there on that trip. I wanted to see Rocky Ford but Dad said it was too far out of the way so we didn't go. I am still quite disappointed that Dad wouldn't make a detour to show us where he grew up. Maybe it brought too many bad memories. The Yellowstone trip I was on did not take us to Rocky Ford or to great grand mother, Mary's, grave.
I didn't remember. Grandma documented it in her diary. Quote from diary on June 23, 1964, "We drove over to Bob's this eve to hear about their trip. they were only in Rocky Ford a few hours. Saw grandmas and Joey's graves and looked around town, everything different. Saw Uncle Joe and Sara, Yellowstone Park and spent Sunday at Bill's house.
DeleteWe spend a night or 2 at his old friend (/) Walker at a old spa similar to that which used to be at the Linn Benton park on old 99. Had a pretty blond daughter about my age that I silently fell in love with. We went swimming in the old spa pool. This was in southern Colorado near the Sand dunes Park. We also spend a day in Bountiful Ut sitting in some of moms relations house while the whole population of Bountiful paraded through saying hello. I am looking at maps trying to put together a rough itinerary.
ReplyDeleteDale, I have a memory stuck in my mind that could only be from the trip but it just doesn't fit. Do you remember the family driving from Burns to Winnemucca one night? Somewhere along the way I was wakened by the clanging of tin cans as we crossed a cattle guard somewhere along the way.
From San Francisco we went to Reno, spent the night in Sparks. Then across Nv. Must have spent a night near Elko as it was mid day when we crossed the Great Salt Lake Desert into SLC. Must have spent the night on the curb in front of Moms relatives. Now is where I draw a complete blank as far as memories go. What I do know is where we ended up. Must have gone SE in Ut to pick up what is now I70 then to Grand Junction and Montrose both have family connection. Ultimately we ended up at the Walkers near Alamosa. And we did Royal Gorge not sure of the exact timing or route. From Alamosa it is a straight shot to Rocky Ford. Then back to Pubelo, Colo Springs and Denver. In Denver we went into the Natural History mesuem. From there north to Casper and Uncle Joes. Then across to Yellowstone.. Man we went through some country. I think we did not spent a night in Yellowstone but did it as a day drive in the south end out the west. Old Faithfull and the Firehole river, where Dale caught the fish. Then across Mt and Idaho to Spokane. Dales fish was still sorta fresh when we got there.
ReplyDeleteGrandma's emphysema . It could well have been her "cures" quack medicine that she would boil while inhaling the vapors. God knows what it was. Grandma liked her quack medicines.
ReplyDeleteA phone conversation with Dale reveled that we stayed with Phil Walker at Mineral Hot Spring Colo. Dale says we stayed 2 days and went to see the Sand Dunes which are actually south east of Mineral Hot Springs.
ReplyDelete