Oh My! We Had an Adventure!

[By the way, I’m still having terrible problems with Word Press, see the bottom photo where some AI thing gave a caption which I did not write, and cannot fix, nor did I want that photo so big. Oh well.]

Blog post

Oh My! What an Adventure

Part 1 – Background

My two older sisters, Nancy (nurse), Linda (nicknamed Pert), plus my baby brother Terry [we loved it so much when a baby brother was born!] all got together and with Pert’s great planning and travel expertise, got us on an Amtrak train in South Bend, Ind. (We grew up not far from there in Middlebury, Ind., but now live in four different states: Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Indiana).

It was the first time us four siblings and spouses planned a trip together without any children. I must add that in 1964, our farmer dad and mom who loved travelling, planned a wonderful 6-week western trip in a very small travel trailer for our family of six. (Dad would send some hogs to market to pay for the long trip. He rented the trailer for $2 a day!) We hit many National Parks and in later years Dad and Mom planned and paid some expenses for family trips every other summer to gather in places like lovely Destin Beach in north Florida, cabins in West Virginia, Rocky Mountain, Colorado, and several times near Cherokee, North Carolina.

So, fancy cowboy hats adorning the women (compliments of sister-in-law Debbe who shared leftover hats from their granddaughter’s recent wedding), with excitement we boarded Amtrak and landed in Chicago’s huge Union Station in time for lunch (most of us munching on Chic-Fil-A goodies). From there we traveled 37 or so hours all the way to Glacier Park in western Montana, (about 30 miles near the Canadian border). Our train adventure was supposed to be 30 hours but storms and leftover debris on tracks etc. caused many stoppages, including waiting for commercial rail cars carrying the goods that serve all of us throughout the year (which have first rights to tracks, Amtrak is secondary).

History: we siblings all remember Dad telling many stories of his assignments and challenge during World War 2 at Glacier Park, sawing lumber, cleaning up grounds, trying out for smoke jumping (he was not selected), fishing, spotting bear, bighorn and goats. He, having quit school after 8^th grade (like many other farm boys of the time) also learned from his colleagues and visiting speakers and leaders at the camp, all serving as conscientious objectors. (Fittingly, the northern edge of the park was founded as the International Peace Park in 1932 by the Canadian Parliament and U.S. President Roosevelt’s proclamation.)

While the train travel (adventure) was pretty miserable at first, when we finally snatched two sets of tables the next evening for all eight of us in the “observation car” (with open seating) to play the “Greedy” dice game we all had played umpteen times at various family get togethers, the fun and laughter began. Mom and Dad used to play it with all of us and I for one had a laugh I had not experienced in many months, if not years (I couldn’t even talk, it had me bent over on the table!). We also remembered Mom’s laugh and Dad’s smiles when dicing without worrying about cards, winning, or life.

More stuff on my next post about the trip. Hang on for the ride.

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Do you like traveling? Or not?

Our financial advisor always says travel while you can. What advice do you give?

(P.S. Sorry for the long delay on posts, I was having computer problems …)