My parents took the following pictures in 1961. The family was on the road, moving from South Bend, Indiana to Seattle, Washington where my father had taken a job as a tool and die maker at Boeing. The trip was 2,225 miles by station wagon. What an adventure it was for my parents and the five children jammed into that car! We stopped along the way at Yellowstone National Park, a memorable event.
I'm not sure where this was taken, but it might have been Wyoming.
When we stayed at Yellowstone, the bears were pretty bold about eating from the cabin garbage cans.
On the road, we often stopped to take pictures of wildlife, like these
And this one below showing a road that had been tunneled through a mountain.
I was 10 years old when this trip was taken, but it remains vivid in my mind. In some ways that trip formed me. Coming from the corn belt, the flatlands, this was my introduction to the magnificence and natural beauty of the United States.
This was the first time I saw my parents take pictures of landscapes and animals, and they were so excited about everything we saw. That made a strong impression on me. My childhood was transformed by this trip and this move. Although we ended up moving back to Northern Indiana only 3 years later, some changes were permanent.
Because of moving so many times in the AF we would take the opportunity to visit places of interest along our way to the new base. We never got to Yellowstone but we did get to The Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Glacier. the Petrified Forest, Painted desert and a few others. It does have a mind blowing effect in showing you how vast and beautiful this country is. My favorite, by far, was Mesa Verde. One day was not enough. I'd love to go back sometime and take my adult children along.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to any of those places. But I would love to.
DeleteYou must have been in Seattle for the World's Fair. We moved from the prairies of eastern Montana to Seattle in the late sixties. The contrast between the two places was huge.
ReplyDeleteWe were there for the World's Fair! My grandparents flew on an airplane for the first time to come and visit, and go to the Fair. The Monorail, the Space Needle - all amazingly futuristic.
DeleteWhat a wonderful opportunity that was for your family! Love the black and white photos. Now I'm wondering how you ended up living in Northern California for part of your life. You've experienced living in greatly contrasting landscapes. I saw much of the United States and the lower part of Canada in 1973 and 1974, when I was 24 years old. Driving south and then north and then east in a meandering way from the San Francisco Bay Area, living near Boston for the winter and then heading for Northwest Washington by way Vermont and then across the Trans-Canada Highway. My only time spent in the South was when I visited my sister in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, soon after Katrina, and except for the extensive damage, it looked much like your part of Florida, unlike any place I'd ever been before. Alligators! I'd say that my early adulthood was transformed by driving back and forth across the continent in 1973 and 1974. Until that time, all I knew of the world was California. There was so much more than what I had grown up with. My parents drove from the San Francisco Bay Area to Minnesota when I was an infant in 1950 and stopped at Yellowstone on the way. My grandfather had died a few months after I was born, which devastated my father who wanted to make sure that my grandmother saw me before she died. I was named after her. She only saw me one other time before she died in 1957. A torrent of memories inspired by looking at your black and white photos! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't live in Northern California. I lived in San Francisco in 1970. I've also lived in Northern Indiana, Southern Indiana, Western Washington State, The Finger Lakes region of New York State, and now Central Florida. Would love to read more about your trip to Mississippi.
Delete1961, I graduated high school. But all through the fifties my parents spent our summer vacations showing us the country. Our home base was Ohio; there were four kids scattered in the station wagon, and yes, this country was awesome, in the jaw dropping sense of that word.
ReplyDeleteJaw dropping, indeed. I remember my Dad driving us through the Rocky Mountains on narrow roads. I had to close my eyes at various times and leaned very far towards the mountain side of the road, ha.
DeleteWhat an incredibly beautiful journey to take. I love that your parents photographed the trip. What a treasure that is. I was 18 when I made that trip for the first time from New Jersey to California. The vast beauty of our planet was an awakening for me.
ReplyDeleteYou just can't believe it unless you do it. NJ to CA must have been incredible. Would love to hear about that trip on your blog.
DeleteWhat a great adventure! My Mom and Dad took us on several long trips across the country in our old station wagon. We have family movies from then and it brings back such happy memories! Thanks for reminding me, Colette!
ReplyDeleteI love old family movies. I have some, too.
DeleteGreat pictures! I especially like the one of the elk. I took a trip with my family out west when I was a teenager and it also made a huge impression on me. There's nothing like traveling -- even domestically -- to expand our horizons.
ReplyDeleteSo true. And I made a mistake in calling those elk. They are moose calves. I'll correct that.
DeleteThe world can be such a beautiful place. I love seeing these old photos of the landscape.
ReplyDeleteWhat a journey! Of course it could only be formative.
ReplyDeleteA treasured memory.
DeleteYes, there's plenty of stunning scenery in the States. That road trip must have been quite eye-opening. Those bears must have been pretty ravenous to go foraging in the garbage cans!
ReplyDeleteI think they made a habit of foraging in the garbage cans there. It was a sight to see.
DeleteIn the mid-sixties I decided to look for journalistic work in the USA for a variety of reasons. Notably the richness of place-names from so many roots. I arrived in Pittsburgh and was thrilled it marked the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers: so exotic, so polysyllabic. Even South Bend would have had its attractions - it couldn't possibly have been England, you see. One publishing company I wrote to was in Duluth, drawn again by its odd puffy sort of name. In retrospect I'm so, so glad they turned me down.
ReplyDeleteOh gee, this is good. Now I'm inspired to write a post about "If Roderick Robinson had moved to South Bend, Indiana in the mid 1960s.
DeleteDuring this same time period my parents bought into the "see the USA" jingle and all our family vacations were car trips to National Parks. Like you, the trips formed my love of the outdoors. This post was a great reminder to make sure my grandchildren also become an "outsiders".
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