travel – Page 8 – Living Wonderously

It was the summer of 1979 and I had just finished my first year of teaching high school math for the Alamogordo Public Schools. Ruth was almost 3 and Mike was 1-1/2. We had an old beat up station wagon that we hoped would make the 1700 mile trip from New Mexico to the family farm in Michigan. I hadn’t been back to see my folks since before the kids were born. Spending summer on the farm would be a wonderful experience for everyone.

Now here I am 40 years later driving once again from New Mexico to Michigan. All these hours in the car today have given me lots of time to reminisce and reflect on the paths life has taken. Who would have imagined 40 years ago that the 1-1/2 year old kid going to his grandparents farm then would today be a seasoned long haul truck driver who just happened to have a route crossing ours as we went through Oklahoma?

Mike was taking a load from Dallas to St. James, Missouri, traveling north on Highway 69. We had spent the night just east of Oklahoma City and would be traveling east on Interstate 40, passing by St. James later in the day. By Mike’s calculation we could meet up at Big Cabin, OK, where the highways come together. I think he had to squeeze his schedule a bit and get an extra early start, but, amazingly enough it all came together and Lee and I were there just a few minutes before that good-looking Celadon truck turned the corner into the travel plaza.

Mike with his usual busy schedule didn’t have much time to spare. But this was an interesting spot that he picked for our meet up. The travel plaza features a 50-foot statue of an Indian Chief. After all, the highway is going through the Cherokee Nation. The statue wouldn’t have been here in the days I traveled the route so I appreciated the chance for the close-up view. He’s so big that I’m barely visible in the photo!

Here’s the story of the statue, if you’re interested.

If you’re interested in the rest of the story of taking the old station wagon on that long trip (or some of the other years taking those trips to Michigan) you’ll have to wait until another day when I get motivated to work some more on my “memoir.”

We were a party of five, setting off for another excursion into the beautiful backcountry surrounding Salmon, Idaho. My brother, my sister, and my sister’s friend were on horseback while Lee and I preferred walking. On our visit here last year I had attempted to join the horseback riders but that experience taught me that I am not a horseman. I much prefer to have my feet on the ground.

It was still early in the season for wildflowers but there were enough to keep Lee busy photographing and identifying every blossom tucked away in the brush and weeds. I was happy to hike along enjoying the sunshine and gorgeous scenery, periodically catching up to the three horsemen who were sharing horse stories as they sauntered up the trail.

Lee and I had been warned to check our clothing for ticks since we would be brushing up against the grass and sagebrush where the ticks would be waiting for fresh blood to walk by. Sure enough, when we stopped for lunch, I set my knapsack on a nearby log, untied the jacket I had tied around my waist, and there was a tick on the front of my shirt. The three riders were busy tying up their horses while Lee was a few paces away kneeling down to photograph a flower. As I called out to announce my find I thought I heard a faint rattle behind the log next to me. Lee was closest to me so I turned towards him, saying, “Listen! Do you hear a rattling sound?”. Just then I spotted the coiled up snake next to the log. You can guess the word that came out of my mouth then when I realized I was inches away from a rattlesnake!

Lee jumped up, camera at the ready, while the horsemen came running over, but by the time I was able to point them to the hollow log, Mr. Snake had slithered inside the log. All I saw then were his rattles disappearing behind him as he went into his hiding place. I wasn’t sure if I was exaggerating when I told everyone how big I thought the snake was because I hadn’t gotten a real good look at him. But I was pretty sure he was a big one.

I was happy to cautiously look around and find a snake-free place for my lunch spot while the rest of the group poked around at the hollow log hoping to get a glimpse of the snake. They finally gave up and settled down to eat lunch. We were all far enough away from the snake that eventually he must have decided it was safe to come back out and enjoy his sunbathing that I had so rudely interrupted. We were ready to pack up when one of the horses perked up with ears alert and eyes pointed in the direction of the snake log. The group (except for me) tiptoed over and there was Mr. Snake coiled up in plain sight. Lee was able to get a good picture and my snake sighting was confirmed. This was no baby snake.