I liked this tale so much, Sue. I know the territory well and can just imagine myself ( now at this age) being let off at the Mountain Store and wondering how the hell I would get the rest of the way. Good for Dad! He pulled it together. I wonder how many other times he managed to astound you after that bus adventure. A fine Fathers' Day tribute.
It was truly an amazing feat. I forget some of the details, like who drove him to the bus in SLC, or did he drive himself. That's an odessey in itself. He died when he was 85, but those last five or so years were sketchy. I wasn't near him like my sister was, and he had a brother and nephews around to help him. About six months before he died, he drove the mile home from the gas station on the wrong side of the street, a four-land thoroughfare. That's when they tried to get the keys out of his hand. His driving had deteriorated terribly over the years, but ... well, taking keys away from an independent man is horrible. He didn't take to riding the local bus like you have. It was the car or nothing. But I'm glad he chose the Greyhound to bring him across Nevada.
I have so many great memories of time with my dad, and most of them with my mom too, and my sister until she go married at age 18. My family loved the outdoors so nearly every weekend had us going out camping, fishing, hunting, blueberry picking which always seemed to be in the rain. This usually was what we just called up north which meant the NE section of Minnesota. Also called the Arrowhead. Officially the vast Superior NF which later became the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. My mom loved outdoors as much as my dad and their honeymoon was up there on the Gunflint Trail heading into the area from Grand Marais on Lake Superior.
He had a good memory and was still driving until the last six months of his life from cancer at 84. So many great memories!
I liked this tale so much, Sue. I know the territory well and can just imagine myself ( now at this age) being let off at the Mountain Store and wondering how the hell I would get the rest of the way. Good for Dad! He pulled it together. I wonder how many other times he managed to astound you after that bus adventure. A fine Fathers' Day tribute.
It was truly an amazing feat. I forget some of the details, like who drove him to the bus in SLC, or did he drive himself. That's an odessey in itself. He died when he was 85, but those last five or so years were sketchy. I wasn't near him like my sister was, and he had a brother and nephews around to help him. About six months before he died, he drove the mile home from the gas station on the wrong side of the street, a four-land thoroughfare. That's when they tried to get the keys out of his hand. His driving had deteriorated terribly over the years, but ... well, taking keys away from an independent man is horrible. He didn't take to riding the local bus like you have. It was the car or nothing. But I'm glad he chose the Greyhound to bring him across Nevada.
This is SUCH a beautiful story, Sue. I've got goosepimples! Well done, Dad. 😊
To this day, I don't know how that all happened. Just bizarre.
I have so many great memories of time with my dad, and most of them with my mom too, and my sister until she go married at age 18. My family loved the outdoors so nearly every weekend had us going out camping, fishing, hunting, blueberry picking which always seemed to be in the rain. This usually was what we just called up north which meant the NE section of Minnesota. Also called the Arrowhead. Officially the vast Superior NF which later became the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. My mom loved outdoors as much as my dad and their honeymoon was up there on the Gunflint Trail heading into the area from Grand Marais on Lake Superior.
He had a good memory and was still driving until the last six months of his life from cancer at 84. So many great memories!
Thank you, Bob. These are such good ones. You had a lucky childhood.