Long drives
The last day of our long drive out west coincided with Friday the 13th. Not that I’m suspicious but the day started off with me thinking I left my cell phone in Bozeman. Then a gas pump in Missoula started doing weird things … by the attendant’s own admission. I found the cell phone, but only after missing the opportunity to photograph a beautiful rainbow with a verdant green, mountain backdrop.
At least Karl Mattson has been getting some good shots in. Karl is a Norfolk homey from Charissa’s class who just earned his Bachelor’s degree in Photography and Print Making. He came along with us to help me with driving duties … and to see the West for the first time.
My first drive out West was to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 1977, the part of the Triple Crown I did before meeting Cindy and, because of that, the reason why we are driving out to hike that same trail now. During that long drive I recall filling up with gas near Omaha in the evening, with the thought of traversing the entire state of Nebraska before filling up again. Hey! I’m from the small state of Connecticut, what did I know!? As we got farther across the state I drove ever slower, coasting down whatever passed for a hill in Nebraska. As we got farther west the exits grew increasingly sparse, as were open gas stations in the late night. We finally coasted in to a two pump station at 2 am and proceeded to put 21.9 gallons in a 20 gallon tank.
I hope Charissa doesn’t read this (hello sweetheart), but I’ve had to give Karl “on the job” training with driving Charissa’s standard car. The first time I drove across the country with Cindy I had to do the same for her with my standard. We had just finished hiking the John Muir Trail with a group. There were a couple other hikers driving home with us as weLL and Cindy thought she would get out of driving duties. Nope. Not a chance.
Cindy actually drove the car well and has driven standard ever since … until she no longer could. We’ve never had an issued with Cindy driving with Alzheimer’s. There came a time when she no longer felt she could, way before she would have got into trouble doing so.
Most of our long drives have been with our kids: to Florida for Disneyworld; to New Mexico for Philmont; to Washington to hike the Wonderland Trail. I can remember the kids fighting and getting on our nerves during these long drives; I don’t recall Cindy and I ever getting on each other’s nerves despite the cramped quarters.
