Up Here templates by Lynn Grieveson
Explore Papers by Lynne Marie
M3 August 2017 Outdoor Wilderness Explore
Journaling (734 words):
Q: What made you decide to take a trip to Colorado?
A: We loved hiking in the crisp mountain air. We always went in September when the elk were in rut and very vocally bugling to attract a mate.
Q: How much planning took place ahead of time?
A: We packed our bags and made sure we cut our toenails a week before leaving! That’s a hiker tip worth noting.
Q: Who did the planning?
A: Dad did the planning because he had a lot more experience with hiking and backpacking.
Q: How did you get there?
A: We took the train from St. Joseph, Michigan to Chicago where we changed to another train called the California Zephyr.
(I remember taking that train trip 2 years later and it took forever to get there!)
Q: Did anything memorable happen on the way there?
A: We enjoyed eating in the dining car and sleeping through as much of the travel time as possible. We received a “Zephyr salute” while traveling along the Colorado River! That is when people canoeing down the river see the train passing. They stand up, turn away from the train, bend over, and drop their pants to moon people on the train! Now that’s something you don’t see every day!
Q: Did you make any stops along the way?
A: The only stop is in Denver, Colorado where
I broke the rules and washed my hair in the restroom at the depot. I was desperate for clean
hair by that time.
Q: Where did you stay?
A: We slept in our reclining chairs on the train. They are very comfortable. In Colorado we stayed at the Blue Spruce Motel in Granby. (2 years later, I could NOT sleep in my seat on the train. We had to go to the dining car and sleep on the floor)
Q: What did you do on your trip?
A: We hiked every day mostly in Rocky Mountain National Park. We took pictures and Dad tried following a moose up a mountainside to get a better picture. A moose can be quite aggressive, so that is not a recommended activity. A moose is designed to go up a mountainside rapidly. Dad never caught up, but I give him credit for trying!
Q: What was your favorite part of the trip?
A: Seeing and hearing the elk every morning and evening was great. Once we were on the front porch of a small cabin when the elk herd split and went right around us. They were about 50 feet from us, so we got great pictures!
Q: What was your least favorite part of the trip?
A: Our train arrived back in Chicago too late for us to catch the connecting train home to St. Joseph. Amtrak had people to take care of the problem. A car drove us back to St. Joseph. (I don’t remember you guys getting back late)
Q: When you went on this trip, Liz and I were 16 and 15 years old... Were you nervous about leaving us home alone for a week? (We were thrilled by the way! You left us like $100 cash and told us we could buy whatever we wanted at the grocery store. I remember we bought a lot of junk food. Ha ha!)
A: No we were not nervous about leaving you girls home. You were responsible and trustworthy. It never occurred to me that you would misbehave. (Suckers! Ha ha! Nah... we were good)
Q: Did you call home?
A: No! That was before the days cell phones and other types of electronic tethers. (I think you did leave us the phone number of the Motel at least)
Q: Was there anything else memorable about this trip?
A: We spent one night in our tent at Lost Lake. It was high in the mountains and hiking up there with our tent and equipment was slow progress. We walked a few steps and stopped to breath. Breathing was hard that high in the mountains (14,000 feet). Around the lake there were huge stones and no dirt. The fish were jumping out of the small lake and that night we were surrounded by coyotes. They were circling closer to our tent, and I wondered if we were about to be eaten! Finally I decided that I was too tired to care and slept soundly all night.
