2-5-11 The Blue Van '78

Today we headed down to the Springs and had lunch with Deana and my folks because last weekend Mom and Dad came to visit us, bringing Nick his birthday present that finally arrived, which led to a quick trip to the store for dinner rolls to go with the pot roast I was fixing, which made me think of stopping by the pet store to buy the good dog food you can't get in the regular store, and, since Dad was with me, I could let him carry the 40 pound bag for me.

We got back to the house, grabbed the dinner rolls, and proceeded to have a very nice dinner before they headed home. . . with the 40 pound bag of dog food still in the back of their car.

So today, in addition to lunch, was the dog food retrieval mission. And after lunch and a lovely nap, I raided Dad's slides again, selecting the Wyoming trip of 1978 and the 1973 reels that might just have a snow picture or two.

It was only on the way home, in some really nasty weather that arrived way earlier than predicted, that I remembered that my slide tray was part of my previous scanner set up, long since retired, and that with this new laptop, even if I pulled out the old scanner, I would have to go in search of the drivers.

Between this knowledge and the several hours it took to get home, with dead stops all along the Interstate and fender benders in the shoulders, and traffic back-ups when all the poor people out to enjoy a nice Saturday afternoon were suddenly caught up in a snow storm and couldn't find traction to get over the icing overpasses. . .

well, let's just say the attempt to scan new slides has been put on hold at least for the night.

But in that vein, I decided to review the folder of the few slides I had already extracted a few years ago and imagine the warmth of the mountain sunshine on my 8 year old face again.

Since I'm working from an 8 year old's memory here, I'm sure these are out of order, but what I can tell you unmistakably is that these are the Tetons and it is mid-June. We have a new van (The Blue One) and we set out across Texas, through New Mexico and Colorado, to camp in the Tetons of Wyoming.

There is no place on earth better for a summer picnic.

And the juxtaposition of the sunny, flowering meadows and the huge snowpiles along the roads at the higher elevations was part of the charm.

I'm so glad I never lost my love of plaid flannel shirts :D

I was a budding photographer even then.

This trip had it all, wide-open roads, mountain streams, snow, tents, and picnics.

And horses!
At Jackson Hole
Slightly cooler high above the tree line

Ringing the church bell

Walking through the woods

all in my happening furry vest with hanging feathers.

The downside of this trip was everyone else's fascination with these stinking sulfur springs. It's SULFUR. I'm sure I'm bargaining here with my mom to go back to the van and read my comic books. See the hand clamped down over my coke can? It was to keep the stench out.

Note the lagging behind. . .

This was much more my speed

Dad setting up the big blue tent, which seemed to take hours, but gale force winds couldn't budge it when he got done.

More picnics at the camp site

And campfires (and comic books)

One of the nights we stayed in a cabin, (please note the Mork and Mindy suspenders).

And The Blue Van took us the whole way

Mom and Dad had tricked the interior out in marbled blue carpet from top to bottom.

And I had the best spot of all.

The only drawback was having to go home. . . and empty the whole thing out.