Now, we move on to December, 1953. I was home for college, and Louise was getting married. She had been teaching school in Cody that fall. Mileage and costs for the trip to Idaho Falls as follows:
Home, mileage 46,713 Full Tank
Bozeman 46,943 @33 1/2 cents $3.98
Left Bozeman 46,950
Belgrade 46,961
Idaho Falls 47,226 10.3 gal @ 33.9 $3.50
Dillon 1 qt. oil & gas @34 cents - 9 gal. 3.20
We stopped in Bozeman at Dwight and Velna's student housing apartment - very basic, if I remember correctly. We were enchanted with Russell - the first grandchild-nephew. Dwight and Velna with Russell joined us going to Idaho Falls. The weather was terrible, and Dwight was a big help to Mother. When we got there, again, my role was to stay in the motel while everyone went to the temple for the ceremony, and I got to babysit Russell. As I recall, he wasn't any problem at all - in fact, he slept a lot. I don't remember much else, but the trip home from Bozeman on was a real challenge, with very icy roads. Mother finally got so tired, that she let me drive, but I had to creep along at a very slow speed. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic. We were glad to get back to Penrose.
6 comments:
This is one event that is very vivid to me as I was the oldest of the stay at home crew. And believe me it was just as cold and snowy at home. Dad, of course, stayed home to milk the cows. Ann, Steve and I kept the water pumped and the kitchen stove burning.
Before leaving, Mother made a big pot of chicken noodle soup which she told me to heat for dinner.I did that.....every single night.. As for the pump, I did not drain it sufficiently and it froze. Dad had to thaw it or we would be without water. I remember his anxiety over that.
Somehow we survived. No one got sick from the chicken soup, and the pump was useable again. However, Dad was as happy to see Mother return as I was.
Notice the increase in gas prices.
Oh boy, if that wasn't a tortuous (word?)trip. I thought our trip from Laramie to SLC was awful, but the trip to Idaho was a nightmare. One time I forgot to thaw the pump and Dad unkindly smashed the model airplane I was working on. Oh well. I still loved him. 6 Park Dr. in Bozeman MT was about as primitive as housing could get.
For some reason my brain is very foggy regarding this event. What fun it is to have everyone's comments to put the whole story together.
If I had it to do over....? It's too bad I didn't have the sense to think about winter driving when we decided on Dec. What was I thinking? I had my head in the clouds. And it all came to "naught" - were it "not" for my six unique children.
it was worth it
Thank you, Judy. I think so, too.
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