Up at Sunrise, breakfast with friends, pack our bags, check the trailer and off we go. 325 miles of basically straight road lies ahead of us with today’s destination being Casper Wyoming.
The other Healey folks dropped their trailers off in Salt Lake and are driving their Healeys the entire 640 miles to Deadwood. Two seats, 60 year old (+/- ), open roadsters on the highway in 90 degree plus temperatures. What’s not to like. Hearty Souls Indeed!
Diane and I on the other hand remained in the relative luxury of our air conditioned tow vehicle. Happy to report there were no mechanical breakdowns and only a couple of minor emotional ones, mostly mine.
Wyoming is immense, beautiful and humbling.
Driving today I was overwhelmed with memories of my childhood journeys along these very roads. To be honest, not much has changed, and I am not just speaking geologically. The towns and people feel the same.
“Before you pass on a two lane road make sure you have enough space to get back in before oncoming traffic arrives, let people in, watch your speed, drive with your lights on and go to the bathroom before we leave.”
These are all things I learned observing my Dad and his constant commentary as we floated down the highway, heading for such places as Blue Dome Nevada.
Dad was teaching the whole time he was driving. One of us would say, “Dad, what’s that?” And he would say, “those are snow fences. It help keeps the highway open when there are blizzards.”
This would be followed by a question like, “What’s a blizzard?”
Why do they put up bob wire?
What’s that? – That’s a Cattle Grid, or Cow Catcher.
How does it work? – If cattle walk across it their hoofs get stuck between the bars in the ground.
What are those white strips on the ground? – Oh those, well they paint those on the roadway so the cows think it is a cattle grid and won’t walk across it.
Can’t the cattle figure it out? – Nope, cattle are stupid.
I am sure he must of thought the same thing about most of his kids.
I never realized it until I was older that Dad was always teaching. Today he is in my heart, and the lessons he taught me help guide me to this day.
I dedicate this post today to my friend Jimmie Ruiz, brother of Sylvia, Al and Mike Ruiz. I learned today that Jimmie died a couple of days ago. He succumbed to a long illness.
Cowboys, Canyons and Cars 
“Where’s Dick?”
“Shit!”
“Cy!”
Tires on the gravel of the shoulder of the road, u-turn.
We went back for him.
R.I.P. Jimmy Ruiz
He was in Mikey’s grade.
Great pics.
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Talk about memories! Joanie’s suitcase coming off the luggage rack. Me getting car sick…good times.
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Theresa, these memories are suddenly so fresh. So many, there simply isn’t enough digital paper to reflect on them all. The time we hit the owl and it got caught in the Uhaul roof rack and waited until just the right time to fall on Barbara’s head, Love you,
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Watching Joanie’s can of Secret deodorant fly end over end across the plains. Her hollering about a prom, or another significant dance’s photograph of her and Randy Dixon. Dick claiming that the prisoners had made up the bunks in the Airstream we slept in at Uncle Morris’. He told me as soon as I was to lay down on bed, a knife was rigged up to stab me in the back! Barb had to climb up and lay down with me for a few!
The best.
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