Chapter 26 Far From The Farm

The landscape lay flat and treeless. The sun was high in the sky. There was grassland as far as you could see. Once in awhile we would pass a little run down trailor house setting alone among the tall grass. The doors were hanging open. The windows would be open, the torn curtain flopping in the wind with the screen gone. A paint horse would be standing idle out front. Some places would have a goat munching the grass or a dog would come ambling around the corner of the house.

We were on our way to California. Mark's parents had came the day before to watch the farm and take care of the pig chores. A friend of ours was moving back to our area to care for his parents and had asked us if we could drive out and bring his car back for him. Mark thought it would be a great vacation before Bret headed to college. We hadn't been off the farm much, let alone to California!

The landscape started to change from a flat, grassy landscape to a rough one. Large red rock formations were showing up here and there. Pines and cedars were coming into view. "Grand Canyon National Park" was written across a stone pillar! The beautiful Grand Canyon. The Canyon that we never dreamed we would see. Wow!! It was an amazing sight to us "pig farmers"!

After parking the car, we walked across the parking lot to the edge of this vast opening in the ground. We stood looking out over this huge canyon which went on for miles. Ledges of different reds, browns and yellows dropped off into nowhere beneath us, going down what seemed like forever. It was breath taking. We just stood there in silence for a long time staring over the miles of deep canyons, sheer rock and canyon walls falling to the depths below. It was so awesome that we couldn't even speak. We just stood there in a type of reverent silence.

After awhile, Mark broke the silence, "Who wants to walk down into the canyon for a ways?"

"Really dad, you mean it!?"

"We can go for an hour or so."

"I'm not interested," I said. "I'll just sit up here and wait, thank you very much! Just be careful! One slip and you're a goner you know!"

"We'll be back in about a hour," Mark said heading toward the Bright Angel trail.

I sat there on the cliff overlooking the wide, colorful canyon. Above me the skies were a deep blue. I heard a bird call, looked up, and there against the sky was an eagle of sorts. It soared up there so free. In my mind, I pictured Native Americns racing across the land. I wondered if they used to climb these cliffs. I could picture, in my minds eye, a beautiful Native American woman setting right where I was setting. Her long black braids falling over her shoulders, a band around her head. Beside her stood her lover, bare chested, arms crossed over the chest. As the sun set over this beautiful canyon, their love song to one another would drift over these cliffs and on out of sight.  No wonder they were so sad now. All shut up in those small trailers, so different from their life of freedom. My heart hurt for them.

Time seemed to stand still. There was no sign of the kids and Mark. I got up and ambled over to where they had went down. Slowly I made my way down the narrow path. Oh my gosh! I clung to the side where the cliffs towered above me. Just a few feet to my left you could drop down into nothingness. I caught my breath. My sweethearts were somewhere down there, out of my sight. Slowly I made my way back up to safety, hoping that they would soon be beside me. I had no way of communicating with them.

As I sat there waiting, a couple dressed in hiking shorts and boots came past me. On their back was a pack. I could hear them talking about how exciting their walk down was. "I'm sure glad we had our water with us. They warn you not to go down without it!"

"Yeah, there's a danger of dehydrating," her husband answered back as they happily made their way to the parking lot.

Oh no! Oh my goodness! Dangerous? Is that what they said? Did I hear right? You mean you cannot go down there without water and make it back alive? My stomach made a 90 degree twist! My bunch did not have water! Not one drop! Oh my word! Why didn't we think of that?

I walked over to the trail again. Looking down, I couldn't see anyone. Well, it wouldn't do any good to worry. I'll just give them another hour and if they aren't back, I'll go find someone and tell them that they went down a ways and didn't have water.

I couldn't sit any longer, so I walked. I walked about a half mile one way and then back again. Coming past the parking lot, I happened to look over and there they were standing beside our red Buick! I ran the rest of the way and hugged them all three.

"Man I was worried there for a bit cause some couple said that it was dangerous to go down without water. How did you make it?"

"We got along just fine. There were water fountains along the trail. Besides, we didn't go far," Bret said, still looking out across the canyon.

"I'm going to the bottom of that someday," Kate said, all dreamy like.

"Well, I made it down about 100 feet, if you're interested!" I said getting into the car.

"Wow, that's impressive mom," Bret said getting into the driver's seat.

Late the next day, we crossed the boarder into the great state of California. Now, to find Larry!

It was our plan to meet him at a beach on the north side of San Diego. But we had to find this beach. He had given us good instructions, but remember we are "pig farmers" from out in the open plains. And this was clearly way before gps!

After leaving the motel room, it was what we called "normal" driving for a few hours, but as we neared the city, two lanes turned into four and then six, all going the same way!

"Oh my lands Mark, have you ever seen such traffic? Will Bret really be able to drive in this mob?" I said sitting up on the edge of the seat.

"I'm not worried about Bret, just help me look for the exits on that paper there," he answered looking into the rear view mirror and changing lanes.

On we went, weaving in and out of traffic. Trucks, cars, vans, busses and pickups were all around us.

"Maybe we should have a sign in the back window saying 'Pig Farmers Aboard'," I suggested with a smile.

We were buzzing down the lane closest to the median when all of a sudden Mark crossed over to the next lane. We go speeding past a car stopped right there in the lane.

"What on earth is he doing?" Kate asked looking back.

"It appears like he got sick and had to loose a few cookies," Bret answered.

"Right in the middle of the road? Is he crazy?"

"Well, when you have to do it, you have to do it, you know!" Bret said going back to the book he was reading.

Phew! What else would we see before we got out of this foreign land? We were very excited to get to this beach to meet Larry. It would be our first time to see the ocean! We finally found the beach, and Larry was waiting there for us.

Another one of those breathtaking views! It was a bit foggy and raining lightly, but we jumped out of the car and ran down the beach to the waters edge, the mist hitting soft against our faces. We looked out over the water that seemed to go on forever, out to meet the fog and beyond. We just stood there, taking in the vastness of it all, until Larry broke the spell, telling us we would be eating fish for supper.

He took us to a shore front restaurant. We sat there eating delicious fresh fish and looking out into the night, as lights from the harbor sparkled on the dark ocean waters reaching for miles into the darkness.

"I want to take you across Coronado Bridge on our way home. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. The kids can ride with me," Larry said as we left the restaurant.

Now this was going to be romantically cool! Mark and I alone in the car at night, in a huge city, in the mist, and going across a bridge over San Diego bay, the city lights shining into the water below. Just those words sounded dreamy romantic! Mark even opened my door for me!

Oh my goodness! The "romance" turned to "glue our eye balls to Larry's car trunk" all the way across the bridge and into his drive way! I think all of San Diego was crossing that bridge! The kids were in Larry's car, and we had no phone and no address or any idea where Larry lived!

"Wow!" Mark said as we pulled up into the drive way. "I really didn't see that bridge did you?"

"No! All I saw was the back end of Larry's car! So much for the romantic drive across the San Diego bridge."

We stayed all day Friday with Larry and what a day that was! We were exhausted by the time we got to our beds! We would get a pretty early start for home in the morning. Home, farm, pigs, what beautiful words!

"Now this was quite a day wasn't it Mark?" I said getting ready for bed and combing out my hair.

"Yeah, it sure was. We haven't been out of the United States ever. Pretty interesting to see the other side of the world."

"It sure makes a person thankful for the little things that's for sure. Did you see those card board houses in that town of Tamara? Goodness, what would they do if it rained? And what about the poor little kids?" I asked getting into bed.

"Well there were other houses and buildings, but those people have to know what to do I guess. It is so different than what we are use to that its hard to imagine!"

"And I was beginning to wonder if we were going to bring you home with us! That guy at the customs was not happy with you taking that picture."

"I was sure glad that Larry was with us. He knew just what to say. I just took a picture of the line of cars waiting to get through. Guess there are some things you don't do."

"That's for sure!"

"It was really pretty out where Larry's friends lived though. That mountain-like setting made me feel right at home," Mark said, climbing in beside me.

"The problem was, you couldn't talk with them. They didn't understand you and you didn't understand them! And those little kids would just look at you with their big brown eyes. They sure did win my heart!" I said pulling the covers up.

"You definitely won their heart when you offered them that gum. Did you see their eyes light up?"

"Maybe they don't get much of that stuff. I'm just happy we could give them something they liked."

The next morning, we were up bright and early. Bret had the oil checked in Larry's car and the windshield washed. We packed our bags and waved good bye to our friend. Bret and Kate were in Larry's car ahead of us. It was amazing how Bret handled the traffic. I just had to face the fact that he was growing into manhood very fast.

We traveled most of the afternoon before running into heavy rain. It just poured! Still we went on. That night we stopped somewhere in New Mexico. We didn't plan to do any sight seeing on the way home as we all were ready to get back to the farm. So on we went the next day through Colorado, a bit of Texas and Oklahoma and finally home! I didn't think home could look so good!

Mark's mom and dad had did well while we were gone. They had even surprised us by going to town and buying a few things and actually organized Mark's shop! Wow, did it ever look good. 

Actually, the whole farm looked good! We enjoyed our trip for sure but I told Mark that evening after supper, while relaxing on the couch, "You know that saying: "East, west...home is best" This is so true!"

Just a update note:  Kate and her husband have been to the bottom of Grand Canyon twice. Bret and his wife went down with them on their second trip. They camped down there for a few days, hiking around at the bottom. They very much enjoyed it. Reported that it looks so much different down at the bottom than on the top.  Mark and I have not made it yet! Smile