Discovering the Parks in Utah

It is sad to say that I never discovered Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon, until I began taking German exchange students there. Every one of the student groups I took there went grudgingly.

They wanted to see the lights of Vegas and the beaches of California, but parks were something they were not excited about in any way at all.

The first group was in a fifteen passenger van. I remember we went to both parks, and getting them out of the van at the end of the day was like the scene from Sparticus, where victorious Romans try to get the slaves to "rat" on their leader, so that the Romans can embarrass, torture and crucify him.

The exception to the dramatic example I just used is this: they were too bored to jump from their seat to say anything. Instead of saying, "I am Sparticus!" They whispered German words like, "Ja und?" or "Scheiße."

In other words, they did not appreciate the natural wonders.

And then I began taking my own children there. The funny part of that story is the fact that Ann tried to get me to stop at Zion National Park for years.

It took a long time for her even to persuade me to drive to Disneyland, but once I discovered the fun of being there with my family, I was an immediate Mickey fanatic. In fact in 1980, Ann wanted to get me to go on a trip with her and the kids to Disneyland. I talked her into buying a TV instead. It was a beautiful television encased in oak.

Vee Peden was able to get it for me, and that G.E. set lasted through two moves in Malad, the initial move to Idaho Falls, and the final move into our new house. We kept it until the around 2001 or so.

However, I will always regret not taking that Disney trip a year earlier. Ann didn't give me a chance to say no. She basically said, "You can stay home, or you can come with us. I have your entrance tickets."

Once I visited Disneyland, I always drove like a madman to return there, usually in a single drive without stopping at a motel on the way, and in the early years with a 55 mile per hour speed limit, that was an epic feat.

I also refused to take the family to Zion National Park until I went there with exchange students. The next Disney trip found our family hiking there on safe trails on the way home. I was, however, always too nervous and protective to take them to Bryce Canyon, because of the deep ravines and the strong winds.