More Memories Of October

And how can I talk about memories of October without saying something about teaching in a place where the school had an extended holiday for deer hunting. In fact, next to Christmas, it was the longest break we had during the year. Both holidays involved decorating something.

At Christmas we decorated our tree, and some people decorated their houses and yards, but during deer hunt, you decorated your car by strapping a deer carcass across the hood, roof or trunk. Of course pick up truck decor was much simpler, merely requiring you to toss the thing in the back and leaving four legs pointed skyward.

Although I occasionally stayed in Malad whenever we could not afford to make the trip, in which case I helped my father on the farm with last minute things before snow storms, there were not many years we didn't take advantage of those October holidays to visit California. I never liked the taste of deer meat, and my dad didn't either. There was also the guilt I felt for hunting something merely for the horns.

Each trip had the same ritual. We would pack the '81 Mustang the night before, leaving only the cooler inside the house. I would pick up Ann and the kids immediately after school, and after placing the cooler in the car, we would begin the fourteen hour trip, and we drove straight through to Disneyland.

It was different during those early visits. Interstate 15 was not complete through Southern Utah, so it took more time. The speed limit was between 55 and 60 miles an hour, although no one ever obeyed it between Vegas and the California border. And since seat belts were more of an option rather than even a strong request, we would have the three kids dress in pajamas and sleep in the back under a blanket, after we lowered the seat of the car and left a flat surface which surrounded them with suitcases and a cooler. Doing a Brittney Spears with unbelted children in a vehicle would land parents in jail today.


There were no Cd players at that time, so we had cassettes for music, and Ann would fed the tape player, until she was too exhausted to stay awake. I drove straight to Disneyland after stopping only for gas on the way. The Mustang, in spite of its small size and very small engine, was only able to manage 25 miles per gallon at best, so there was more stopping, and it took extra time too.

After filling up in Malad, we stopped in Ogden or Salt Lake, Cedar City, Vegas and at least once somewhere in California. The Jetta we drive now stops once every 500 miles, usually once in Cedar City or St. George and once in Vegas. I get there on a tank and a half now, and although I only need a tank and a half of fuel, I fill a couple of times. Whether it is habit or just the fear of driving across miles of nowhere needing diesel, I make sure that my tank never reaches a quarter full until I am almost there.

When we did the trips with our kids in the 80's, restaurant food inside Disneyland was cheaper than eating fast food outside the park. That changed. Now instead of a huge parking lot, there is another large area of rides called California Adventure Park. That changed things too, and it changed in a good way. The new park is fantastic. Bear Country Jamboree no longer exists. The submarine ride disappeared for a long time, and then Disney Company recreated it as the Finding Nemo ride. The motor boats no longer are there, and even the small ponds are now gone. At one time, they were rides that Cles loved to do. That is all unfortunate, but we at least have the memories of being able to ride them when they were still available.


Things are all different now, but even in spite of the negative things, I enjoy the trip, and now with a combination of a higher speed limit and fewer people observing it, the trip takes less time, even though we are another 90 minutes away than we were in Malad. Having Interstate 15 finished the entire way certainly helps too. Vegas is nine hours away, and three more gets us to Anaheim on a good day.

On those early trips, we would leave Malad at 3:30 or 4:00 p.m., arriving at Disneyland just in time to enter the park. I did it without sleep. The first day was rough. Ann and I were exhausted, but the three kids had enough to have fun and inspire us too. The second and third days were cream.

Now we seldom make the trip without spending at least five days at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. We have the old memories, but we make new ones each year.