As I recall my childhood, I don't recall many times when our family went on vacation. We lived in Calif. and did take a few trips to see relatives in Oklahoma, but the one trip that I especially remember, was a trip to Yosemite National Park. My Father was a welder by trade, and my Mother was a person who was far ahead of her time... she was a jack of all trades, and master at many.
One of the things she was especially good at: building things with wood...Before we moved from OKlahoma, my father had built a frame for a house trailer to live in. I'm not sure how long it was, but I think it must have been around 20 feet long. My Mother built the rest of the trailer, and my family used it in different ways for a lot of years. Of course, it had no bathroom, but it had everything else needed. By the time, we had lived in California a few years, my Mother rebuilt the trailer to a model which would be similar now to pop up tent trailers.
That is what we took to Yosemite. My Mother always loved to build picnic boxes. The size would be about 4 X 4 feet. She had little spaces for everything you would need to cook out... places for plates, and silverware, salt & pepper and all the utensils and food and anything else she could think of. So,we took the little camping trailer, and the picnic box...and whatever else we needed and headed to Yosemite.
There were 6 of us: my Mom and Dad, my brother, Al and his new wife, Vi, plus their little pomeranian puppy,and my sister, Lois and I can't imagine how we all fit in that 33 Plymouth that my Dad loved so much. I do remember trying to get over the Tioga Pass. The historic pass was so steep, that we all had to get out of the car, and walk, so my dad could have enough power in the car, to pull the trailer over the hill...
Finally we got to Camp Curry, the place where everyone camped who went to Yosemite. While we were there, we went to see all the beautiful water falls, and huge rocks and so many other sights that are only to be seen there. One of the most awesome experiences for me as a child though was sitting in the amphitheater...waiting for it to get dark.Most everyone has seen pictures or heard about the big dome at Yosemite. I think its called El Capitan. The place where we all sat and waited was at the bottom of that huge rock...but far enough away to see the top of the huge mountain. As we waited, we saw the fire on the top of the mountain. Finally, we heard the man at the bottom of the mountain,say "Let the Fire Fall". Then the men at the top began to push the fire...I think they must have had a bulldozer because it seemed so huge...anyway, they pushed the fire over the huge rock down to the bottom...and it was a like a huge fire waterfall...what an awesome sight to see!. I will never forget it.
After the program was over, we went back to our campsite,had a snack and got ready for bed. I have often wondered where we all slept, but I know my Mom had that all worked out... As the camp settled down and people got quiet, we began to hear someone in the camp playing an accordion...I can still remember the awesome sound as it echoed in the mountains... We never knew which camper it was, as he played quietly those nights, but the song I do remember was the song that was popular in those days... it went like this:
"You can't be true, dear. Theres nothing more to say.
I trusted you dear, hoping we'd find a way.
Your kisses tell me that you and I are through.
But I'll keep loving you, although you can't be true."
Even though the words of the song are sad...the music was so beautiful.It was an awesome experience for such a small child and the memories will always be special to me.
I have never been back to Yosemite, but from what I understand, Yosemite is completely changed these days. I have heard that there are so many visitors now that to protect the park, no one is allowed to drive into some of those places anymore. People can only get there by taking a shuttle. I have also read that now,even the concession stands are contracted out to companies from Japan and other countries...
So, I will always remember that vacation, and be thankful that I had the
opportunity to be there in a simpler time.I never really appreciated all my parents' talents until I got older and they were gone...but I do have some great memories, and I am thankful.
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