Category: Destination Unknown

Last year, I finally got Red and the Judge to go with me to a place they had only heard stories about and seen pictures of. It was a mythical mystical place to them. I was so excited to take them up in the mountains to the place where my dad was born. I gave them a few days to acclimatize before taking them into the heart of the mountains. The road getting there was an adventure in itself for these two greenhorns. We drove down the trail with tall grass tickling the underside of our vehicle. The girls gasped when the road disappeared into the creek. They could see the road on the other side and there was only one way to get there. I paused a moment just to build up the excitement then we went on through jumping over the river rocks with water rushing on down the stream. They took turns getting the gates that had to be opened and closed. With windows down, we could smell the mountain grasses, wildflowers and fresh air.

We bounced into the yard of the old home place and hopped out of our four-wheel drive vehicle. I took them on a tour of the remains of the buildings and made them drink from the fountain of youth. Ever since I can remember there has been a steady stream of running water that is fed by a spring up near the cabins and is piped into the old tub horse trough. It is cold, clear and pure spring water. We filled a few containers with that heavenly water.

The weather was iffy and the clouds threatened cold rain so instead of walking we piled back in the vehicle and drove up toward the lake. Past the remaining dust from the sawmill, just over the top of the hill, I stopped for a picture. We jumped out and I took pictures of the girls.  Just as we were getting back into the vehicle, we saw movement off to the right. There, at the edge of the woods was a bear’s rump disappearing into the trees. It happened too quick to get a picture.

Now I need to add a side note here. When Red finally committed to traveling with me to the west and I had already purchased the plane tickets, I let her in on a secret. She had the official job as bear bait. When we saw the bear rump heading into the forest, Red got a bit nervous. I assured her that the bear was long gone and we continued up the road.

We drove as far as we could without tearing out the bottom of the 4-wheel drive, turned around and headed back to the lake. I stopped and we got out for our picnic with one of the grandest views in the entire state of Montana – Gommie’s Lake. You won’t find that name on any of the maps. It got its name from my grandmother who we called Gommie. That was her property in the heart of the mountains and the lake is so named in her honor.

We spread out the quilts, ate our lunch and drank the best water in the world while marveling at the beauty around us. Red and Judge kept looking behind them to make sure we didn’t have a furry visitor. I wandered around and took pictures of the wildflowers, the lake and the mountains. As we prepared to go back to the remains of the old home place, we loaded the picnic items. I was climbing into the driver’s seat when the judge said, “A bear!” Red and I ignored her statement. Again and more emphatically she said, “A bear!!” Again we ignored her. Since we had teased Red the whole trip about being bear bait I thought maybe the judge was pushing it. A third time she said, “I SAID, there’s. a. BEAR!!!” Each word was emphasized with a point of her finger stabbing the air in the direction of a bear. We looked down the bottom of the hill and guess what? It was a bear. About that time the bear stood up on his hind legs, nose lifted in the air so he could smell us. Red was still at the back of the vehicle and just almost jumped in from that direction. She slammed the hatch down as fast as she could and she was in the back seat in a flash. I snapped picture after picture. Never underestimate the speed of bear bait when put to the test! Red moved faster than greased lightning. It was good to know that the bear bait worked. We ended up seeing three bears on that trip.

For years, I tried to get the girls to go on an overnight trip. I finally wore Red down. She gave in, and we’ve had some great adventures since then. The question was, would she travel across the country with me and the Judge? She debated and came up with all kinds of excuses. Finally, after her husband intervened, she consented. I booked the flight before she could back out. 

Red was nervous as we headed toward our gate at the airport that June 2018 morning. It was her first time to fly. We had no trouble getting checked in and through security. We stopped in front the liquor store and joked about getting her a stiff drink before boarding. They weren’t even opened that early. 

The call came to board. I let Red have the window seat. Since she had never flown, I thought she’d like to be able to see the scenery change right before her eyes as we traveled west. The Judge slid in next to her, and I was on the aisle seat. The door closed, and Red started twitching. Soon we were rolling down the runway. The nose of the plane started lifting in the air. She grabbed the Judge’s hand. I told her to hold her feet up so we could take off. She looked at my questioningly. We were well in the air, and they still held hands. By the time I pried her white knuckled fingers off the Judge’s hand, she had calmed down just a smidgen. Of course, her hesitation to sit by the window may have had something to do with one of her assigned tasks for the trip. I had told her, “You get the window seat. It’s the best place to sit. If the window gets busted out, your job is to stop up the hole. The Judge will grab your feet and I’ll grab hers. It’s all good.” (Just a week or so before, a lady had been sucked out of a plane when the window was busted out)

Red had another assigned job, too. I told her that one reason I wanted her to go on this trip was because I needed bear bait. Now some folks would know exactly what that meant, but I had to explain to my traveling companions. I asked them, “Do you know what bear bait is?” “No.” “If we come across a bear and it chases after us, I need someone that runs slower than me.” For some reason, she didn’t appreciate my confidence in her skills nor her assignment. She looked at me real mean, and I was the one taking her on a once-in-a-lifetime grand adventure!

We made the flight just fine. Red had settled in and even enjoyed the flight as the world changed beneath us. The plane landed in Bozeman, Montana. We were off the plane in no time and went to gather up our luggage. The next thing we had to do was get our car rental. Of course, the smaller SUV I had signed up for turned into a large SUV I didn’t sign up for. Oh my!

I like to talk to the locals. The young man who waited on us was a student at Montana State in Bozeman. He asked if we were going to Yellowstone. I told him we were. He said, “The bears are bad this year. Be sure and watch out for them.” I cut my eyes over at Red. We all started laughing. I told him that was okay because I brought my own bear bait. Then I pointed to Red. He said, “Oh, so she runs slower than you?” Later when we stopped at my cousin’s house and then my aunt’s house, I told them Red was bear bait. Did you know that they said the same thing with a chuckle added, “Oh, so you must run slower?”

We got to test my theory (at a distance) – and let me tell you, bear bait can run faster than you think! The sequel to this story, “Bear. Bear! IT’S A BEAR!!” will follow in this blog at a later date.

I like to plan trips going to “Destination Unknown” for the girls that travel with me occasionally, but on my birthday I got my own Destination Unknown. My husband planned a trip for me, and it was to be a surprise. With the little information I had, I was sure the surprise was one of two things – skydiving or hang gliding. The day before my birthday, I asked my husband what time we were leaving on Sunday and what I needed to wear. He said when our daughter arrived, she would tell me. I asked, “Did you take out a life insurance policy on me?” Our daughter arrived and the surprise was revealed. Skydiving. She was taking the plunge with me.

The next morning, we drove to Chattanooga Skydiving Company for our adventure. We watched some of the videos including the one that gave all the warnings of what could happen. It wasn’t long before we got suited up in our harnesses and made the short walk to the plane. We loaded in and got hooked up to our tandem guide. The plane took off. Up! Up! Up! 

The view of Sequatchie Valley was spectacular. The Tennessee River wound around like a huge snake through the gorge. Nickajack Lake sparkled in the sunshine, shooting little diamonds skyward. Soft billowy clouds danced across the blue sky. The clouds parted as the plane passed right through them as we went higher and higher. The world below got smaller, and it looked as if it began to curve. Fourteen thousand feet. 

The door of the plane opened. There were four divers jumping tandem along with photographers to capture the exit and free fall. We all slid forward as each team plummeted out the door. My daughter and her tandem guide were the second duo to dive. I was last with my tandem guide. I sat at the edge of the door, feet dangling in the air. Goggles on. Two deep breaths. We rocked twice, then once more and we were flipping through the air. My guide had said to breathe through my nose. If I tried to breathe through my mouth, I would gasp for air. To avoid that, I kept my mouth closed.

The roar of the wind was like crashing waves of the ocean, washing over my ears, the sound magnified by the speed of descent. My ears popped from the pressure. Free fall! For 70 seconds we flew through the sky at 120+ mph. The wind gave me a facelift. Photos that captured those moments showed ripples on my arms and cheeks as we flew into the wind. 

Everything moved so fast it was hard to take everything in: flying through the air at high speed, a bird’s eye view of the world below, the mountains rising from the valley, the winding river dividing the land, the lake teeming with boats, green patchwork fields, roads meandering  here and there, houses like polka dots scattered on the landscape.

With a jerk upward and a quick decrease in speed, I knew the chute had opened. All of my gear shifted upward. The leg harness didn’t quite go into place, and the chest harness slid up to my neck. I told my guide that the strap was cutting into my leg. He said to try to adjust it, so traveling at top speed descending through the sky, I tried to stand on his feet and adjust the strap. You know how that worked out! 

We glided for a bit, then did a 360 to get a view of the whole valley. As the chute turned so did my stomach but in the opposite direction. The sound was like the wings of a giant bird as the wind whipped at the chute. We made some 180 turns immediately followed by another 180 the other direction. My stomach didn’t make all of them! One of my rules – especially for travel – is to look behind you. Sometimes we miss the best views because we don’t look back, but I was about to request to forgo that rule. 

We made one final half turn and began the descent to the drop zone where I had seen the plane and other divers land. As we got closer, I could make out the faces of those waiting on the ground. I lifted my legs high as instructed and prepared for landing. His bottom hit the ground first as we touched down on the grass and glided to a stop. I was set free. It was an exhilarating experience. Now if my stomach would just stop churning….

Checklist for future reference: motion sickness patch for tilt-a-whirl turns; tight harness.

June 2019