Country Roads, Take Me Home...

It never fails, but when I drive back to Wyoming or Colorado, I am flooded with an overwhelming amount of intense memories from a childhood that seems, now, ions ago. Childhood memories of hiking and backpacking in various parts of The Wind River Mountain Range, to the time driving through Yellowstone in 1988, when one of the worst forest fires to ever hit the park, destroyed a good chunk of its prestine beauty. However, no matter how much has changed over the course of 30 years time, one thing remains the same: Wyomign will always be HOME.

My cousin decided this year that it was time to get us all BACK HOME for, hopefully, either a bi-annual or annual, family reunion. Brad and I decided that we most definitely needed to get that direction so relatives could meet Miss Madelynne, and to spend time with my Grandma. We decided to drive the long, 17 hour trek to the little town of Meeteetsee, as well as stop along the way to visit Yellowstone, Star Valley, and friends in Jackson and Cody.

The trip out there was indeed LONG. Poor Brad, after working close to 18 hours straight, decided we would leave in the middle of the night Tuesday, and drive straight through. It ended up being a very, long trek. Madelynne woke up every time we stopped and at one point, in Oregon, when Brad had to sleep for at least an hour, she sat there and watched him, poking the back of his chair every once in a while to see if she could attract his attention. Among mid-trip stops to stretch, let her crawl and play, and eat, the trip out was not so bad. Madelynne seemed to get the most fussy when we were about ten miles out from our next destination.

Feet to mouth-passing time

Exhausted Brad

Our first stop was in Star Valley, Wyoming, at our former home of Afton. It was good to be home, but because of the foreclosure of our house, I did not have the heart to drive by and see our former home. It is so difficult, to have worked for something, to see it fall through the cracks and listen to others tell us about the unkept yard or the overgrowth of weeds. Yeah, our realtor is a fraud, and “claimed” to try and sell our place, but has done none of the upkeep at our request, and this makes me even more irate. And relatively sad. I guess it boils down to that living and owning a home in beautiful Afton, as much as we miss the area, was not originally God’s plan, so we have to deal with that. I think sometimes that God has a list of practical jokes and that was one of His, as He has our lives already mapped out and despite that CHOICE we get as humans, I think His sense of humor is pretty comical. Besides, despite all the bad we went through the past two years, I cannot really complain about the good that came out of it all. Pretty abundant in the blessings department, I might say!

Anyway, spent time with our friends Erika and Adam and their 2 year old daughter, Taylor. Taylor and Madelynne really bonded the couple days we were there. They enjoyed bathtime together, playing outside on the trampoline and going down the little slide that Taylor had.

On the trampoline

Playing on the slide

 We ventured to Jackson to do the whole “tourist thing”, which included walking through town and visiting gift shops, eating at the Brew Pub, and visiting with old friends. We ventured through Yellowstone and saw a few elk, bison, deer, and a bear, but no moose.  But the drive, as always, was just beautiful. We had dinner in Cody with a dear friend of mine and then made our way to our vacation rental outside of Meeteesee on a working cattle ranch.

The place was peaceful and nestled in a valley that was surrounded by the mountains and high desert of that region. The views around the house were breathtaking from the get go, and the night sky was limitless with the amount of stars visibl.  A few nights we were able to capture a Wyoming sunsets, which was like looking at a masterpiece. The colors of pinks and orange against the shadows of the mountains closest to Cody, (not sure of the name of that range), created something you might find in an old western movie. It truly was breathtaking. Staying in such a state as Wyoming reminds you of your minute place in such a fascinating world and how we all fit somewhere in the grand scale of things, just not sure exactly where. What I also just love about Wyoming is the simplicity that it brings out in me. I sometimes am always on the go with Madelynne, but being able to sit and enjoy the mountains or the creek that trickled through the property, watch the pronghorn and deer graze in the fields, and just be in accompaniment of my amazing, loving, and selfless family, puts everything in perspective for me. What I have noticed is that the East coast, and many parts of the West coast, take for granted the wide open spaces allotted to absolutely nothing but grazing cattle and uninhabitable land. It is this type of wonderment that illustrates what is most important in life on a whole different scale that is sometimes disembodied from the norms of society. And the memories, of growing up in this state, of swimming in the hot springs in Thermopolis, or camping up Wood River, are endless. Yes, things have changed. Beetle kill has damaged our forests and growth has obviously taken over in some areas, but there is still the tranquility of being almost transported back in time, to a place where settlers, ranchers, and cowboys came across a wild west that will, inevitably and always be, FOREVER WEST. It feels, sometimes, as if it is the last and final frontier that has yet to be overhauled by commercialization and capitalism. It seems like it is sometimes unaffected by the clashing of politics, religion, and what fits the glove of “normal” in a very backwards society. Yet, it is a place that truly defines GOD’S country, on many levels, and makes one question the reality of our existence.

Star Valley-Sunrise

Tetons

Old Mining Town of Kerwin (dry, Beetle Kill---lots has changed)

Coming down Chief Joseph Hwy

Moon

Wyoming Sunset

Without a doubt, the weekend was well worth the 17 hour trek from Washington to mid Wyoming. Despite the 90 degree weather, the countless visits with the 43 people that make up our family (total of 46, but 3 unable to make it out),  was beyond worth it. Our backgrounds are diverse and attribute to a rich family history that was conversed and shared via enthralling stories and captivating tales that captured our past, present, and seemingly, hesitant future. There was typical “catching up” type conversations to introductions, but some were like we had never really parted at all, after so many years. Yes, there were evident shifts in personalities and relationships, but it was not weathered and worn, just different. The grandkids were all grown up and moved on with their own lives and the great grandkids were new to the mix, creating memories that hopefully will one day be “bigger than them”, as many of my memories still are.

Grandma with Great Grandkids

Us Grandkids

Brothers and Sisters

The whole King Clan

Overall, the family reunion was a great gathering of our “King Clan”. We enjoyed one another’s company, good food, and countless stories. The exploration of Meteeteesee was fun, too, in visiting the small historical museum and indulging in some melt-in-your-mouth, artisan chocolates from The Chocolatier (highly recommend if ever there!). Hopefully the tradition can continue, as often as possible, because I don’t want to forget the country roads that take me home, nor the people in my life that have paved that road for me and made it possible to always come back.