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Show a solo journey across America in 1969 by Jim Stiles was 19, I made my first solo Journey away from home. I said goodbye to family and friends and all those safe and familiar sights and sounds of Louisville, Kentucky and set out to explore the vast and unknown (to me) American West Id caught a glimpse two years earlier when my family took us on one of those classic two week, nine thousand mile, 12 national park, 16 state tours; a whirlwind trip for which I will be eternally grateful to my Ma and Pa. I was never the same after that I plotted and planned my return with an enthusiasm that bordered on obsession. I practically flunked out of college, pouring over maps Instead of text books. , I struggled through finals by the very skin of my teeth. Had last minute cramming, three straight sleepless nights, and endless pots of coffee pulled me out of the academic abyss I was plummeting toward? I would deal with all that later. Who cared? Right now, the Rocky I Mountains were waiting; the Great Mojave Desert, the Big Sur Coast stuffed my little two seated car with pack, sleeping bag, extra clothes (Including my beloved red plaid lumber Jacket), and other essentials. left. Started the car It was 4 ajiL My pal, David L Tynes was there to say farewelL He was heading West as well, but to preserve our friendship, we had decided that sharing the same cramped quarters for three months would probably result In death for both of us at the other's hand. We agreed to meet In two weeks at the Grand Canyon the El Tovar, June 20, 6 pjn. I rode Into the humid night on Indian Route 60 west. My first destination was Jackson, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. I almost ran into I raced across middle America with unbridled anticipation. the side of a freight train in Effingham, Illinois, and stopped to stand knee deep In the Mississippi River. Through Missouri and Into Kansas, where I encountered their cursed Toll Road. I was on a limited budget; a dollar and a half represented 1 of my total cash assets. I was still dumb enough to as If the hapless gatekeeper was going to actually argue about the toll I'm "Gee. all means, go right ahead." sorry. By say, I paid the money and ran. West of Salinas, the scenery began to change . the sky got bigger, the land got wider,' the air got drier. The Great Plains yawned before me and I yawned back. : I hadn't slept In thirty hours, and as I rumbled past west Kansas prairie towns Dke Gralnfleld and Grinnell, Oakley and Wa Keeney, Mingo and Goodland, I could swear I kept seeing Serta mattresses along the highway, seducing me with the temptation of sleep. Damn those mattresses anyway, I mumbled to myself. I'm on a pilgrimage. I drove all the way to LImon, Colorado before I finally collapsed in a rest area. The next day, feeling refreshed after three hours of sleep (I was 19 at the time), I pushed on to Jackson via Cheyenne and Rock Springs and Pinedale. When I . X HATE X hate i7Pi$. w. cowboy and I had the fooling damn socks were denim. He was a denim-drench- ed he didn't Hke me. He finally tipped his Stetson back, revealing about as much hair on that head as I had on my face. He stepped forward "You know, boy, he said. "If yore hair was much longer, I'd haf to punch you out" with properly curled Bp, I thought about doing my James Dean Impression, I too But chicken. didnt and a: Hey- -, you talkin' to me? reply. "Oh really? I replied meekly. "Thats right, boy. I dont like long hair, he explained. "I don't Bke hippies. I have a way of dealing with hippies. Did you ever hear about the Mg fight between the hippies and cowboys down at the Cowboy Bar? "Yes, I did, I Bed. "Well, he said proudly, "Yore lookin at the man who started the fight "Is that right?" I sighed. "What happened?" "It was beautiful, he chuckled. "I was at the bar and I saw this dirty, filthy hippie siltin at a table with one of those black Indian Joe hats pulled down over all that greasy hair. I walked over to him, ripped the hat off his head and put my fist In his face. The hippies Bned up on one side of the bar, us cowboys on the other. There was five of them and about twenty of us." Nice odds. "I guess you guys won, I assumed. "Son, he snarled proudly, "We was out to win. My new found friend strutted out the door on two of the most remarkably bowed legs I have ever seen. You could pass a basketball between that mans knees. As he was leaving, a ten year old boy, a kid on vacation with his family, asked for directions to the rest room. The cowboy looked at the kid's hair and said, "Well that Just depends don't it. Are you a boy or a girl? The boy turned and started to walk away. "Come back here, boy! , The kid came back, looked down and spit on my buddy's Justin boots. Just then, his father called to him, and he ran across the oily pavement and climbed In the backseat of the family station wagon. As the car pulled away, the spltter grinned and held up a finger that was supposed to indicate how. many friends the cowboy had, before his dog died. The cowboy was not amused. I decided It would be wise to leave. spent the next week camping and hiking alone In the Grand Tetons. It was the first time I had ever spent so much time by myself. In 1969, the backpacking craze was still a few years away and I rarely saw anyone as 1 I started walked the trails. talking to myself and then to the marmots I encountered from time to time. I camped for three days at Amphitheater Lake, a Jewel of a place, nestled at ten thousand feet and directly below the summit of ML Owens. The weather, which had been sunny and warm, turned grim. Cold gray clouds obscured the peaks. A freezing mist hung In the air. It began to snow. I huddled In front of my smoky fire and thought about cheeseburgers and onion rings, the sound of my car running down the highway. Familiar things. I thought about Tynes, headed for the Grand Canyon. I loaded my pack and headed down the mountain. I On the way to the South Rim, I picked up a hitchhiker. He was a wiry guy with short black wavy hair and intense brown eyes. He said his name was $Hf74 .... . Jackson, Wyoming. In 1969, Jackson had not yet been overwhelmed by out of state trustfunders and overeager. entrepreneurs. It was a tourist town for sure, from June 1 to Labor Day. But beyond that, Jackson was tike a lot of other Wyoming towns, foil of cowboys and Republicans. They all hated hippies and I soon realized that that now - wonderfully anachronistic term "hlppledom was determined on first sight by hair length. No other criteria applied. I My hair was not tbai long. And I couldnt grow a beard If wanted to. I didnt shave all summer and when I returned home at the end of August, my grandmother told me to wash my face. Theres some dirt on your Op, she said. Thats my mustache, I replied. She put on her glasses for a better look, Humiliated by my own examined the fuzz dose up and started glggOng. grandmother. In Jackson, I walked Into Harold's Super Service one day to pay for my gas, which at 44 cents a gallon, was the most ridiculously overpriced gasoline I, had. ever purchased. Off to one side of the cash register, a, tall, extremely thin man leaned against the wall and eyed me suspiciously. His wide brimmed straw hat shaded his eyes. He was dressed from neck to ankle in Justin boots, I'd bet his denim. If I could have pulled off his pointy-to- ed Cowgone Anastas. "Calgon? I asked. "Like the batholl? COWGONE. You know, Bke a cow thats none." "No, man "Why do they call you that?" I inquired. "I don't remember," he replied. Cowgone had an Imagination that was as remarkable as the scenery we were passing through. He said he played pro basketball. What team? The Yankee Wolves. Never heard of that team. They're a new franchise. Wherere you headed Cowgone? LA. What for? To see my girlfriend, Natalie Wood. The movie star? Thafs right Isnt she married to Robert Wagner? Not for long! (Followed by broad triumphant grin). He says hes bought Natalie a ring a Mg one. How many carats, I ask. Pause Pretty fifty. Fifty carats. damn big ring. I left Cowgone In Logan, In front of the Temple (maybe he could get help I there, thought), and continued south through Ogden and SaS Lake. Hsar Spanish Fork, I experienced my first chip-se- al We construction didn't use this road repair technique In Kentucky, and when I project first saw the operation, I thought the Utah Department of Transportation was converting all Its paved roads to gravel. What a great Idea, I marveled. Never did I dream that UDOTs real long range plan was to cover the entire state with six Indies of asphalt That wisdom would come later. I arrived at the Grand Canyon a couple of days early, not expecting to see But until 20th. on a whim, I walked up the sidewalk from the Bright the Tynes to El the Tovar and there, puIBng up the driveway at the same Angel Lodge moment, was Tynes and his blue MG. Good old Tynes - together we created 1960's version of Mutt and Jeff. We were an Incongruous The next day, we decided to check out the bottom of Grand Canyon. We sight didn't need a permit or reservations. There were no designated campsites. No ranger came by to check us out We Just went As usual we were unprepared, poorly provisioned, and totally disorganized. On a scorching hot day In late June, where the temperature gets even hotter as you descend Into the canyon, we each took a quart of water. We got a late start as well, and by the time we reached Tonto Bench we were foolishly rationing our canteens. Tynes began to rant and ramble as he so . often, dM, but I only ; thought, he was being himself. In fact, the heat was l y v getting to him. We were both beginning to wobble a bit as we approached the tlpoff and the final descent Into the Inner Gorge. I looked over at Tynes and he was pouring . |
