The Grand Trip: a slow drive to Deer Lodge

It was rare to travel much distance from Helmville in the 1950's and 60's. The vehicles weren't that dependable, and the interstate system wasn't built yet, so the highways were only two lane. The roads to Drummond and Avon were gravel and often rough.

Once every summer we kids were hauled to Deer Lodge, where we spent a week with our maternal grandmother. Our father had a propensity for preparation, and would begin his efforts at least two days before the trips were scheduled.

First, he changed the oil in the old Jeep station wagon, then he greased the vehicle and spent time regulating the air pressure in the tires. These labors took him more than half a day because he was intimidated by mechanical things and tentative in his actions.

The next day our father would pull the old Jeep into our back yard, and spend most of the day washing and cleaning, using TIDE detergent. Then, after the interior was spotless and meticulously organized, he'd make sure he had the title and other necessary papers for the grand trip. He wasn't going to get in trouble for the lack of being ready for everything.

There were six of us to be washed and given clean clothes, plus extras for our stay in Deer Lodge. It must have been pandemonium for our mother.

Finally, we were herded into the car – the four oldest in the back seat, and the two youngest in the front with our parents. The squabbles would start immediately, and we heard the usual empty threats from our parents saying we were going to turn around and abandon the trip, plus other things we knew not to be possible.

The 20 miles of gravel to Drummond took a child's forever. The interior wheel wells amplified the noise of every pebble thrown by the tires. Conversation was difficult, and the dust filtering into the hot vehicle made things uncomfortable.

The trip got better for us when we started down the Drummond canyon. About halfway through the narrow passage, there's a "cave" of sorts blasted into the rock. We all were sure that a bear lived in that hole, but we never saw him. I still look when I go by. You never know.

Both of our parents smoked cigarettes in those days. Their smoke, plus the dust and the noise, made all of us carsick and cranky. So the squabbles and the threats continued until we reached the asphalt.

That's when the trip got real for us. We were always excited at the possibility of seeing a train or other wonders that the outside world offered.

Our father refused to drive more than 45 mph, and it made our mother wild. I remember she told him once, as we were driving along the Clark Fork, "Look, Bill, even the ducks are passing us." But he was captain of his ship, and we continued to plug along at 45 or less.

To keep the arguments down our mother always began a game to find the letters of the alphabet in the billboards that existed along the highways in those days. She made it into a group effort to avoid competition resulting in more arguments among us. Eventually, we would roll into town with only a couple teary faces in the crowd.

Deer Lodge had two stoplights back then. We had to make a left turn at the second light, and that worried our father. If there was a car in sight, he let it have the right of way, so we always waited until there was nothing on the street, then inched around the corner and up to our grandmother's house.

Our parents turned us loose, and we wandered off to find the neighborhood friends we had made over the years. Our week in town meant swimming lessons, 10 cent movie matinees, and soft ice cream cones. We always spent a part of a day perusing the stores in Deer Lodge, and quickly realized that cities and towns had a lot to offer only if a person had money.

So the week in town would pass, and then our father, having negotiated all the dangers of the road, would pull up and we would begin the process of goodbyes, promising to come to Deer Lodge for the fair in August.

The trip home was usually quiet as we were tired and often slept for the entire distance. It was always nice to get back to where we had animals and a lot of room to run.