Mrs. Griz and I just returned from another whirlwind trip to visit family members in southern Nebraska and northwestern Kansas.

Yes, we had a good trip and nice visits with parents, children, grandchildren and other relatives. We saw lots of beautiful country along the way and places I'd like to stop and explore. But we kept going because we had places to be and people to see. The stopping and exploring had to be put off until another day - a day, I expect, that may never come!

What always amazes me when we take the long drives to see everyone - it was nearly 1,400 miles by the time we made our rounds and were back home again, and we could have gone farther and visited more family members in western Kansas, eastern Colorado and western Oklahoma if we had more time, money for gasoline and a tough enough posterior to endure the ride - is how the folks who originally settled the plains endured the long wagon rides and walks to get there in the first place.

Mrs. Griz and I grumbledand complained just a little about the discomfort of riding mile after mile in my little car - which was actually quite comfortable except for the fact that it was also carrying a dog and kennel, our luggage and numerous Christmas packages. Had we been able to move around a little more or adjust the seats, the discomfort would likely have been less, I think. Perhaps, too, if we had stopped more instead of “keeping the pedal to the metal and the left door shut,” the ride would have been less grievous - though it would have dragged on longer, which might have been worse than just enduring the pain and getting the discomfort over with.

But what of those poor ancestors who made the trips west in a buckboard or covered wagon carryingthe whole family and their every possession with them? Roads, when they existed, weren't paved and seats weren't padded. There was little shelter from the sun, the wind and the rain. Temperatures inside and outside the wagons were about the same. And the miles we covered in a few days took weeks and months to span in the old days.

In some of the flatter areas, I expect those who traveled west in by-gone times could walk or ride all day and look back from their new campground and still see their old campsites in the distance once the dust settled. And, considering how far from town some folks homesteaded, a wagon ride to town for supplies and back home again might have taken as long as our entire drive for last week's visits.

I suppose even more amazing is the travels of local settlers through the mountains, hills and woods to establish homes in northwest Arkansas. I can imagine a prairie schooner making its way over grass-covered hills and across shallow creeks and rivers, but how did settlers here haul their possessions to places without roads? It must have been by pack mule.

Of course, in the old days most folks, once they got settled, tended to stay put and didn't set off on lengthy trips all that often. Some who went west never returned to visit family members. It was just too far to travel and there was work to do and chores to be done at home. News was shared in an occasional letter.

And, I suppose, I could write quite a few letters to each of the folks we visited in the time taken to drive there. In some cases, I might have even been able to share more information by letter than I did in person. And, if I got up and walked around a bit between missives, my posterior might have been less sore.

I suppose it will soon be time for another lengthy drive back - a little more time to stop and explore would be nice - but until then, I suppose too, I could try writing a few letters with invites and a map telling family members to make the drive this time and come and see us. That might save a lot of discomfort to our posteriors.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by e-mail at rmoll@nwaonline .com.

Opinion, Pages 8 on 01/05/2011