It had been a long time since I'd seen a train and longer since I'd heard a long, lonesome whistle. I would really like to see an old steam engine and witness the chug, chug and see the smoke, listen to the long whine of the whistle warning of its coming. The magic of those old locomotives is about lost on the generations since I was a kid. I know, that was a long time ago!
I had gone to the "city" to pick up some seed that we can't get around here and stopped at the tracks for a super fast and doubled engine train to pass. It was speeding along and yet it took about 15 minutes to snake on down the tracks. The cars were mostly freight cars, closed to my prying eyes, but many of them held new cars. I was entertained by the graffiti on the boxcars; the art is amazing, but unreadable to me. There were no cattle cars, none at all on the long train.
We went west from our place once when we were after a bull my pappy purchased, and the trip took us along the same route the Santa Fe railroad traveled. It was hot, the old truck didn't have much of a floorboard and the hot cement of the highway crept right up onto my feet, and the wind was almost too hot to stand. But, as the saying goes, dry heat isn't as bad as humidity.
I suspect we were rolling along at the top speed of about 50 mph. We had the trailer hooked on and three spare tires in the bed of the truck, just in case. We had re-floored the trailer and welded all the rips in the metal so the new livestock could be safe and we were sure we were fixed up. My sainted mother had packed us a lunch that could last a couple of days and we had some extra money along for emergencies, like a sodie pop.
The biggest and most impressive part of the entire trip was trailing along beside the trains. The engineers were usually hanging an elbow out the window and they would blow the horn and wave at me. I was mesmerized by the action of the wheels, how that long bar turned them just perfectly and how the cars stayed on the thin little rails. Pappy thought it must be a tiring job to just sit and never be able to turn off to see new country.
I drifted back in time all the way home, riding in my truck with good tires and the air conditioner keeping the temp just like I wanted. I thought of the smell of the smoke and all the groceries packed in our lunch box and how the strawberry pop had tasted. That adventure was one of my lifetime great experiences.
Memories also erase the agony of needing sleep that wouldn't come due to the lack of comfort and heat. We had driven most of the night to get to the ranch to get our bull and, of course, I stayed awake so I wouldn't miss anything. The trip home exhausted me, but Pappy never mentioned he was tired.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, the wonder and excitement of today's experiences will outshine mine with flashing lights and space travel, but they will never surpass the joy! I want our Grands to get the thrills of travel and see the world, but they are going to do it much differently than my generation did. I hope they appreciate the wonders they see and remember the firsts of many sights. The first look through the strongest telescope in the world, the first plane ride, the first time they feel the ocean licking at their feet should be stored in their minds.
I made it home in time for supper and I am here to tell you that trip was a good one. You can't remember as well when you travel with a shotgun rider!
Bill is the pen name of the Gravette-area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 05/27/2015