9-09-2020 10:52am

Merge Wright: Jackson Hole, Part II

Rick Amburgey Neighbor

Where are we? We left home In Birmingham, Michigan Saturday night at 10. Arrived in Des Moines, Iowa Monday at 4:00 AM, cut a great deal at a used car lot about 8 and at 10 were rolling west stopping to visit Mt Rushmore and several other unique places. We fed a huge black bear several peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Yellowstone National Park and watched Old Faithful erupt for five hours. It was time to head down to Jackson Hole which was about a hundred miles south through the Teton Mountains.

We needed to start looking for work as dude ranchers. Up and down through the Tetons was insane. The snow in May was six to 10 feet high on the sides of the road and we’re in a tiny 4 cylinder Volkswagen looking like a toy car in our surroundings. And of course seat belts were only available in airplanes. A three hour scary drive and we were almost there. Saw a sign “Looking for Help” on a big ranch up ahead and immediately swerved into an approach driveway that went back a couple miles. This was it. I was sure. Finally arrived at a huge barn with pickups and cars parked out front.

We got out, walked over to a business door and entered. There were three cowboys right in front of us. I spoke first; “Gentlemen I’m Don and this is my friend Don we’re from Michigan looking to become dude ranchers.” The three laughed quite loud and in unison said, “How much farming experience do you youngsters have?” “None”, I responded. “Well we’re hiring only people with 5 years experience so we won’t be able to help you right now but thanks for stopping.” That was it. Disappointed, we left and started cruising back up the lane and ended up stuck in snow that was blowing all over.

Don and I started pushing and rocking our tiny vehicle finally freeing it to get back on the road. About 30 minutes passed and we were in our go to place Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was time to spend a night in a motel with a toilet and shower. We found an upstairs room at a place I can’t remember the name of that was very nice and only $11 a night. We each had packed a weeks worth of clothing and it was time to clean up and go out for a meal. It was day six of our journey and our appearances were somewhat frightening. About an hour or so passed and we looked good enough to be in Algebra or History class. It was time for a good meal. I checked the yellow pages and found a place two blocks away that sounded great.

Off we went in our high school clothes and penny loafers. Fortunately we found a place to park near the entrance so our loafers wouldn’t fill up with snow. We were told we could sit at any table and our waitress would be right there. Man, we were getting stared at by everyone. It finally hit me we were wearing Ivy League clothes, not boots and jeans. We were totally East Coast not Wild Wild West. The food was excellent and our attempt to order a couple of ice cold beers went nowhere. Seems we were 5 years too young so a couple of soft drinks were all we could have. We quizzed our waitress about a good place to get a job and she gave us several possibilities: a local grocery, a gas station, and a couple small farms. We were ready now to get a job the next day and get settled.

The next two days went by with absolutely no one hiring anyone right now. We gave it one more day and started selling off a few things so we could stay one more day at our motel. We finally decided on day nine to call Don’s mom and have her send us $100 which would help till we could find work. She was so excited to hear from her son and find out where he was. His mom and dad did not know me so I was the bad guy. Don gave her my mother’s phone number but was told not to call her. His mom said she’d send him the money if he’d give her our motel address. He did.

The next morning I was reading the Cheyenne Times when someone knocked on our door. I opened it and it was the Sheriff of Jackson Hole. He called out both our names and told us he had to arrest us for running away from home at age 16 you have to be 18 to leave home on your own. Then he wanted to know where we parked the 58 Chevrolet. I told him I sold it in Des Moines about a week ago and got $300 plus the red VW parked downstairs. He told me my step dad would be very upset about that. We got our personal belongings together and exited to the parking lot below. I asked him where his car was and he said he had just walked over from the jail. I invited him to get in the back of the VW and I’ll drive you back and he did and I drove him to the jail. You could never do something like that in a million years today. There were no handcuffs on either of us.

The jail was an exact replica of the one from the Andy Griffith Show with the keys hanging on the wall and his desk out in front of the cell we would be staying in. There were no showers in this jail but there was a toilet. We both got phone calls in the afternoon. His parents had never been west so they were taking dads vacation to come and get us with mom and brother. My step dad wanted the used car info and then told me I could rot in jail. We couldn’t wait for Don’s family to arrive and get this all over with. We didn’t know that they wouldn’t be there for 6 days. They were stopping at a lot of the places we visited after all it was their vacation. My dad in Miami, Florida wired me the money to buy a plane ticket to Miami to live with his family.

Don’s dad kept telling me on the way back that he was going to drop me off on my step dad's door step. I kept telling him that he’d be an accessory to murder if he did that. I could sense he was kidding. When we got to Chicago he dropped me off at O’Hare and I thanked him for his kindness and understanding of two crazy 16 year old teenagers. Sheriff said if we didn’t come back in five years he’d throw our records away. He was a kind gentleman that reminded me of Gabby Hayes who was in some of the old 50s westerns we grew up with on television. That was my first and only visit to any jail on earth. Guess it’s good to get that done when you’re young, and in Jackson Hole. The whole experience was something we’d always remember as a great life lesson.