Friday, April 12, 2013

Repost...Vintage Vacation: Yellowstone!

Holiday Road...

Next week George and I are leaving for a trip to the Grand Canyon along with my sister and her husband.  I love visiting that wonderful place...and I plan to continue my "Vintage Vacation" series when I get back.  I have a couple of post ideas...one possibly titled, "Vintage Vegas!"  So today I thought I would repost my first Vintage Vacation...Yellowstone.  My blog was still quite new when I posted this in the fall of 2011.  I have a lot more followers now than I did back then...so I hope you enjoy it!

Vintage Yellowstone!
What are your memories of Yellowstone? My memories look like vintage postcards. When I travel, I don't buy postcards. I wait until I'm home then I look for vintage postcards. I don't buy souvenirs...I go thrifting to find the ones that make me feel like a child again.

My Parents packed us all into an old station wagon with our pillows and blankets and a ginormous chest full of Shasta. On our way to Yellowstone we stopped in Jackson Hole at a Drive-In that featured picnic areas shaped like wigwams. The carhops were dressed as Indian girls. It was so politically incorrect... but totally wonderful! The city park featured archways that were created from hundreds of antlers.


We were renting a cabin for the weekend, but first we stopped at the Old Faithful Inn. It was as magnificent as a log palace! We followed the ranger's directions to a place where we could watch Old Faithful erupt.

We were amazed that something so powerful could be predicted almost to the minute. We returned to the old wagon and began the slow drive to the cabin area. The reason why the going was so slow was that every 500 yards or so, the people ahead of us would stop to feed the bears. Did we feed the bears?.....of course we did! When we ran out of cookies, the bears scratched at the windows. I was tempted to push my brother out the door...but alas...he was not Yogi chow that trip.




After our adventures with bears, bison and elk...it was like driving through one of those animal parks...the Devey clan got settled into the musty little cabin. It was damp and smelled like feet. Mom wandered off to find the showers and bathrooms. She was gone a long time. We finally heard a squawk and the sound of garbage cans falling over. Mom was trapped inside the bathroom while several large bears rooted through the trash.
She looked so funny in her robe and curlers, telling those bears what was what!


Since those days I have loved bears...especially Yellowstone bears. I have collected quite a few kitschy souvenirs that remind me of those long ago days when family vacations in the West were endless roadtrips with stops at places like Big Rock Candy Mountain, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon.

Chalkware Bear, Napkin Holder and Cute Little Indian Children.
Two Vintage Handkerchief Boxes.
The bears are crying because the sign says "No Hugging Allowed."
This must have been before the signs read "Don't Feed the Bears!"
Souvenir Pillow Cover
Navajo Indian Dolls.
I bought a pair like this on my first trip to the Grand Canyon.

Old Chalkware Ashtray
Salt and Pepper Shakers from Jackson Hole.
Display shelf made from an old pepsin gum box.
Cute old salt and pepper shakers and an old Smokey Bear shaker.
What do vintage souvenirs look like from your neck of the woods?
Morning Glory Pool

One more Yellowstone memory. My dad was a big tease (still is). He liked to pretend to throw me off things like the overlooks at Grand Canyon, etc. We were on a boardwalk over some bubbling mud pits. After telling us some horrid tale of a little boy who fell in and had the meat cooked off his bones...he picked me up and pretended to throw me in! If I had bad dreams later, I don't remember them. All I remember is how much I loved those Vintage Vacations.
 
"Looky here, Boo Boo! I'm smarter than the average bear!"

Have a wonderful day!
Post Script: After I posted this, I found out that Grandma Zetta spent two summers in the late 1920s working at the Old Faithful swimming pool to earn money for school. She was attending the University of Utah.

14 comments:

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

What wonderful memories! Hope you have a fun and wonderful trip!! Sounds exciting! xo Holly

Tammy's in Love said...

The souvenir shopping on Ebay is a great idea! I went to five thrift stores, bless my husband's heart, he sits and does Souduko while I hunt for treasures. No touristy kitch to be found but I did score a stoneware cream pitcher for 99c for my growing collection; easy to pack!

Mecky said...

What great memories! I love the bears you collected.
Have a great time at the Grand Canyon. I would love to go back and spend more time. Have a safe trip.

Thanks for the comment. I am glad that your plants did ok.

Pollyanna said...

What a fun post ... and the fun memories of Yellowstone as a child came right back. Too bad, in someways, carhops don't dress as Indian Maidens and we can't feed the bears ... what a unique experience.

Laura said...

I never went to Yellowstone park but it looks like alot of fun!...When I was a child we went to Maine.... Moosehead lake...The little bears and indians are really cute :) I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Unknown said...

Shirley, I wish you the best time. Your souvenirs are so cute! I have a fondness for these vintage scenes when they are on cut pieces of wood made very shiny. What memories! Elizabeth

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

A trip to the Grand Canyon will be a wonderful adventure! I hope we can go back sometime soon! It's breathtaking! Fun post! I love traveling!

vintage grey said...

Such sweet memories and love all your treasures! Have a wonderful and fun trip!! xo Heather

Unknown said...

Love this post Shirley!! Can't wait for our next adventure! chris

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

I believe we are nest swap partners! :) I'm so excited!! xo Holly

familytribe said...

This was a fun post to read. My family visited Yellowstone in 1969. I'll never forget it. We also visited Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, the Badlands, The Corn Palace, etc. I also remember watching the first moon landing on the tv in the lobby of the Yellowstone Natl. Park lodge. Great memories! Have a wonderful time!

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful post! I do want to visit Yellowstone some day!

Bina Simon said...

A good blog always comes-up with new and exciting information and while reading I have feel that this blog is really have all those quality that qualify a blog to be a one
skip bin hire brisbane
skip bin hire online

yahya said...

Nice information, valuable and excellent design, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts,
lots of great information and inspiration, both of which general waste removal