It was fifty years ago today…
The tale of a six-week family cross-country trip during the summer of ‘67
WEEK TWO

It was fifty years ago, during the summer of ’67, that the Heller family of Port Washington, New York, loaded up our Pontiac station wagon and headed west for a six-week long vacation. Dad and Mom and four boys, ages 16, 15, 14 and 12, travelled through almost half the states from coast to coast and back again. Apparently, the summer of ’67 was chosen because it was the first year without one of us having a bar mitzvah (there would be another the following year). Dad had recently been discharged from the hospital, where he had undergone surgery, but we kept to our trip schedule.
We’ve always been a family of collectors, and this trip was no exception. Fifty years later, we still have photos, postcards, hotel receipts and my personal journal (I was the 14 year-old). Please join us as we recall the trip though ephemera and personal observations.
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Day 7 — July 21
Place — Denver
We got up at 8 and had a very nice (for a change) breakfast. We then went downtown and had a guided tour of the Denver Mint. Then we went to the top of the 28- story First National Bank and spent 1/2 hour admiring the fabulous view. After that we went to the Capitol, where, after climbing some scary spiral stairways, we got to the top and had another beautiful view.





We went to a cafe called The Holiday where I had spaghetti. By that time, the sun was at its hottest, so we came back to the motel where we went for a swim in the pool. After getting dressed we went to a great restaurant call Pizza Oven. After dinner we went to Elitches Amusement Park, where me and Jonathan went on a scary aerial tramway, and Billy and Josh went to the Haunted House. Afterwards we went back to the hotel.


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Day 8 — July 22
Place — Denver — Rawlins, WY

We got up early and had breakfast at a donut place. We drove through the beautiful Rocky Mountains and stopped off at a western town called Estes Park. We went to a souvenir shop and I got a lamp kit. Later on we stopped for lunch at a bug infested rest stop. So bug infested that I spilled a glass of chocolate milk all over myself in an effort to get away from a bug. But alas, the fun was not over. Dad spilled a bottle of olives on the ground. Everybody was cracking up, including Billy, who was in tears (of laughter) in between sneezes. The next stretch of driving was pretty boring with the exception of a few long trains. We got into Rawlins, where we had a reservation for a nice hotel. We went to some jade shops and then went to dinner. Afterwards we climbed a mountain.


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Day 9 — July 23
Place — Rawlins — Jackson, WY


We had another breakfast in the motel and left early. The first 100 miles were uneventful but after that the scenery was marvelous. We stopped at a small western town for lunch. After travelling about 50 miles, the beautiful Grand Tetons came into view. It got closer all the time. We arrived in Jackson Hole about 3 o’clock. We went swimming and then toured the unique town. I bought some old-fashioned posters and found a rodeo poster. We dinner at a nice place. After dinner we went to the outskirts of town and saw the rodeo, which included bucking broncos, calf roping, calf riding and others. All in all, it was a very eventful night.






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Days 10–11, July 24–25
Place — Jackson--West Yellowstone, WY


July 24 — We got up late and had a good breakfast. We then proceded to go into Grand Teton National Park. We rode around and stopped off at a lodge for lunch. We missed a boat ride around the lake, but after that we went up the 2 1/2 mile tramway. We stopped at the top, got a grea view and came back down. We dinner at a western restaurant.


July 25 — we had breakfast by ourselves and then started on our journey through Yellowstone. We drove along the park — met a few bears. We stopped for lunch and then went on driving. We saw Old Faithful and then came into West Yellowstone, a small western town. We went to dinner at The Dude.



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Days 12–13, July 26–27
Place — West Yellowstone — Missoula, MT — Moses Lake, WA


July 26 — West Yellowstone. We had another breakfast in the motel and got on our way. The first few miles were under construction so that held us up for a few minutes. The dull ride was brightened by our playing “You Don’t Say.” We got here at 3 and went swimming right away. Afterwards, we went to dinner.



July 27 — Missoula. We left at 8 and at 10:30 we encountered another time change, putting us back an hour. We arrived in Spokane at 11:30, had lunch and decided to go all the way to Moses Lake. We got here around 3 and settled into a nice motel, where we went swimming. We ate at a steakhouse and came back to the motel.
