One morning while doing my garden weeding chore, Lester Douglas and Ivan Hardy drove in our driveway. They ahd come to present a plan for a trip to Yellowstone. I had told them so often about my first trip that they were itching to go themselves. Their plan was to take Ivan Hardy’s hard top Dodge coupe. We would build a seat on the trunk, which was flat. On that seat two would ride on the outside. Three others would ride in the single seat. The five would be made up with Andy Isakson, Joe McCracken, Charlie Ward, Les Douglas and Ivan Hardy. Ike Hardy was working for the U.S. Postal department hauling mail from the Ogden Railroad depot to the post office and from the post office to the depot. In 1932 all mail was moved nation-wide by train. The railroads had special mail cars on all trains and also some trains were only mail trains. Ike had vacation time and wanted uys five to go to Yellowstone. We all wanted to go. We calculated that by raiding our mothers kitchen and the family garden we could make the trip on not more than ten dollars each. All we would have to buy would be small amounts of food and the gasoline. We would sleep out under the stars.
We allotted ten days for the trip. We left early one morning; getting as far as Rexburg, Idaho by dark, some 250 miles. We drove at a break-neck speed of 35 miles per hour. In Rexburg we found the public park, then we proceeded to do what we did at each and every new stop on the trip. We tore down the seat on the trunk which was our bedding. From the trunk we took our cooking utensils . We carried a small amount of wood for a fire to cook our food. That came out and some of the food came out for our dinner and breakfast. That night in the dark we cooked our dinner. After dinner again in the dark, we made up our beds on the ground.
Next morning after breakfast we put all the food and utensils back in the trunk. Re-build the trunk seat and took off for Yellowstone. We visited West Yellowstone; then on to Old Faithful. They had heard my fishing stories of Yellowstone River so often that we kept on going until we reached the Dragon Geyser located on the Yellowstone River. There we camped for four days. We were the only ones camped at the dragon Geyser. In fact the entire Yellowstone Park was nearly empty of tourists. The depression was at its deepest point. Very few tourists were traveling. We almost had the park to ourselves. Actually it seemed that there were more bears than people. Upon our arrival at dragons Mouth we hurriedly unpacked the car. Then we raced each other getting ready to fish. Not all of us had the proper flys for the Yellowstone native. I had procured an ample supply which I passed out to those who had failed to bring any. I spent about fifteen minutes explaining how to cast and work the fly in the moving water of the Yellowstone. Then, as if a black bear were chasing us, we raced to the river. Some of us went upstream, some down. Though fishing on that first venture was fantastic two of the crowd returned to camp without fish. Ivan Hardy and Joe McCracken had never fished, they had to learn how and where to throw the fly. I took them downstream for a lesson. In less than an hour they were catching fish. During that first day we caught so many fish that we decided to take fish home for our parents. Realizing that they may spoil a decision was made to wrap them in towels and in blankets in a dry condition. Once wrapped we placed them under the car. The fish saved fro travel were the fish caught on the third day at Dragon Mouth.
On the fourth day we decided to go fishing for the first two hours; then pack up and go to see the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I was the first to return to our camp. Upon doing so I saw a big black bear trying to get under the car to steal our fish. Thoughts raced through my mind on a plan to stop him. I remembered that in on of our food boxes was a can of sardines. Maybe if I opened the can he would decide that the smell of sardines was better than that of trout. He paid no attention to me as I went through the box locating the sardines. Using the opener fastened tot the can I began to open the sardines. The second that the key broke open the can releasing the odor the bear raised his head and started for me and the can. I knew that before he could eat the sardines I had to complete opening the can. Working on the opener, I started around the car with the bear following. As soon as I had the can opened I threw it to the bear. He became totally engrossed in its content. I rushed to get the trout from under the car and placed them inside the car. The bear was still licking the sardine can. I grabbed my fishing pole and headed for the river. When I returned the bear was gone. The fish were saved. I’ve told my two Yellowstone bear stories so many times that I have them memorized. That afternoon the five of us packed up and moved on to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.