Back in 1967 five friends decided to start saving money for a Senior Trip. Now this is quite remarkable because the Senior Trip wasn’t supposed to happen until 1971. This was back in the day when the only Senior Trip MHS students took was a day at Lagoon during the last week of school. There were no Hawaiian vacations, cruises to the Caribbean or trips to Disney Land. We were poor.

The poorness was evidenced by our commitment to bank 50 whole cents per week, come rain or shine until we graduated. Some weeks this meant sacrificing lunch money. Sometimes we got a little behind but because the commitment was strong, the funds were always made up. By the time graduation arrived we had a sizeable nest egg. 

The next step was securing a vehicle for our travels. None of our parents were privy to our plans, but all of them held the car keys. So, the plan was presented to the keepers of the keys. They were shown the bank statement and the itinerary. The trip was going to be a jaunt from Yellowstone to Boise, and we didn’t want to take a bus. Now in 1971 parents didn’t let their 17-18-year-old daughters jaunt around for a week on their own. At least ours didn’t. However, they must have been impressed with our planning because we secured a car and help making reservations. The only problem was the car was a Pinto.

A Pinto can hold five skinny teenagers, but the back bench seat had a hump in the center, not great for comfort. It was decided every 50 miles seats would be rotated. First night’s destination was a suite at the Yellowstone Lodge, two bedrooms with bathrooms, a fancy living area and a balcony. This was the Good Life, until the wind started blowing in the middle of the night. The windows rattled, we got scared and ended up in the living room on the floor and couch. We probably rotated the couch.

After a buzz around Yellowstone, we headed west, still rotating seats every 50 miles, arguing over the best way to get to point B, laughing, eating and enjoying the freedom. By the time we got to Boise we were ready for a stop. There was a softball game going on, so we parked and watched. Low and behold one of the players was our former teacher, Coach Schmit. After the game he took us out for pizza. The Good Life indeed! 

We spent the last day in Boise and then headed home, still changing seats every 50 miles. We were surprised we had survived the journey without calling home for reinforcements. We’d had experiences. We did it on our own; and now we were ready for college. It is a Good Life when the best laid plans work out, just remember to rotate seats!