Dash #36: Transportation

                I'm certain that I have over 80 posts in which I had used public transportation while living in Salt Lake City.  There is also a high volume mentioning driving or the car itself.  There is also an entire post dedicated to water transportation here.   Amusement rides may not count as transportation as they are thrills.  Riding trains at the park or the zoo takes passengers around - sort of a tour - in a circle back to where you started.

             

            My first experiencing with riding a passenger train (I'm assuming AMTrack) came when I was about seven or eight. My cousins had moved to Denver, Colorado for a couple of years and my mom and grandma had taken me and my brother, Patrick to visit for about a week I guess. I don't have many memories of the train itself, but I do remember going through tunnels.  

          As a child I thought it was really cool to be moving through a tunnel - particularly when it was a long one.  I also remember meeting two elderly ladies on the return.  They had each given me a carnation.  One was white and one was blue.  I had them for about two months before they withered.

            I have also ridden in carrier bus lines such as Trailways and Greyhound.  In fact, In 1987 I had taken one of the last Trailways bus back to where I had served my mission.  When I returned, it was on Greyhound as Greyhound Lines had bought out Trailways.  I remember my feeling of uncertainty as my ticket was for Trailways.

            I've ridden guided horses but have never used one as a method of transportation from getting from point A. to point B.

            My first time in an airplane (or at least that I know of) was either one summer during high school or shortly after I graduated.  PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines, apparently a subsidiary of American Airlines; I learned that as I created this post;  I honestly did not know that PSA is still in operation) had a special for a round trip ticket to San Francisco and back.  It was only fifty dollars.  If I had waited a month, I would have gone on Delta which offered the same deal the following month.  

            Of course there have been several times I have San Franciso when I have used the cable cars or B.A.R.T (Bay Area Rapid Transit).  I remember two riding the BART two specific times.  Both times I had gone to another city to attend church.  The first time was in Martinez where my uncle (one of mom's brothers) and his family lived. The second time I went with a group of students to Lafeyette.   

            I have also been in a hot air balloon.  My brother, Corey and I paid our own way to have a ride.  We both thought it had been a waste of our money.

            I don't think I've been on a helicopter before.  Never ridden in an ambulance or fire truck or police car.  I've ridden in a cargo elevator.  It's not that thrilling.  I've been on the tram at Bridal Veil Falls outside of Provo, Utah. I don't remember if I took it up or down.  It seems like we had Grandma Mary with us and she took it both ways.  I think I took the Tram up and walked back down.  Hard to say.

            I've ridden on a ski lift located somewhere in park city.  It was during the summer months.  I think it is clever of them to utilize the lifts for another season.  I went with my family to ride the Alpine slide which I mention in this post

note: that is NOT my family though there are photos that exist.  I just don't happen to know where they are at the moment.

            I've ridden in a limousine once. It was on the day of my father's funeral.  I think that was the only time.  Roland rented a U-Haul - not quite a semi, but definitely larger than a pick-up truck.  I was a passenger in that.  I've been a passenger on a dirt bike, motorcycle, tractor pull - oh, I did ride on a flatbed truck.  It had been used in a parade at Ricks college.  I was sitting on a bale of hay and when the parade was over (and the rig was moving a little faster and uphill, I might add) I could feel the bale of hay slipping beneath me and thrust myself forward onto my stomach and the bale of hay went flying off the truck. I was grateful that it wasn't me.