Yellowstone: A Magical Journey

By Barry Weigel

Megan, twelve, and Zane, nine, want to go to Yellowstone National Park with their grandpa and grandma. When their parents say no, they take matters into their own hands, hiding in the back of the truck and going anyway. They never could have guessed they would end up having a magical, sometimes terrifying, adventure. Along the way, they meet a lost-in-time Lakota tribe and a very interesting mountain man, who help them along their journey. But the story is just getting started and becomes much more than a journey and an adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504953498

Barry Weigel

Barry Weigel was born and raised in Harvey, a small town in central North Dakota. He is a twin and one of six kids. As a child, he enjoyed camping, fishing, and taking trips with his family to areas outside of North Dakota. His love of adventure and travel has continued throughout his life. He particularly delights in the great outdoors and has visited many of our national parks, with Yellowstone being a favorite. Barry spent a portion of his adult life in law enforcement but is a salesperson by nature and has worked in that field for the past twenty-six years. Barry and his wife, Darla, have been married for forty years. For the past twenty-six years, they have lived in Minot, North Dakota, where they enjoy spending time with their two children and their spouses and their seven grandchildren, who are their pride and joy.

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© 2015 Barry Weigel. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/30/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5350-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5351-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-5349-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015916173

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

About the Author

To my grandchildren, Megan, Zane, Cale, Daya, Bailey, Brey, and Zoe. I have always told you that you can do anything if you just put your minds to it. With that in mind, I wrote this book. Never say never or that something is too hard. If you believe in yourselves, that is all you need.

Love,

Grandpa

Chapter 1

Zane and Megan were cousins and had been best friends for as long as they could remember. Zane’s mom, Shila, and Megan’s dad, Chad, were sister and brother and had lived in the same small town all of their lives, as did their parents – Grandpa and Grandma. This made is easy for Megan and Zane to spend lots of time together.

Today was a beautiful day and they were spending time in their grandparent’s backyard.

Today however, Zane was upset because their parents had told them that they couldn’t go with their grandparents to Yellowstone National Park. It was a trip that Grandpa and Grandma took at least once every two years, and they wanted to take the grandkids with them this time. They mainly enjoyed looking for grizzly bears, but they also loved the waterfalls, trees, and all the other beauty of the park. North Dakota didn’t have waterfalls, and there weren’t a lot of trees, either. As for bears, well, they just didn’t exist in North Dakota. The occasional black bear showed up every so often, sneaking down from Canada, but even that was rare. Years ago, there were both black bears and grizzlies, but that was back in the day when Lewis and Clark had first explored the area. They were the first and largest bears that Lewis and Clark had seen on their adventures. Since then, those bears had moved out due to settlers moving in.

Even though Grandpa was looking out the window at a beautiful, sunny day, he felt as if it had been raining nonstop for a week. It was a depressing feeling he just could not shake. The kids had been sitting out on the step for what seemed like hours. Grandpa came out of the house to see if he could cheer them up, knowing what it meant for them to go with. Their parents didn’t like the idea of the kids going because they thought that Grandma and Grandpa were getting too old to be taking a trip like that—let alone taking two overly energetic grandchildren with them. There was no reasoning with them, and trying just made things worse. Grandpa stepped outside and sat between them, putting his arms around them both. Megan laid her head on Grandpa’s shoulder and started to cry. It’s not fair, Megan said with a shaky voice. With a tear in his eye, he hugged her all the harder. Letting them down was one of the hardest things he had to do.

If there was a way to sneak both of you with us and not get your parents mad, we would, Grandpa said. I have tried everything, but we have to respect your parents’ wishes. We can’t always have what we want in life, and sometimes we just have to accept things that we have no control over. Maybe we can all go next summer. It’s been a long time since your parents have been there, and who knows? They may want to go next year.

With that, Grandpa got up and went back into the house so he could get the truck packed and ready to leave early in the morning. He looked back at them and got a lump in his throat. He noticed that Grandma was looking out the window and was also a little teary eyed. She was as disappointed as the kids were. It had always been their dream to share their favorite vacation spot with their grandkids, but it just wasn’t going to happen this year.

Zane and Megan both knew that it was not Grandpa and Grandma’s choice, but that didn’t make them feel any better. Zane leaned back onto the steps, his little mind working overtime. He knew that both his grandparents were as disappointed as he and Megan were, so begging them just wasn’t the answer. Suddenly, Zane got a big smile on his face. Being only nine years old, he was all boy, with jelly from his peanut butter and jelly sandwich he’d had for lunch still on his face. He was the spitting image of his dad and at times just as crazy. He thought to himself, What would Dad have done at my age? And it didn’t take long for him to answer his own question. Dad would have found a way to go. Reason and a nine-year-old boy’s mind just don’t work well together. With the stories Dad had told Zane about the things he had done as a child, he knew that his dad would not have given up if it meant that much to him.

Megan looked at Zane and asked, What’s that dumb look on your face for? We have to stay here just because our parents think Grandma and Grandpa are too old to take us. I don’t see anything to smile about.

Grandpa said he would sneak us with if our parents wouldn’t get mad at them, right? Zane asked.

Sure, but how does that make any difference? Megan asked.

With a sly look on his face and a devilish twinkle in his blue eyes, Zane laughed and said, We won’t get our parents mad at Grandpa and Grandma. With that, he jumped up and told Megan to follow.

Megan was twelve years old and usually did pretty well at keeping Zane under control. If Zane was all boy, then Megan was definitely all girl. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a ribbon in it that blew in the wind as she ran after Zane. She was a pretty little thing with her blonde hair and blue eyes. Someday the boys would definitely be chasing after her, but at twelve years old, they would have to get through Grandpa and her dad first.

Arriving at Zane’s house they went into the garage and closed all the doors. Zane started digging in a pile of junk in the corner and pulled out an old army backpack his dad had bought at a garage sale. In it, he put two small blankets and a pocketknife. When Megan asked what he was doing, he told her to go to her house and get some pop and sandwiches and to meet him in the garage in one hour. He also wanted her to ask her parents if she could spend the night in the tent in his back yard. She knew he was up to something, but she also knew it was a waste of time trying to pry it out of him right now. Besides, he was heading into his house before she had a chance to say much of anything. He was on a mission and didn’t have time to talk.

When Megan arrived at her house, her dad was in the living room reading. Are Grandpa and Grandma about ready for their trip? asked her father.

Megan sat down by her stepmother and had a disappointed look on her face. Yeah, but I sure wish I was going with them.

It had been a hard decision to make, to not let Megan and Zane go, but both sets of parents thought it was for the best. Grandpa had some health issues, and sometimes it was hard enough for Grandma to take care of him, let alone two kids. Besides, Grandpa was still a kid in a lot of ways, and that was a problem in itself. If the kids didn’t get into trouble on their own, Grandpa was probably going to get them into it himself. On top of it all, Grandpa was accident-prone. He had broken more bones over the years than Evel Knievel. He had always believed that you should live life to its fullest, no matter the consequences. He wasn’t reckless, but he was active and would try just about anything once. One thing was certain: Grandpa knew his way around the emergency room. Once, while lying on an emergency room table with a broken arm and leg, he noticed that the nurse was looking for a needle to give him some pain reliever but could not find the right one. He pointed to a drawer and told her to look in there—and sure enough, that was where it was. She was new.

Megan’s dad gave her a big hug and said, Someday, if we get a chance to take a trip to the mountains together, we will.

Just then, the phone rang, and her stepmother got up to answer it. It was her dad’s office, and he had to go take care of something at work.

We’ll stop by tonight and say good-bye to Grandma and Grandpa before you go to bed. They’re leaving before sunup in the morning. You don’t want them to feel bad, so make sure you put on your best smile for them when we go over.

Megan’s mom and dad had divorced when she was just a baby, and he had gotten remarried. Megan loved her stepmother. Megan spent her summers with her dad and Val, who was great with her. Val was a teacher and loved doing projects with Megan. One thing Megan was not lacking in was love or attention.

Dad, Zane asked if I could spend the night at his place in the tent. Is that okay with you? Megan asked. Not wanting to disappoint her any more than she already had been that week, Megan’s dad agreed. Megan and Zane spent at least one night a week camping out in the backyard, so that was not anything unusual. The two were inseparable during the summer. They were each other’s best friend.

Walking her dad to the door, Megan told him that she had to go to Zane’s for a little while but would be back for supper. Megan made the sandwiches and grabbed some pop out of the fridge.

When she got there, Zane had his backpack half full. Megan reached into the sack and tried to take a can of pop, but Zane said, Wait! That’s for the trip.

What trip? Megan asked.

Zane said, To Yellowstone, of course!

Real funny! she said in an irritated voice. Grandpa and Grandma can’t take us without our parents giving the okay. You know that they won’t ask our parents again. Zane could tell that Megan was in no mood for any of his half-baked schemes. He had come up with some real dandies in the past, like the time he convinced her he could build a tree house out of cardboard boxes. He also talked her into jumping off the roof of the garage with a set of wings he had made. Fortunately, the snow had broken her fall instead of something else.

"Grandpa said he would take us as long as our parents didn’t get mad at them, and they’re not going to get mad at them—they’ll get mad at us. Grandpa and Grandma won’t even know we’re with until they get there, Zane said, laughing. By then it will be too late. What are they going to do? Get mad at us for a little while—and then what? They’ve been mad at us before. I would rather come home and get grounded for a week or two than miss going with."

Megan looked stunned. And just how are we supposed to manage that? Don’t you think they’ll see us hiding in the truck before they get to Yellowstone?

We’ll hide in the back of the truck but way up front. All we have to do is get in there before they get out of bed. You asked your dad if you could stay the night at my place, and I’ve already asked mine if we could sleep out in the tent. All we have to do is stay in the tent until we see Grandpa and Grandma’s lights come on in the morning, and then we can climb into the back of the truck. With the topper, they’ll never see us, Zane said.

Zane didn’t think it was going to be that easy to talk Megan into his scheme, but he could tell she was interested when she smiled from ear to ear. The funny thing was that she didn’t argue at all. No questions. No eye rolling. Nothing. He was shocked but relieved that he didn’t have to convince her.

Megan had been extremely disappointed when their parents had come up with such a lame excuse for not letting them go. Sure, Grandpa didn’t get around that well anymore, but they let them take Zane and her everywhere else they went. What was the big deal with this? All she knew was that she was going to be in that truck in the morning and on her way to Yellowstone. She had wanted to go to the mountains for as long as she could remember. It seemed that it was all Grandpa talked about. She had even told her parents that if she had to choose between Disneyland and the mountains, she would rather go to the mountains. Grandpa and Grandma had talked so much of the mountains that her curiosity was so piqued that she just knew it was meant to be.

They both knew that their grandparents—especially Grandma—would be furious when they found them hidden in the truck, but they also knew that it wouldn’t be as bad as what their parents would do when they found out what they had done. But, Megan realized, sometimes you just had to do what you had to do. Besides, what was the worst that could happen when they got back? Like Zane said, they would get grounded and probably wouldn’t get to play with each other for a while, but that wasn’t the end of the world either. They were cousins; their parents couldn’t keep them apart forever. She, like Zane, was willing to accept whatever came.

After helping set up the tent and going home for supper, Megan began to have second thoughts—and, if it was even possible, third thoughts. Putting her trust in Zane had been a big mistake in the past, so why would this be any different? She always seemed to come out looking worse since she was older and supposed to help keep him out of trouble. But really, she wanted to do most of the stupid things he did anyway. They may have been stupid, but they were usually a lot of fun. That was why she couldn’t say no—because that would just be boring. There was one thing Zane wasn’t, and that was boring. He may get her in trouble a lot, but it was usually worth the headache of dealing with her mom and dad later. She was always ready for a new adventure, and when she hung around with him, she was guaranteed to have one.

In her room, Megan pulled out her school bag and packed some clothes and her jacket, plus the jack knife she had gotten from Grandpa (but wasn’t supposed to let anyone know she had). Then it was time to eat. At the supper table, she had a hard time eating. With the knot in her stomach, she hardly had room for food. Dad and Val were discussing their concerns about Grandpa and Grandma traveling on their own again. Maybe they were right about Grandpa, Megan thought. He did seem to be accident-prone and to act like she and Zane were his best friends instead of his grandkids at times. Sometimes he’d get into just as much trouble with Zane and Megan as they did on their own. She knew that Grandpa wouldn’t let anything happen to them, but her dad didn’t seem to trust anything he did, and she knew that sometimes it was for good reason.

Grandpa always treated all of his grandchildren like they were adults, allowing them to do things most other kids probably wouldn’t get to do. Grandpa loved the outdoors, especially camping, canoeing, and backpacking. He also loved to make things with his hands and always included Zane and Megan in his projects if he could. They even had their own tools to work with, and they were tools that really worked and not the play ones other kids got.

Megan always thought that her dad must have had the greatest childhood in the world since Grandpa and Grandma were so much fun to be around. The truth of the matter was that Grandpa wasn’t that easy to get along with when her dad was growing up. Grandpa was much more demanding of her dad and Auntie Shila. It wasn’t that he didn’t love them—he did—but it was just the way Grandpa had been raised. He felt that they had to do everything right, no matter what it was. Grandpa was raised in a time when children were seen and not heard and were strongly disciplined. He had been hard on his kids because he thought that was the way you raised children, and like many young people raising kids, they did what their parents had done. It may not have been right, but it was what he had thought was right. Grandpa hadn’t wanted to be like his own father, but no matter how hard you try, it sometimes just happens. He had spent a lot of time with his kids, but it wasn’t the quality time he and Grandma spent with Megan and Zane. Like most people, they had mellowed in their old age. They often looked back and wished they could change things, but they knew that the best they could do was to not make the same mistakes twice. Being strict with the grandkids was not an option. They realized that they needed to cherish their time with their grandchildren and that mistakes were just part of growing up.

Dad and Auntie Shila got to go camping and do a lot of traveling, but it’s always different with your own kids for some reason. Megan still had a hard time listening to her parents talk about Grandpa and Grandma like they were kids. Sure, they were getting old, but they would never let anything happen to their grandchildren. They never had in the past, and there was no reason to believe that they wouldn’t take good care of them if they went with to Yellowstone. Grandma was the responsible one, and everyone knew it. She seemed to keep Grandpa under control most of the time, but she couldn’t always be around. He managed to get off by himself all too often and come in bleeding or burnt or with something broken or sprained. Oh well, he’d say. Things happen. Wouldn’t life be boring if everything were perfect?

As fast as Megan had had second thoughts about going, she convinced herself she had to go. After supper, she went out into the shed to get a few more things. Last time they’d gone camping with Grandpa and Grandma, he had shown her how to make a bow and arrow. Hers had actually worked, and she wanted to make another one when they got to Yellowstone. She got a roll of string and her dad’s hatchet out of their camping supplies so she could cut the tree branches she would need to make the bow and arrow, and she took a cigarette lighter so she could burn the tips of the arrows like Grandpa had shown her. He said it made them tougher. She also took