Meandering Between The Raindrops

By JA Rinker

This personal memoir relates the adventures and escapades of a country tomboy from a Western Kansas wheat farm, who became a world traveler. Her adventures began on an enlightening train trip to San Francisco at the age of 18, and then proceeds with her eye-opening solo trip around the world.

The actualization of Judy’s wanderlust has taken her to all seven continents, dozens of World Heritage Sites, seven Olympics, seven seas (now eight), dozens of World Heritage Sites and a zillion nooks and crannies. Looking back over the seven Olympics decades, she realizes that she has lived a life beyond her greatest imaginations.

So strap on your seat belt and join in the rollicking ride of a life-time with Judy Meandering Between The Raindrops as she leads a charmed and joyous life filled her exhilarating sojourns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Erin Go Bragh Publishing
• Release date: Nov 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005316181

Book preview

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hi There! My name is Judy A. Rinker (alias JARinker). The JAR is compliments of a neighbor, Freda, one of my future traveling companions. When I was a youngster, Freda told me that since my initials spelled a word, I would become rich when I grew up.

I would daydream about my foretold riches as I was plowing my Dad’s fields, driving a wheat truck during harvest and otherwise entertaining myself down on the farm. My dreams included traveling to the four corners of the earth, owning my own land, becoming an author and experiencing a multitude of other intriguing milestones.

In the meantime, I went to college, earned an advanced degree, became an educator, coach, guest ranch co-owner and games entrepreneur.

My ever-present goal, which always seemed to be on the back burner, was to write the story about my growing up years on our Kansas wheat farm. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the USA at the beginning of 2020, stay at home orders were the order of the day. So, with my attitude of turning lemons into lemonade, I had the time to get serious about writing and reaching that goal. My first book Skipping Between The Raindrops was published in November 2020.

Since the pandemic showed no evidence of letting up as 2021 commenced, Meandering Between the Raindrops came into fruition. This is a collection of tales about my round the world travels that I had always dreamt of accomplishing. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever believe that my dreams would be so completely realized!

I can honestly say that I have never experienced a dull moment in my life. I attribute this to always being able to move forward in my earthbound journey and to laugh at all of life’s foibles. I consider life an ongoing adventure and have loved every moment of exploring the four corners of the globe and making new friends everywhere.

Meandering Between The Raindrops is my memoir of my adventures and escapades of my travel life woven in between my career life. Enjoy!

Part I

The 1950’s

1952 Summer

San Francisco

My Adult Adventures Commence

I don't know where my love of travel came from, but it is in my blood. None of my family did much traveling, but I've always been ready to hit the road. After my freshman year at The College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas, I spent the summer in San Francisco living with my Aunt Julia (my Dad’s half-sister). I journeyed from my hometown of WaKeeney, Kansas to San Francisco, California on the Union Pacific Railroad. I was 18 years old, scared to death and yet very excited to be venturing into the unknown.

My Five Items

During my sojourn I carried five items on the train, which I counted many times for fear of losing one of them. I had my hat, my coat, my blue Samsonite cosmetic case, my camera bag and my purse (I had checked my suitcase). My Mom had reserved a berth in a sleeping car, but I was afraid to use it as I couldn’t bring myself to put on pajamas in the restroom and then walk down the public aisle to my bunk, shielded only by a flimsy curtain. I sat up the entire trip in my assigned seat in the passenger car. The vistas from the train window through Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California were sights I had never seen before. The journey was eye-opening and sparked within me a life-long wanderlust. I was an avid reader, and one of my childhood dreams was to visit other parts of the world that I had read about in books – now I was doing it!

My First Job

On my arrival in San Francisco, I obtained a job as a clerk in a downtown shipping company. It's the only job of this type I have ever had. I found it very engaging to meet my co-workers around the drinking fountain. Since my Aunt Julia had no TV, I relied on my co-workers to catch up with the happenings on the TV shows from the previous night. I was informed of all the important events of the times – such as the lives and loves of many soap opera stars. My commute was a good hour from Aunt Julia’s and I enjoyed the novelty of riding the train and bus downtown. On the weekends, I visited many of the San Francisco museums, parks and historical sites. Exploring the city on my own was so amazing and intoxicating that it ignited in me the self-confidence to do more! I even dared to hitchhike a great distance from a museum back to my Aunt’s home.

Aside: I did not realize it at the time, but it was the first of several hitchhiking episodes I would engage in on my future travels.

My Initial Interest In Politics

Because Aunt Julia did not own a television, we tuned in on the radio to the 1952 Democratic Convention held in Chicago. We listened intently to the voting results for the nominee for president. Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, who had stated that he was not a presidential candidate, was asked to give the welcoming address to the delegates. He gave such an arousing and witty speech that his supporters exerted enough pressure to nominate him despite his protests. Stevenson relented and decided to enter his name as a candidate for the nomination. U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, a favorite in the primary race, led on the first ballot, but did not receive enough votes to win the nomination. Stevenson gradually gained strength until he was nominated on the third ballot. My excitement while listening to the results of the nomination voting was hard to contain. I felt it to be akin to watching the horse races at the county fair back home. I was still too young to vote (one had to be 21 at that time), but my avid interest in politics was piqued and my enthusiasm for politics has never waned.

Summer’s End

At the end of the summer, I exchanged my return train ticket for a bus ticket and traveled home to WaKeeney. From then on, I preferred to travel by bus rather than by train as I found bus travel much more interesting. I met more people, shared stories with them in the bus station restaurants and was able to leisurely enjoy much more of America from my bus travels. What a wonderful way to experience my country! All in all, it was a fabulous summer, and it set the tone for my future travel adventures.

1953 Summer

Girl Scout Camp In Iowa

Picturesque Clouds

After completing my sophomore year at The College of Emporia, I took the Greyhound bus from Wakeeney, Kansas to Davenport, Iowa in June of 1953. I loved traveling by bus, roaming the highways and byways of picturesque rural America. As I went farther and farther east, I remember thinking how the Kansas clouds were remarkably unique compared to those in other states. To this day, I still believe the clouds over the wheat fields and prairies in Western Kansas are the most spectacular cloud formations anywhere in the world!

Too Humid By Half

Accustomed to the dry, hot, windy Western Kansas climate, my encounter with Camp Conestoga’s humid, very hot, stifling, stagnant and breathless air was most unfavorable. I loved being a camp counselor, but the Iowa humidity almost did me in. The dense, tree-filled forest left me feeling miserably confined and living in an enclosed, sweltering platform tent was no picnic! I was in the unit farthest from the camp headquarters (dining hall, counselor relaxation area, indoor teaching area), so after-hour treks to civilization were few and far between.

A Work–Fun Vacation

My fellow counselor was nicknamed Rusty. I became known as Pepper, since the campers witnessed me putting bukoos of black pepper on much of my food - a habit I still adhere to. During one free-time, I spent a restful evening with Pat, a camper from Davenport, and her parents. Pat’s dream was to become a nun and years later I learned that she had. Although I had a memorable summer, it was good to return home in late July to the cool, dry Western Kansas breezes and NO HUMIDITY!

1954 Summer

Alaska

Put To The Test

One of my major areas of study at The College of Emporia was religion, so in the summer of 1954, at the end of my junior year of college, I decided to put my acquired knowledge to the test by going on a mission trip to Southeastern Alaska. One of our professors led the way as our team of eight ventured forth. From Kansas City, Missouri we flew to Seattle, Washington where we spent the night with some of my relatives. Then, the group bussed to Vancouver, Canada where we boarded a cruise ship bound for the Inside Passage of Southeastern Alaska. Aboard the ship were Presbyterians from all over the United States on a spiritual and sightseeing getaway. Compared to most of my future trips by ship, this one ranked high on the luxury scale. There were many lecture programs during the day, entertainment during the evenings and shore excursions to villages along the way. The only young persons onboard were our team, and we enjoyed striking up conversations with people from all over America.

An Inspirational Leader

The ship made various ports of call along the Inside Passage. Our mission team disembarked in Juneau where we stayed for several days of orientation. Our leader was a wonderful lady named Mayreld. She was truly an inspirational person who took very good care of us throughout the summer. Mayreld and I saw each other occasionally through the years and she was always her up-beat, positive self. She lived well into her 90s after leading a truly fulfilled life of service, teaching and inspiring young people.

Down To The Nitty Gritty

We were paired off in teams of two or three persons and sent to towns and villages in Southeastern Alaska to teach and preach the Gospel. There were many Presbyterian churches spread throughout Southeast Alaska, most with just lay pastors or traveling ministers. We spent a week in each village teaching Bible school, conducting Sunday school, preaching on Sunday, leading evening services and interacting with the people in the village. Oftentimes, the villagers had evening socials to which we were invited and we learned many native songs and dances. Southeast Alaska was predominantly made up of three main indigenous groups– Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian – and by visiting their different villages we learned a sprinkling of the traditions of each native group.

Family Gatherings

We stayed with local families in the villages with whom we ate meals and socialized. My villages were Hoonah, Kake and Craig. Every week was an exciting undertaking of learning about the unfamiliar customs of the local population. A couple of weeks were spent aboard the mission boat Sheldon Jackson, stopping at different towns like Petersburg, Wrangell, Klawock and Hydaburg where we disembarked and wandered around to see the area sights which were always very captivating. A vivid memory of mine was admiring all the cedar totem poles in Ketchikan which has the largest display of totem poles in the world. Native art and culture flourished in this region due to the populous of Native Alaskans. The native crafts were beautiful and long lasting. I still have many of my treasures including the hand woven, spruce root hot pads I purchased that summer. We are talking about 67 years ago, and they are still used every day on my kitchen counter under my teapots and mixing bowls.

A River Runs Through It

In Hoonah, I stayed with a lady and her son in a house near the center of the village. From my bedroom to the bathroom there was a streamlet running under the house. The floor was always wet between the two rooms, and if you didn't want to get your feet wet, you had to leap over the three to four foot passageway. I found this situation very strange.

The Landlubber Gains Experience

All the villages we visited were on the water and Hoonah was no exception. I'll never forget my first crabbing experience of walking down to the water’s edge, scooping up a large crab and running up to the house to throw it into a pot of boiling water. For a landlubber like me (little water and few edible fish in Western Kansas) it was certainly a not to be forgotten experience!

My Piano Skills Put To The Test

Although I was a mediocre piano player at best, I often found myself the appointed pianist at many of the events. I have never been able to carry a tune, yet I have always loved to sing and to lead singing and I do it with fervor! Coming from the Midwest and a rather staid Presbyterian background, I was thrown headfirst into gospel music and revival hymns I had never heard before. Almost every village had a Presbyterian Church, a Catholic Church or Mission, a Seventh Day Adventist Church, a Russian Orthodox Church and at least one other place of worship. The people, especially the young, rotated among the churches depending on what was being offered (storytelling, bible school, games, singing or food), who was offering what and what fit into their schedules. Needless to say, there was never a dull moment.

A Lesson Learned

In Kake, a Tlingit village, I learned a life-long lesson never to be forgotten. Our team was conducting an evening get-together for the villagers and I was in charge of folk dancing. I was in the process of teaching the group an easy folk dance and I tried to get everyone to participate. This turned out to be a difficult task. About 60% of the attendees were ready and raring to give it a go, but about 40% were still glued to their seats around the room. By the end of the evening, it dawned on me that those seated were enjoying the dancing as much as those actively participating. Many times through the years this realization would come back to me – everyone did not have to meet my expectations of fully participating in order to enjoy the activities at hand.

The Bear Hunt

Several weeks were spent living on the boat Sheldon Jackson. Helping the cook in the boat’s galley (quite the challenge in such a small space), undertaking boat chores and just enjoying being out on the water was a wonderful experience. We stopped at smaller villages for a day or two and held church services or social events. On one of our land sojourns we went on a bear hunt. We were successful in finding and shooting a humongous bear, but I don't remember what we did with it! This was the only time that I ever held and shot a gun on a bear hunt.

Aside: I do remember that the boat’s galley was too small to cook the bear!

A Fabulous Summer

The summer culminated with the whole gang reuniting at Mayreld’s vacation cabin in Haines. We made a side trip to the village of Skagway, which was part of the setting for Jack London's novel The Call of the Wild. The whole summer of living with families in the villages, cruising on the Sheldon Jackson and becoming enmeshed in Alaskan culture was a grand introduction for my love affair with Alaska. I have returned to the state many times over the years and have never been disappointed.

1955 Summer

Europe – Norway – British Isles

My Parents’ Gift

Upon graduating from The College of Emporia in May 1955, my folks gifted me a trip to Europe, a six-week summer school experience at the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway and a trip to the British Isles. It was an extraordinary gift and it remains a treasured highlight of my