Can We Watch a Video

Ok, there are times when as an adult you look back at the times when you were a kid and have one of those moments when you have become your parents. That happened to me last week while we spent a few days in God's Country at Island Park, Idaho and Yellowstone National Forest. We had decided that on our way home we would stay the night in West Yellowstone. While we were there we ran into what we all thought was a fun street, It was called Madison Avenue. If you don't know why it's special to us you should read our cartoon. www.madisoncartoon.com So naturally my daughter who is named accordingly, decides she needs here picture taken with the sign.



It just so happens that Lewis and Clark on there way through the park had named loads of things after their then secretary of state James Madison. Well I knew of the Madison River, but there was also a Madison campground, a Junction in the park named Madison, a Madison Hotel, a gift shop and numerous others. My son who seeing his sister taking all the glory asks, " Dad what famous things was I named after?" Not wanting my son to feel left out, but not really being up to date on his namesake other than we liked the name. I knew of one person whose last name had my son's first. I blurted out, "Well there was a famous sheriff who shot Billy the Kid and his name was Pat Garret." Well from then on if was 20 questions and we found a photo of Billy the Kid, Pat Garret, and the gun that Pat carried along with the reward poster and other items on interest on a picture plaque in one of the gift shops. He was pacified.

After finding a hotel and making sure it had the one essential thing that every hotel must have, a heated pool, we were off to the park, we were about 5 minutes into my park lecture and what a great experience that this was going to be when my son pulls out the pin that deflates my (sharing an experience of beauty and recognition for one of our countries greatest treasures) balloon.

"Can we watch a movie?" he shouted from the seat just behind mine. This was my moment, I became my Dad and I politely told him and his siblings. "No!"

My dad had taken me through the part 28 years prior and I would have never dreamed of asking to see a movie, of course it didn't exist at the time, but my Dad had recongized the beauty of the park and wanted to pass it along to me as I wanted to do the same for my kids. I guess somtimes appreciation comes after the fact. They will look back a the experience years later with a longing to see the park again, it only took me 28 years to get back lets see how long it will take them.