Trip West with Bill

Pa paid for my brother Bill and me to take a trip out west during the Summer of 1965.

Dad rented a station wagon for us to travel in. We slept in the back (side by side in sleeping bags) and cooked meals off the tailgate using a Coleman stove (mainly pork and beans).

I had finished my second year at Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) and Bill had finished his first year at Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, KY).

We traveled first from our home in Ten Broeck (outside of Louisville, KY) to my sister Kayce’s home in Tennessee. Her daughter (June Lynn) was a baby then (and I remember holding her in a rocking chair for hours). That was when we bonded (and why she named her first son, Rob Daugherty, after me).

Since I had become a Christian in May before our trip, I wanted to share the “Four Spirituals Laws” with Bill, so that we could become not only close McConnell brothers, but close brothers in Christ (see "The Most Important Day in My Life"). The Four Spiritual Laws are discussed at the linked website.
http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

After a few days with Kayce, we headed out west from Kayce’s home and crossed the Mississippi River. After a while I started to share the Four Laws with Bill. Law 1 went fine, but when I shared Law 2 (about sin) we disagreed. When he said he was doing OK., I said “Oh really? What kind of a job have you done with your life so far?”

He said, “If you don’t stop trying to shove this stuff down my throat, I’’ll never accept it!” We had a heated argument (and went about 75 miles out of our way). After that, I dropped the subject and we enjoyed the rest of the trip as brothers. Years later I learned that he prayed to receive Christ that night.

We took the southern route out west (including visits to the Carsbad Caverns and the Grand Canyon). Then we went north with visits to Mesa Verde, Yellowstone Park, and Glacier Park. Then we headed back to Kentucky.

We would stay at the parks, but many times we would just pull off to the side of the road, eat dinner, and sleep in the back of the station wagon. I especially remember one night when we stayed by a rushing stream (it was beautiful).