R and J in the USA

Well, not to brag folks, but it is official – we are now honorary Junior Rangers. Also, not to spoil the end of the story, but we figured, why bury the lead. It’s true. We now bear the official badges of the National Park Service Junior Ranger of Alcatraz Island. 

We don’t know how to say this, but, we’re kind of a big deal.

Okay – it’s possible that the entire Park Service is not officially behind the conferring of this honor, but Jamie, one of the lovely park rangers at Alcatraz Island, upon hearing about our trip, confidently, wholeheartedly and without hesitation, bestowed us with the honor during our visit to the site. Listen, we are not doing this trip for the awards. As a matter of fact, out here in California, we were not planning to hit any of the awards circuit at all – but if the recognition is going to come to us – we are not going to turn it down. And, hey we’d be lying if we didn’t admit it – it felt damn good.

Meeting Jamie was one of the auspicious results of us missing the 3:45 boat off Alcatraz Island. We had been going back and forth whether to shoot for the 3:45 or the 4:25 escape from Alcatraz. While Julie was deeply steeped in the exhibit on the mass incarceration phenomenon in the United States (we have 5% of the world’s population, and 25% of the world’s incarcerated), Ryan came up to Julie at 3:40 and said, “Wanna try and make it to the 3:45?” We were somewhat in the innards of the building at the top of the island at the time and many twists and turns of pathway lay between us and the ferry dock at the other end of the island.

This did not deter us.

”Do you think we’ll make it?” Julie asked.

”Yes.” Ryan said with all the confidence that was necessary to fuel the adventure.

Julie had no desire to pull herself away from the exhibit (and she hadn’t even hit the gift shop yet!), but that is par for the course on this trip and so, rarely a good enough reason to stay somewhere. We knew we had a couple of hours of driving ahead of us before we would rest our heads for the night, so an earlier start, even just by 40 minutes was attractive. 

So, we set off on our run to catch the boat.

There was something that seemed very apropos that we were running through the twists and turns and tunnels of Alcatraz Island to try and make our way off of it. It is, notoriously, a place that people have wanted to get off and, the few that (possibly) succeeded at the difficult task, undoubtedly did so in a hurry.

But, the island had her eyes on us and wasn’t planning to let us go just yet. Someone happened to have opened a particular gate at just the right point (a gate that hadn’t been open all day otherwise) that threw us off the trail as we hurriedly ran towards our hopeful rendezvous. We ran down the first turn from the building ferry-ward, and soon found ourselves on a part of the island we didn’t recognize. It probably took us a good 45 seconds to get oriented and realize we need to run back where we had come from where we then noticed that there had been a turn that we had missed, a turn that would have been obvious if that gate wasn’t uncharacteristically open at just the right (or wrong, as it were) time. After correcting our mistake, we were back on track, hoofing it down the switchbacks, and then through a tunnel that led back into another part of the prison until we dumped out about 200 feet above the ferry dock. We could see the ferry filled with people, but still at the dock. We ran the final 200 feet to arrive at exactly 3:45. The gentleman manning the entryway to the ferry looked up to see us.

”Are we too late?” Ryan asked.

The gentleman nodded. “There will be another one soon, though, leaving at 4:25.” He encouraged us.

”How much did we miss it by?” Ryan wanted to know.

”Oh, about 30 seconds.” The man said.

We looked at each other. That dang gate. 

But, Julie wasn’t all that bummed. She still wanted to finish that exhibit, hit the gift shop and she hadn’t yet gotten her cancellation stamp for her national park booklet – all things she had been prepared to surrender to get the extra time on the road – but all things that she was relieved to have been forced to have the time for now that the option of leaving early was no longer on the table.

First stop, the ranger booth that was right there by the ferry dock with the cancellation stamps. For those that don’t know what a cancellation is, it is an ink stamp that has the name of the park on it and the date. For those that have purchased one of the various types of National Park passport books to collect said stamps, they are a must-do activity for every National Park Service site one visits. Julie had seen these booklets over and over at gift shops, even before our 50 States trip began and had always been tempted, but managed to resist getting one herself. It wasn’t until halfway through the trip that she found she just couldn’t resist anymore. Another nerdy club to join that is about checking off lists? It was only so long that she would have ever really had a chance to hold out. So, she had succumbed and was now always aware where to find the stamp in each National Park Service site we came upon.

Julie went over to get her cancellation and that’s where she met Jamie, a super welcoming and enthusiastic park ranger. As Julie inked up her cancellation, Jamie asked,

”Have you been to any other Goldengate sites?”

The Goldengate National Recreation Area spans 80,000 acres north and south of the Goldengate Bridge. It includes 37 separate sites and is one of the world’s largest national park areas in an urban setting. Jamie was curious which of the other 37 sites we may have visited.

”We just came from the Rosie the Riveter World War II Homefront Museum.” Julie said, proudly displaying her new favorite sweatshirt that she had purchased earlier that day.

”Oh neat!” Jamie replied and then began enthusiastically recounting stories of Ranger Betty, the woman who had been an actual Rosie the Riveter and had chosen to become a park ranger at the ripe young age of 95. 

Julie expressed lament that she hadn’t gotten to meet Ranger Betty and enthusiasm for hearing about her.

Jamie asked where they were off to next. Since their next national park visit, Pinnacle National Park, was outside of the Goldengate system, Jamie wanted to know more.

Julie laid it all out – “My husband and I are actually out on a 50 States Tour.”

Jamie’s eyes lit up and not a millisecond later, she filled the little kiosk she was in with sounds to match it.

”Whhaaaatt?!” Jamie exclaimed.

”That’s amazing!”

In her excitement, Jamie ceremoniously threw herself into the office chair behind her and gave the chair a full spin for effect. Eat your heart out contestants of the hit reality competition series on NBC, The Voice – you may have gotten four chair turns – but we got one from a National Park Ranger. 

Jamie was excited. And, as her excitement settled in, her face turned to one of a proud representative of our nation’s conservation efforts and, without breaking eye contact, she reached down to a drawer, dripping with the energy of pride and ceremony. She opened up the drawer, reached in and handed Julie a small object in her hand with that kind of close-mouthed smile that says, “You’ve earned this.” 

That’s when it happened. No pomp, no circumstance, but every bit as much pride. Julie had skipped the lines and the official requirements and become an honorary Junior Park Ranger of Alcatraz Island. 

Ryan had been sitting on a bench by the ferry dock this whole time so he knew nothing of the events going on just yards away. 

“Oh,“ Jamie said, with a start, as she realized something. She reached into the drawer once more and repeated her previous action. “Your husband gets one too.” She said with a glimmer in her eye.

And just like that, it had happened. The transformation was complete. Where there were once mere mortals, now stood two Junior Park Rangers (over the age of 45) of Alcatraz Island. Julie looked forward to sharing the great news of our newfound status with Ryan as she joined him in line for the 4:25 ferry. 

As Julie was heading to leave, Jamie added ”I hope you are writing about this so that those of us that can’t do it ourselves can live vicariously through you.”

Julie assured Jamie that we were and Jamie smiled, happy to know it and really happy to have heard about our trip.

And, all “tongue-in-cheek”ness aside, it really DID feel good. Julie walked away feeling Jamie’s enthusiasm and inspiration hearing about our trip, and that, in itself was the real reward.

But, also, we’re pretty excited about our pins.