I rode in the back of our white Volkswagen beetle, registration KCY 434, from central Kenya to northeastern Congo in 1968 when I was 12 years old. My father had to speak at a conference at Rethy.  We drove through Eldoret, into Uganda and Kampala before driving northwest and crossing the Nile on a ferry at Pakwatch. Most of the trip we drove on well-graded dirt roads. I’d have to think hard about making that same trip today, even with a strong four-wheel drive vehicle. But we did come to one river crossing that had flooded. My father wasn’t sure the VW would be able to cross, so he assigned me to measure the depth. I stripped off my short trousers and shoes and walked across the river. My father snapped this picture as I walked back to the car. After measuring how far the water had crept up my legs...