Peace out,
Jeff
Finally, the time came to hit the road. I was ready & excited to go to California, especially to escape Deadrock (Yakima) for a while. We left on June 26th 1975 and returned for home on July 11th. Recently, my Mom gave me a manila envelope full of pictures, postcards and various pamphlets/brochures, programs, guides and ticket stubs from our journey to the center of the earth. Reading some of the post cards made me chuckle, recalling the times so long ago. My brothers Jeff and Tom were quite the comedians who made voices and spoke for our pets; Sid the cat and dogs Sunny and Duke (Da Doo). Ah, the simpler times. Little did we know just how complicated, if not aggravating the trip would be.
Really, there wasn't much that happened on the first leg, which was more a Journey of Discovery than road trip. We traveled to Kalamath Falls, OR on the first day before we parked the trailer for the night. I remember the park we stayed in was really nice and quiet. I'm not sure where the photo below was taken but it appears to be somewhere on the way in Oregon.
White Trash Rest Stop:From L-R Brother Jeff, Me (#15) and Dad along the Highway with the RV that Cousin Eddie would be proud of!
One of the first things we discovered about our new Ford pickup was that exhaust fumes filled the canopy. So much for the plans of letting Jeff and I relax in the back as we drove. Those days, seat belts were not really used all that much. Rarely did I ever use one that I recall. Especially here when all four of us were crammed in the cab of the truck like redneck sardines, on a bench seat meant for three, the three seat belts stuffed underneath. Also, adding to the fine aroma was the fact that the gas cap leaked. Even with a new cap, it still would slosh around & spill out of the filler tube which was located on the side of the truck, right behind the drivers door.
Not only did we get those fumes in the cab, but in the canopy too. I remember the horrid smell in the back and flagging Dad down to let us out. So, even with the truck not running, we could smell gas. Good thing none of us smoked, but we did unknowingly become huffers. Perhaps that could explain some of my issues today???
8^D
I don't recall getting sick either. Traveling with Bill usually meant many a roadside stop so I could void my stomach in front of my family, in full view of the cars whizzing by. I know it endeared myself to my older brothers. This is about the time I grew out of that I think. Considering the trip, not only was I lucky not to be wretching along the highway, we were all lucky not to be scraped off of the pavement;
*We rode four abreast on a seat for three, no one wore seat belts.
*Right behind the seat, between the cab and bed, was over 25 gallons of very flammable liquid that leaked and filled the cab with noxious fumes.
*The canopy was basically a rolling gas chamber of exhaust
I got to know the gear shift very well on the way down as I basically straddled it while Dad shifted. As it warmed up, I got a direct blast from Dads armpits with each gear. Also, showing a sign of the times; I would hold his beer as he shifted. At least it was cold!
Somewhere along this part of the trip we discovered that the heating system worked very well. The floorboards would get sorta hot after a few miles. But only about as warm as the surface of the sun. It really became more of an issue as we got further south and crossed into the frying pan of Northern California, which in the dead of summer makes Hell look like the North Pole. We managed to fit all of our feet on the dashboard to escape the intense heat. Except for the driver of course!
Yes, this "new" Ford was just the ticket (or death trap) to get us to California and back!
Here's a couple of post cards home from our first part of the trip;
Is this really 34 years ago???
I am now about my Dads age when we took that trip!
After staying the night in Kalamath Falls, we got up early the next day to go see Crater Lake. Leaving the trailer behind we rode Rusty up the highway. On the way we found a surprise; the road into the lake was closed and the detour took us all the way around to the other side to get there. I distinctly remember a big sigh and groan of disgust from Dad as we sat at the closed turn off before following the signs. We did make it however, eventually.
Crater Lake is a really cool place to visit. It's perched on a blown out volcano; Mt Mazama. It blew it's top centuries ago leaving a perfect crater in the middle of it. It filled with water over time. Apparently the force of the explosion made St Helens look like a fire cracker. I remember seeing the thick band of ash (about 6 ft deep) along the Yakima Canyon walls from that event. We're talking a few hundred miles away and it still left all that ash.
Driving up to Crater Lake looks like driving up a mountain. Along the way there are signs showing the depth of the lake compared to where you are. From what I recall from the lake, it was stunning. It is extremely deep, going below the base of the mountain. Someday I hope to go back and see it. We packed our lunch, weren't allowed to buy anything to eat or drink, which later turned out to be a real good thing because once at our destination in San Luis Obispo, we found out something rather interesting about Crater Lake that is not found in any history, geology or other science book. I'll save that story for another dispatch of the Californian Odyssey.
We made it back to the trailer late that day with plans of leaving early early the next morning to get through the NorCal desert. Thank you Mom for all the great info, it brings back great memories.
We can laugh about them today!
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