My Dad worked as a machinist and the company he worked for always closed down for the July 4th week, so all employees got that week off to be with their families. That was when our family vacation would begin each year. My brother and older sister were both married, so the 1960 vacation would be just Mom, Dad, JoAnn, and me on that trip. Dad told us that we were going to visit his younger brother, George, and his wife that lived in Seattle.
Well, I knew Seattle was a long way from Houston, but maybe not exactly what it was going to be like. The four of us were going in his 1960 Rambler American. It was black, with no a/c or any options except an AM radio and a heater. We always left out early in the morning when traveling, like 5:00 am. I think we made it to Van Horn that first day with Dad and me switching out with the driving – Mom did not drive back then. I remember the temperature in West Texas was 107 that day and we were beaten by the hot wind with the windows down. The next day was even hotter at 115 when we got to Mesa Arizona. The next day would be even worse, with long distances without any towns or gas stations. Mom and Dad talked about making that drive during the nighttime so it would be cooler, but the additional risk of driving at night with few cars on the road killed that idea.
The next morning we left out at 4:00 am Houston time (3:00 am AZ) to head toward the desert. Mom had some food and drinks to eat along the way. We stopped to get gas at the station that had a sign saying the last gas for like 100 miles. Dad bought a water bag that would hold additional water for the radiator if the car over-heated. He hung it in front of the grill. Well about an hour later, the car over-heated. I went to get a rag out of the trunk to use to open the radiator cap, but before I got to the front Dad was opening it with his hand. The boiling water burns his hand. We needed something to treat his hand, but all we found was a bottle of hair oil. Mom put some on his hand and wrapped it up. I started the car and refilled the radiator from the water bag as I had learned working at gas stations. The water bag got moved to the bumper as it should have been and we did not have any more over-heating.
I would have never thought I would get tired of driving, but I did that day. I think we spent that night in Bakersfield California. Mom got some salve and dressing for Dad’s hand and we tried to get some sleep, but it was still daylight at 11:30 pm Houston time. The drive north was much more pleasant with cooler weather and so much to see. Things were so much different on the West Coast during those years. The Beach Boys music, Hot Rods, and great scenery. We drove by the capitol buildings for California and Oregon on the same day and along a great coastline with beautiful sand and water. At one point, there were many custom cars going in the opposite direction like a parade from some car-meet.
We went to the Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park and experienced how big and tall the Sequoia trees are. We started the drive down into Kings Canyon and the views were incredible. After traveling several miles and seeing a few cars pulled off with the hoods up from overheating, Dad got concerned that the steep incline coming out might be too much for our car. We all agreed that it was best to turn around before we got any lower in the canyon. That was a good decision because it was all the car could manage on the drive up to the entrance.
When we got to Seattle, Dad called his brother, George to find out where they lived. We got a motel room in the area and went to see them. Uncle George was so much fun to be around with his stories and jokes. He took us to the Wharf, Puget Sound, and many more great attractions, always providing details about each location. What gave me the biggest thrill was riding in Uncle George’s Pontiac Bonneville convertible. It made our Rambler look like a toy next to his huge car with bucket seats and beautiful inside and out. I dreamed about that car for months after getting back home. The plan was for us to take a Ferry Boat to Victoria Canada, but we saw on the news about some heavy rain in Houston with reports of flooding in some areas. Our plans got changed and we started our return trip to Houston the next morning.
Our travel route back home was through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Amarillo. We left Seattle very early in the morning to get back home as soon as possible. There were long stretches of the highway going through Idaho without cities or buildings of any kind. I was amazed at how many Jack Rabbits were along those roads and how big they were. It seemed like we were hitting one every few minutes with the bumper because once they were in the light of the car, they would just freeze and get hit. When it got daylight, the highway was almost covered in some sections. When we got to Utah, we went by the Great Salt Lake and then Salt Lake City. That was another scenic drive with many attractions.
We drove across the corner of Colorado by Mesa Verde National Park and then down into New Mexico. We crossed several Indian Reservations with a few stops to eat and site seeing along the way. Back then with only an AM radio, about the only places we could get a station on the radio was when we were fairly close to a bigger city. We had not heard any weather reports about Houston since we left Seattle. By the time we reached Texas, we were only stopping for gas and to eat. When we got home, we could tell it had rained while we were gone, but no signs of any flooding in Houston. We had traveled over 5,600 miles and everyone was ready to sleep in their own bed and not get in a car for a couple days.
It was a great trip with lots of beautiful sights and memories made.
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