The trip to California , part 4

"to infinity,and beyond..."



Disney land.
We actually camped in a camping lot with the Nimrod camper in tow, not to far from Disneyland. It was like a fenced in parking lot with trees around a big stone surfaced parking lot. But the next day after San Diego we went to Disneyland. We were the original National Lampoon vacation, only without all the nonsense and the park being closed. if they had known we were coming they may have closed the park. "Oh, God! Not the Timlin's! what? It's only them, not the Hoovers with them or anybody else? Okay just double security and let them in, no need to lose everyone's business." Walt was already dead but they barricaded his office anyway.

Seriously, what a blast. took some film. But we spent all day there and part of the night. We rode the Matterhorn with Dad. I was impressed he made it at 48 much later in my life. Because one day around age 30 i fouind out I couldn't ride anything that moved back and forth or too fast anymore like theTilt-a Whirl or "extreme" roller coasters. Lost lunch time combined with vertigo is not fun. We even rode the teacup ride. Dan still plastered with zinc oxide. i bought a silly hat with a feather in it (sort of a swiss mountain hat). And Dan bought some other hat I don't remember, plus we purchased these white Disneyland souvenir steins with gold lettering, that sat on our fireplace mantel for years. I hat that hat for years after ward into college but it finally got so tattered I had to throw it out. it didn't fit my head anymore, but I still hated to part with it. The last hat of childhood, you know.

The next day we went to Knotts Berry Farm. I found it pale in comparison. Same day before that we went to the Hollywood Wax Museum. Saw lots of famous movie and television figures and a few historical ones (Abe Linclon comes to mind). I remember the Cartwrights of Bonanza display. I swear I saw Hoss move and Little Joe giggle. Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, others. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in the African Queen. Best of all, Frankenstein. we got our picture taken with him and if I find that sucker I'll e-mail it. Dan and Tom and Frankie.

Next we moved on to Yosemite National Park to see the giant trees, drive our car through that famous one. climbed a trail to the top of a mountain. ate a crappy lunch at the lodge up there and climbed down. I have an idea where we camped, probably Yosemite, with hippies on the loose. People were saying when it came to food stealing, they were scarier than the bears, so lock up your food! Maybe it was Manson! we'll never know.

More mountains and stops, plains and endless road on the way home. I am sure we stopped at more national Parks. Dad was big on this and in retrospect, he was right to expose to beautiful land we may not ever see again. I think we saw some Indian villages and caves. After this it was sort of downhill and I do not remember a whole lot about going home. except when we stopped at a gas station somewhere and a guy got off a motorcycle and came into the restroom to pee while i was there. Must have been drunk, he seemed to stagger in. he moaning "uh...uh..." as he staggered in, peed and left. a Little scary for a twelve year old. i can hear Dan saying right now, "Wait a minute, that was dad, you fool." but it wasn't. then he'll say it was him. But the guy was too tall to be either of them. Mom? No way-she didn't stand when she went. Oh never mind.

I know we had one of dad's co-workers, Roy Fulton, mowing the lawn for us while we were gone. Probably checking on the house too.

Oh yeh, on this entire trip, Dad had invented this little plywood insert that went over the back seat and had a couple of two by four support beams underneath for each foot well. we stored our games and stuff underneath for the long car ride. Wonder if Dan remembers that thing? Probably some of the stuff underneath or around the back seat was Steve Hoover's old comic books too. and card games. We'd play cards with mom or dad while the other one drive. old Maid, Go Fish, or Michigan Rummy or something when we got tired, we'd just collapse (with a blanket over the plywood). We had regular bed pillows and go to sleep for a while. that came in real handy during the drive from White sands to Yuma after the coyote and Giant Bug Incident.

Dan and I did some writing: a letter or postcard or two to grandma. If I find any of those from that trip, (I may have saved them after we got it back from Grandma) I'll send then along on the net.

After we left California, we made a short stop in Las Vegas downtown. Couldn't go into the casinos as kids, but mom and dad did, and mom showed us through a large window what the one arm bandit operated like. i don't think she won anything or if she did, she broke even. That was only about an hour stop. a day or two later after touring the mountains of Colorado, we went to Denver but I do not recall going anywhere special. Maybe the laundry mat. After that I have no recollection of anything on the way home.

If Dan or I think of anything more, we will add to this trip log of California 1968. this has been so much fun writing this I'm going to have to try to write about other vacations now. Hopefully Dan will help with the memory. you know, little gems or slices of time like the vacations we took in the 60's are precious memories my parents made for us for the rest of our lives, and I am so grateful that they did that. I remember those more than anything else, including most Christmases. It was Christmas in July. I wish I could do it for my kids this or next summer.

by mr. t