Spoiled At An Early Age, I Miss The Comfy Old Station Wagons!

Spoiled At An Early Age, I Miss The Comfy Old Station Wagons! ~ Does that mean that I am family oriented, a family man?  Works for me.

I got out of the Air Force in late June 1958 in Denver, traveled by train to California, arriving on my birthday, July 23, 1958, and a week later accepted a job as a Computer Test Technician for Burroughs Corporation.

A year or so later, now a new Computer Field Engineer - in late 1959, my family and I began our cross-country car trip, via Denver to her parents - via Fort Riley Army Base, Kansas, to visit my wife's brother, via Alabama to visit my family, and eventually to Norfolk, Virginia, where I was a Field Engineer on the Burroughs B-220 computer system at the Norfolk Naval Supply Depot.

On our trek across country, our girls were 4 1/2, 6, and 7 years old and with our Buick station wagon back seat down like you see in the photo collage, with lots of padding, blankets, etc., our girls had a mobile play room during the day and a mobile bedroom when we traveled later in the evening, which I like to do.

We bought a removable luggage rack for the top of our Buick to keep what we did not need during the day - and with happy faces we began our trip on beautiful Route 66 via Albuquerque.  Younger folks who never traveled Route 66 when it was known as The Mother Road, a name coined by John Steinbeck in his novel "The Grapes of Wrath" have missed a major highlight of life.  

I have so many, many memories of Route 66, for it allowed us to drive through American cities, large and small - instead of just rushing past them on the later built freeway and interstate highway systems.

On some days, since were not in a hurry - we would stop early, get hotel rooms, and get dressed to go out to dinner in style.   I cannot tell you how often folks in those restaurants commented on how pretty and well manner our girls were for such young children.  Made mommy and daddy very happy and put a big smile on our faces.

There is nothing like traveling family style in a comfortable station wagon - and they call moving away from that progress?  What has happened to our family values?

Once settled in Norfolk, come Christmas season, we once again jumped in our trusty Buick station wagon and headed south for Christmas in Alabama.  On this trip we also had our Coleman portable cooking stove and utensils - and let me tell you food never tasted better. 

We left Norfolk before breakfast with a plan.  We drove west for about a hundred miles and by then it was time for breakfast. We found a picnic area, set up our camping stove - and I think I ate about half a dozen eggs and comparable sausage and bacon.  Now that is living.  Then we headed south to Alabama.

After spending Christmas with my family, we reversed our route and headed north toward home.  One evening no matter how hard we looked, we could not find a picnic area.  Finally we saw one lone picnic table on the side of the road and immediately stopped, set up our stove and utensils to have a steak dinner - and while Betty was cooking, I decided to explore.  I discovered why there was one lone picnic table.  Just behind it was a small cemetery and I guess the table was for folks visiting their loved ones.

By the time Betty had dinner ready, it was getting toward dusk - so I went to our station wagon for candles which I set up on both ends of the table.  As we were eating a steak dinner by the cemetery - I had to laugh.  Imagine folks driving by and seeing us having a steak dinner by candle light - in front of the cemetery.  Still, it was a great dinner.  And then we were on our way again.

In late 1962, we once again started our across country back to Los Angeles.  But his time in our new 1961 Chevy Corvair station wagon.  Not as big as our Buick, but still very comfortable.  Once again the girls had their mobile play room during the day, and their mobile bedroom in the evening.  This time we came back via the northern route, going through Iowa, Nebraska, and down into Denver to visit the in-laws again. 

This was a totally different experience.  Driving through those states, several experiences stick in my mind:  First, it was nearing harvest season and I was amazed as we drove past the cornfields.  The green corn stalks were about 8 foot tall and the fields went on for miles.  It was like driving past 8 foot high green walls for miles.  It was a beautiful view of the productive mid-America Breadbasket of the World.

The other experience which still makes me smile was one evening our middle daughter, Cindo, who was now about 9 years old, came up to sit with us. Remember that those cars then had bench seats, not bucket - and she could sit comfortably between her mom and me. It was early evening with a full moon, and as we were driving the moon was on the left side of the road. 

Suddenly Cindo looked up and with big eyes, asked, "How did the moon move?"  It was now on the right side of the road.  And never being one to miss a good practical joke with the kiddies, I told her, "Didn't you see me move it?"   It never dawned on her that the road had taken a left curve putting the moon on the opposite side.  But her innocence and gullibility made her such a beautiful child.

Yes, when Bob Dylan sang "The Times They Are a-Changin" -  in my heart and mind, it was not so much for the better.  Culture was changing, values were changing, life in general was changing - and seldom for the better.  Okay, I can imagine folks throwing rocks at me now, telling me, "Bill, those things were gas guzzlers!  Get with it!  Now we are working toward the new Climate Change and Green New Deal laws."   Only if your name is Joe Biden!

True those older cars needed a lot of work in the engine bay - but the overall body, comfort, and functionality of the station wagon could have been maintained.  So work on the inside and leave our comfy old station wagon way of life alone! 

Yes I am living somewhat in the past - but I still say the past was far better than a lot of the present - and I cannot even imagine the future for our secular world.  So now let's all just march off into the sunset singing America The Beautiful and God Bless America!  Works for me.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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