California
July 26, 1968 - August 12, 1968
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July 26, 1968 Friday
We're off for the West! It took us an hour and a half to breakfast,
finish loading, pop two fire crackers (courtesy of Bob Brooks), and
leave.
We were up rather late last night finishing up a coon cage and packing, but Bill got us up about 7:30 this morning. I guess it's just as well because it took us an hour to eat, finish packing, and get under way.
The trip today was really without incident. the weather was hot but lovely. Big old fluffy white clouds drifted over a lovely blue sky and offered us much entertainment with their changing patterns.
We picnicked in a roadside park, and Bill Jr. caught a snake, which, fortunately, he turned loose again.
We got to Graham about two, found the hospital without trouble, and visited Uncle Jess. He looked fine and will be going home tomorrow. We went to Anson and had a fine supper and visit with Iris. Spent the night.
July 27, 1968 Saturday
Today we visited and ate with Iris and Oscar until about 2:00; then
we took off to drive the 190 miles to Odessa. I read Cheaper by
the
Dozen most of the way, and the trip was fine and uneventful.
We suppered and visited with the Dick Brookses.
July 28, 1968 Sunday
The 'fast and early getaway' Bill had planned for this morning simply
didn't materialize. Bill got up early and talked; the rest of us simply
slept.
Odessa is, of course, surrounded by oil wells, tanks, pumps dot the flat semi-arid surroundings. And as we left town, we passed a carbon black plant that was sending up bellowing, ugly, black clouds --- even on Sunday. strange acrid oil and sulfur fumes are all around. Barb, in just a few seconds of driving along at 70 mph counted 42 wells along the road.
Driving along outside Van Horn, Barbara mentioned hearing a flap-flap-flap sound out her lower back corner. We asked about something sticking out the door -- seat belt or whatever -- but nothing was. About the time we decided to investigate, we heard a thump against the side of the car -- as if we had run over something. We stopped, investigated, and discovered a piece of rubber had been thrown from the tire -- about 8 by 4 inches long. Soooo, we drove the rest of the day sans a dependable spare.
We ate our tuna fish and pimento cheese sandwiches in a lovely road side park outside El Paso about 29 miles. It was quite pretty and surprisingly breezy and cool.
Coming into El Paso, we passed the place where Ferah slacks are made. Going through El Paso, we saw the Sun Bowl, where an annual New Year's game is played. We also stopped at a Baskin-Robbins ice cream place with its 31 different flavors and had a cone. Delicious!
We moved through New Mexico, into Arizona, and into two new time zones. We certainly needed the two extra hours, as Bill discovered a bulge on our other back tire! What a mess -- two defective tires on a Sunday. We cut our speed to 60 and 65 mph, and at 5:45 we were 90 miles from Tucson and our night's lodging.
We got to Tucson in time to eat in the same cafeteria we ate in in 1961 when we returned from the Chericahua National Monument.
We found our motel and were in by 8:30 (10:30 since we got up).
The motel was fine -- it was really a little apartment.
July 29, 1968 Monday
We needed to get up and get going about 7:30 this morning. I thought
when I awoke that my watch said 8:30; so I woke Bill. Then I rechecked
my watch and it said 5:45! I stuck it out until about 6:30 and then got
up. The rest of the family followed soon.
We were breakfasting at Sambo's by eight o'clock. We then went back to the motel to let the children swim while Bill and I went to buy three tires. However, when we found out that we couldn't let the children swim without an adult with them, we just all checked out and went together to Sears, where we spent an hour and 15 minutes waiting for the tires. Barb and I walked to a post office while Bill, Bill Jr., and Bob occupied themselves at Sears.
Then we went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and what a fabulous place it was! We saw all the animals of the desert -- from scorpions to prairie dogs. The burrowing animals we saw by going under the ground and walking along a tunnel with glass walls that allowed to to see the nocturnal animals asleep in their burrows. We saw the birds of the area, the deer, and even the black bear of the Arizona mountains. We saw otters swimming from beneath. We saw the many desert cacti all named for us -- ocotillo, palo verde, chollo, saguaro. we saw turtles and lizards and were even encouraged to pick up the tortoise -- and, of course, the boys did.
What a fascinating place! We spent every last minute we felt we could and still get to San Diego by 8:30 -- the very latest Bill thought we could.
We ate lunch in the car as we rolled along -- to save time, and we read more of Woodin's, Home in the Desert. We have been reading this because Mr. Woodin, husband of the author, is director of this museum, and this is the area she is writing about.
When we got to Gila Bend
for gas it was 103 degrees. Hurray for air
conditioning!
[note]
I believe this may have been the
first year we took a vacation in a car with air conditioning. Dad had
always thought a/c was a frivolous luxury for a Brooks car.
Bob Brooks
I started reading Margaret Bell's Watch for a Tall White Sail after we left the museum and about forty miles - at 7:30 p.m. - Outside San Diego.
We got to San Diego and ate a wonderful "all you can eat" and bedded down at our Motel 6.
July 30, 1968 Tuesday
What a delight this day was!
We got up about 6:00 a.m., dressed, breakfasted at Sambo's, and went to the Scripps-Howard Institute of Oceanography. We saw their well stocked aquarium, but, unfortunately, the museum was being renovated until the 5th of August.
When we left there, we went on a little drive to see the Torrey pines. Then we went to see the fabulous San Diego Zoo. What a wonder it is with its bar less openness, rain forests, and moving stairways. We did so enjoy not only the vast array of unusual animals, but the terrific plants.
We left there about two and went to Sea World for the next five hours. We saw all six of their special shows and also visited the 'extras' on the grounds. A perfectly wonderful attraction to our way of thinking.
Then we tried three restaurants before we found one without a one to one and a half hour waiting line.
We ate, came home, the boys swam, and we went to bed.
July 31, 1968 Wednesday
Up and away early. We decided we couldn't wait 'til we were in
Disneyland
for breakfast; so we had our third Sambo's
breakfast in a row. Then on
to Disneyland and a wonderful
day. What was best? How could we possibly
say? We enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean and the Tiki Room,
because they were new, but we loved the Jungle Cruise, Submarine
Cruise, and It's a Small World again because they were
wonderful.
The whole day was most enjoyable. When we left around five, we went to
the Movie Star Wax Museum and then to Knott's Berry Farm
for supper. Our drive on to the Hollywood
area to our motel was made in
a sort of stupor, and we were all asleep before we completely
undressed.
What a day!
I'll poll everyone tomorrow on what he liked best, but one of our biggest guffaws has come from Bob at the wax museum. He was scared by a Keystone Cop who proved not to be wax at all.
August 1, 1968 Thursday
Up and breakfasted at the International
House of Pancakes by 9:00.
Out to the LaBrea Tar Pits; then to Art Linkletter's House
Party
TV show. Since he is going to the Republican Convention, they were
taping
two shows to be seen in about three weeks from now -- August 22-25.
We'll
be back home by then; so maybe we'll see ourselves on TV.
After that we went to the Farmer's Market just because we had some extra time. We had lunch there. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
At six we went of the Columbia Records tour of their Hollywood building. We were all given a new record of Glen Campbell, whoever he is.
Then we ate, saw the footprints at Grahman's Chinese Theater, and came home to bed.
August 2, 1968 Friday
This morning we got up, and left our hotel room, and went to Universal
City to go on their tour. this took the whole morning, and we saw
the
sets of various TV shows and motion pictures. We saw trained TV animals
and stunt men do their stuff in fight scenes, including falling off
buildings.
Then we started up the West Coast Drive. The drive was beautiful and we saw several sights along the way -- pretty orchards, a Danish Village (we stopped and had some luscious Danish pastries there) and we tried to go to an orchid farm, but it was closed Friday afternoons. We got to Moro Bay, our destination for the night, about seven, but as we were still stuffed from the pastries, we checked into the motel and let Bill take a nap and Bob a swim before supper. Bill was pooped -- bob was a nut. Although the water was heated, it was cold as all get out.
We ate supper at an A&W Root Beer Drive-In and went home to bed.
August 3, 1968 Saturday
We left fairly early this morning and after breakfast, we stopped at
Hearst's
San Simeon Castle and went through tour #2. What a ghastly and
grotesque
place it was! There were beautiful works of art in the castle but there
was just too much of everything for our taste.
We saw zebra and some other animals as we drove through the grounds.
When we left, we drove on the beautiful coast up to Pacific Grove where we spent the night.
August 4, 1968 Sunday
Today we were lazy and slept fairly late. When we did get up, we drove
along the coast through Pacific Grove
and Monterey; then we went to
Carmel
for a ten o'clock Sambo's
breakfast.
Our next objective was the Winchester Mystery House in san Jose. It took us until three to get there, go through the house, and get two and a half hours out of Fresno by four o'clock. Since Bill had called Tom yesterday in Fresno and told him we'd be there by three or four, we decided we had better call again and change the plans.
It was 6:30 before we got to Fresno, but Tom's clear directions got us to his house sans trouble. My, it was good to see Tom!
He took us to a perfectly scrumptious place to eat; Nancy's. We had a fine, multi-course meal with delicious food and fine conversation.
It was 9:30 before we left Tom's and 11:30 before we were settled in our cabin in Sequoia.
August 5, 1968 Monday
We were really lazy bones this morning -- slept until nine. Then we
had breakfast at the cabin (lovely hot rolls, vienna sausage, milk,
coffee,
and fresh fruit). We were just finishing breakfast when Tom came. He
coffeed
and conversed with us a bit; then we went to the visitor's center and
saw
a slide presentation of the area. Then we took a short walk through
some
of the Sequoias -- saw General Grant
and General Lee. It was noon
by
the
time we got to the Sequoias and despite our late breakfast, I was
hungry.
We saw Gen. Grant, Gen. Sherman, and Gen. Lee and had a picnic lunch at Tunnel Tree. We had a fine time eating and joking with Tom.
Then we drove to King's Canyon and stopped and waded a while.
When we got back to our own little cabin, we fixed supper (hamburger, stewed tomatoes, rice, and mushrooms all cooked together and green beans). Then Tom took us to the campfire ranger program and went back to Fesno.
We went to the campfire ranger program then home to bed.
August 6, 1968 Tuesday
Our cabin here in Sequoia is rustic -- no running water --
kerosene
lamps and a cast iron cook stove. It is quite nice -- three big double
beds in our cabin, the cook stove, utensils, and table out on an open
porch.
Last night's supper and this morning's breakfast were in this very fine
setting -- giant Sequoia trees towering over us, Steller jays,
chipmunks,
ground squirrels, and chicory begging for food around us.
We got up, breakfasted on Spam, eggs, sweet rolls, and coffee and fruit drink. Packed, and left our Sequoia home. It was a short but nice stay.
We drove to Fresno and went to Tom's where we had a fine short visit, a soda, washed our fruit, and said our good-byes. Tom looked fine. He looks like Iris, I think.
When we left Tom's, we headed for Yosemite, buying ice and picnic materials as soon as we got on the outside of the down town area. When we got to Yosemite, we picnicked in a lovely picnic area. Bill caught a water snake, identified and photographed it while we packed the picnic things. Then we drove to the pretty Glacier Point area, looked at the scenery, fed the little furry things, and took pictures. We were in Yosemite Valley by six and waited for a guide to show us where our cabin was -- 'tis easy to get lost, it seems, in the maze of cabins.
Our two cabins have six single beds in them -- but no cooking facilities; so we ate in the Lodge cafeteria; then we investigated the ranger center. There was a ranger lecture scheduled for 8:15; so we decided to wait there for it.
It was a good one, but after it, we were ready for bed.
August 7, 1968 Wednesday
We had two cabins last night with three single beds in them. There
were electric lights (no less) in them, too. Bill and I had one cabin
and
the children had the other. I went to the children's cabin last night
and
read them an Arthur C. Clarke science fiction short story; then I came
'home' to read some to myself, but I fell asleep -- at least, I
couldn't
read. Sleep came a bit slowly after I put the light out.
It was after nine before anyone was up, dressed, and ready for breakfast. After breakfast we took a three mile hike to Vernal Falls. I say 'we', but I took a two mile hike; the other went the final mile to the top of the falls. It was a straight up deal that I didn't want to attempt.
We picnicked by the river and let Bob swim for over an hour; then we came back to the cabin. Bob and I went to Camp Curry and washed clothes.
After a fine smorgasbord supper that almost made Bill and Barb sick, and an excellent ranger lecture, we hied off to bed.
August 8, 1968 Thursday
Up at 6:30 this morning. We had hoped to get to the high country in
time for a 9:30 hike, but after gassing up and breakfasting, it was 8
o'clock,
and it looked unlikely that we would make it.
We made it to the parking lot after the ranger had left, but another ranger had given us instructions; so we caught up with the group. Up is a good word to use here. That's what the trail was. I lasted about fifteen minutes, but the other four made it clear to the top of the dome. It was quite a climb.
Then we checked in to our cabin, got Bob and Barb signed up for a two hour horse back ride, and ate lunch out under the pines.
While Bob and Barb rode, we just slept and read.
When they returned, we went down to the shore of Tenaya Lake and fixed canned stew for supper. We also roasted marshmallows and walked along the lake.
The ranger talk tonight was on deer. It was good, but it began to get cold before he got through. Off to bed in our little half tents with wood burning stoves and kerosene lamps.
August 9, 1968 Friday
Up and away by seven. was it ever cold last night! Now that we are
up, it's nice, but my feet probably won't thaw completely till New
Mexico.
We saw a doe and a fawn as we left the park via Tioga Pass. I'm glad we could make it in a car and not a covered wagon!
It was strange how we could drop so rapidly from cold, alpine weather to a true desert that required air conditioning. we breakfasted in the foothills, lunched in the desert, and drove on through the desert, finishing Five Boys in a Cave by Richard Church just 28 miles out of Las Vegas, at 2:15 p.m.
We drove on reading Voyage of the Bagabond by Richard Thruelsen.
At about 6:15 we decided to stop at Seligman. Found a fine motel with a pool and ate a good supper. The other four swam while I showered and finished my murder mystery, but everyone was bedded down by 9:30.
August 10, 1968 Saturday
Up and around by 6:15. We want to get to the Grand Canyon while
the morning sun is still playing with the shadows. However, after
breakfast
and driving, it was ten before we got to the canyon. It was beautiful,
though, there were many clouds and quite a blue haze when we arrived.
We
drove around the west rim, and Mojave
was my favorite stop. It was
quite
beautiful.
The children, of course, wanted to check the souvenirs; so we stopped at Hopi House for them. Going into the canyon and coming out I finished Voyage of the Bagabond.
After we left Grand Canyon, we stopped by the side of the road and fixed some sandwiches. It was a good lunch.
Then we went on to the Meteor Crater and spent, actually, more time than we had planned as the boys climbed the five hundred plus feet to the bottom of the crater and back -- equal, I read, to a 60 story building climb.
We then proceeded to the Petrified Forest and arrived as a summer desert storm asserted itself. It didn't last long.
Then on to our motel, supper, sleep.
August 11, 1968 Sunday
A slow start this morning. It was 7:45 before we had breakfasted and
got on the road.
Today was strictly a driving day, but quite enjoyable. We had a late lunch back in Texas and at six o'clock -- 8 by Texas time, the four aquatic Brookses were having a before supper swim while I spent my time writing this and sitting in the car. Unfortunately the car was parked right next to the pool; consequently there are some chlorine spots here that won't take ink. I finally got smart and rolled my window up.
After a brief but splashy plunge, we came back to the motel, the folks dressed, and we walked to the restaurant for supper.
The TV in our room proved quite an attraction for Bob, but we all soon settled down to sleep.
August 12, 1968 Monday
No early start today! Bill and I awoke at 8:30. We were both awake
from four to five or so, but when we finally did get back to sleep, we
slept hard! It was hard to get the children up, too. Yes, it's our last
day!
We ate a good, leisurely breakfast and got on the road at 9:45. Lazy and nice.
Except for lunch and gas stops, we stopped only one other time to see Judge Roy Bean's Law West of the Pecos Saloon at Langtry, Texas. It was 11:30 and 100 degrees; so we didn't stay long!
Books Read:
| 1968 |
California |
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Brooks Family Roadside Picnic |
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Brooks Family San Diego Zoo |
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Barbara 'Feeding the Monkeys' Universal Studios |
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Bill Jr. & Bob Universal Studios |
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Brooks Children Universal Studios The War Wagon |
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Brooks Family & Tom Brooks California |
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Brooks Family & General Sherman Sequoias National Park |
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Brooks Family & A Tunnel through a Red Wood California |
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Brooks Family & Half Dome overlook Yosemite Valley |
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Postcard from the trip. |
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Postcard from the trip. |
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