Most of our readers know we travel a bit......ok, more than a little bit. We come by some of our wanderlust naturally.
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Dean's folks --- Bill and Ethel --- did some traveling before they started wintering in the Palm Springs area.
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One of their first trips was to New York for the Elks National Convention in 1946, the year Bill was Exalted Ruler of the Centralia Elks lodge. Dean found their log in some of the material we collected after their deaths, stored in a small box in his closet. Nostalgic reading --- from the "good old days".
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One of their first trips was to New York for the Elks National Convention in 1946, the year Bill was Exalted Ruler of the Centralia Elks lodge. Dean found their log in some of the material we collected after their deaths, stored in a small box in his closet. Nostalgic reading --- from the "good old days".
June of 1946 was less than a year after the end of World War II. Gas was available after years of wartime rationing. Hotels, restaurants and businesses were spending to refurbish after years of sparse maintenance or upgrading due to lack of materials and labor during the war.
Bill and Ethel left on June 24 for the Big Apple (probably wasn't called that then) in their 1938 Dodge 4-door sedan with 60,710 on the odometer. They (as we do) took the long way around. They covered 11,510 miles, passed through 29 states and one Canadian province, and six national parks in 50 days. (That's a lot more than 50 miles per day!!) Their ratty old Dodge used 691 gallons of gas (16.5 mpg).
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Bill and Ethel left on June 24 for the Big Apple (probably wasn't called that then) in their 1938 Dodge 4-door sedan with 60,710 on the odometer. They (as we do) took the long way around. They covered 11,510 miles, passed through 29 states and one Canadian province, and six national parks in 50 days. (That's a lot more than 50 miles per day!!) Their ratty old Dodge used 691 gallons of gas (16.5 mpg).
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Fuel averaged 22.5 cents per gallon. Motels didn't exist; they stayed mostly in "cabins" and a few hotels. Their average per night cost was $3.68. During the convention in New York City, they stayed four nights at a four-star hotel for a total of $31.94, plus $6.75 to park/store the car for the four days. Costs for meals were not recorded, but they ate at Antoines (New Orleans), Sardi's and the Sportsman's Club in New York, Earl Carroll's and the Brown Derby in L.A.
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The trip was not without a few extra expenses. They had the oil changed and the car greased six times. (Remember --- In those days we were supposed to do that every 1000 miles.) Charges ranged from $.75 to $1.30. They had a fender welded in a place called Johnson Creek for 25 cents. In Savannah, GA, it looks like they they got a grease job, oil change AND lodging for three bucks. In Memphis, TX, they got a new fuel pump (installed) for $9.00.
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So what are WE complaining about? Just because campgrounds are $45/night; hotels $250/night, and medium-scale restaurants will run around $40/person --- just what's our bitch, anyway? After all, THEY didn't have air-conditioning either in their car, the cabins, or the hotel. They didn't have cell phone robo-calls, e-mail spam or TV ads to keep them amused.
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WE should be happy with our life in the "modern" world.... I guess..... I mean --- shouldn't we??
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WE should be happy with our life in the "modern" world.... I guess..... I mean --- shouldn't we??
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| Mom and Dad - Ethel and Bill - the Adventurers |
