"Our trip began at 3:00AM July 26th (1969) as we left our home on Avon Road in West Palm Beach and headed due north by way of the Sunshine Parkway and on to Interstate 75 which we followed all the way in to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Here we took Interstate 24 to Nashville and U.S. 41 to Hopkinsville.
We saw the sun rise many miles from home. Being very economical I ad packed the making for our first breakfast and lunch. We pulled into a service center parking area on the turnpike about 6:30 A.M. for our coffee and doughnuts. A nice shady roadside park somewhere in South Georgia served as a dining room for our lunch about 1:00 P.M.
Even the flat Florida highway over which we traveled and the rolling hills of Georgia looked good to us, for, we were on our way and had three weeks ahead of us in which to have fun and rest. Did I say rest? Well we could dream could we not?
The weather was a bit warm, or let us be honest and admit it was "hot" but our little eight year "young" Chevy purred along beautifully eating up the miles and with the air-conditioning working perfectly, we were kept cool and comfortable despite the heat on the outside.
We had planned to stop the first night just beyond Cartersville, Georgia (about 50 miles west of Atlanta) at the motel where we have stopped several times in the past. A very near accident just one mile from the motel threatened to put an end to our trip then and there. Saturday afternoon, heavy traffic, a red signal light ahead. When I applied my brake, to my horror, I had none, the emergency did not help on bit either. Thank to my reflexes being still on the job, the fact that I was in the right lane of traffic, and there was a graded but unpaved shoulder of the road handy, I was able to pull off the road and stop the car without the accident. Whew!!! Then we found there was no forward movement to be had from the car and when ewe put in it reverse there was no stopping. Fortunately, we were directly across the divided highway from a wrecker service and service station. Not knowing the trouble or what the cost of repair might be, we started to count our money to decided if we could afford to buy a new car if we could only make it to Louisville. We received kindness and courtesy for beyond the call of duty from the garage people. We called and made reservations at the motel, told the enough of our trouble so they would understand our lateness in arrival."
My granddad on the left (J.W.) and my dad, about 1985. (MS told me 84-85 time-frame)
We saw the sun rise many miles from home. Being very economical I ad packed the making for our first breakfast and lunch. We pulled into a service center parking area on the turnpike about 6:30 A.M. for our coffee and doughnuts. A nice shady roadside park somewhere in South Georgia served as a dining room for our lunch about 1:00 P.M.
Even the flat Florida highway over which we traveled and the rolling hills of Georgia looked good to us, for, we were on our way and had three weeks ahead of us in which to have fun and rest. Did I say rest? Well we could dream could we not?
The weather was a bit warm, or let us be honest and admit it was "hot" but our little eight year "young" Chevy purred along beautifully eating up the miles and with the air-conditioning working perfectly, we were kept cool and comfortable despite the heat on the outside.
We had planned to stop the first night just beyond Cartersville, Georgia (about 50 miles west of Atlanta) at the motel where we have stopped several times in the past. A very near accident just one mile from the motel threatened to put an end to our trip then and there. Saturday afternoon, heavy traffic, a red signal light ahead. When I applied my brake, to my horror, I had none, the emergency did not help on bit either. Thank to my reflexes being still on the job, the fact that I was in the right lane of traffic, and there was a graded but unpaved shoulder of the road handy, I was able to pull off the road and stop the car without the accident. Whew!!! Then we found there was no forward movement to be had from the car and when ewe put in it reverse there was no stopping. Fortunately, we were directly across the divided highway from a wrecker service and service station. Not knowing the trouble or what the cost of repair might be, we started to count our money to decided if we could afford to buy a new car if we could only make it to Louisville. We received kindness and courtesy for beyond the call of duty from the garage people. We called and made reservations at the motel, told the enough of our trouble so they would understand our lateness in arrival."
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