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| 3x5 collage |
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| a "hot" car |
Day 15 brings Icad2015 to the prompt: Route 66.
As a native Californian raised in the San Fernando Valley we had lots of "road trips" on Route 66 in the 1960-70s. My family owned land in Hesperia- the last town of Route 66 before the treacherous El Cajon Pass. We went to see that precious plot of dirt at least once a quarter. It was a dreaded day trip especially in the summer and it certainly lacked the glamor of the TV show or song. My sister and I traveled in the back seat of an unair-conditioned Ford Falcon, sweating with the hot blasts of desert air "cooling" us off, being told to hold it cause the next gas station was 50 miles down the road and there were no private places to pull over on the desert highway!
Most parents of that era didn't stop for food since they brought a picnic lunch. Ice chests weren't quite as effective as they are now so that usually meant soggy sandwiches and warm Coke.
Over the years as a military family we have traveled Route 66 across the US only when necessary since the interstate is faster and safer. Living in Oklahoma has made us more aware of its nostalgia but I will always remember it as the hot desert road trips of my youth!
As an aside- the desert plots in Hesperia proved to be a great investment for my grandparents. They bought land there in the 1950s and sold in the1970s for a profit that financed their retirement.
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