Author: I had never travelled south by car along I-5 before. I was driving a then ten-year-old Ford Maverick, best car I ever owned. It was nicknamed “Poppy”. I was destined to lose it in a court case five years later. The material here makes more sense if you realize I had never before taken a real holiday vacation in my own car. I had traveled, but always as part of work, which is not at all the same thing. Here is a photo of Mt. Shasta, I've never been near it in the daylight before.
It is now 7:01 AM Friday, June 22, 1984, [the] start of Day 1, proper. Discounting the Pacific Northwest & Hawaii, this will be my longest stay [back] in the USA in three years. On my planned route, it will be another four hours before I see anything new in scenery. I passed Eugene, Oregon at 1:15PM. I could have panicked when I felt the car lose power. I pulled over and checked everything. The answer? Back on the road I noticed gusts of wind that gave the effect, so I think I just hit a strong one. It felt like the tranny disengaging or a stopped fuel line.
Just further south of Eugene, I lunched on the worst meal of Chinese food I’ve ever had. Ugly waitress, too. The place is called Cantun. Drive past. It was unusual, like the chow meien noodles were deep friend, but not tasty at all. I’ve held my speed down to take in the scenery. I see for the first time it’s a lot like Idaho, but less big timber. And it’s green all over. I’m putting lots of miles in and experiencing minor car problems. It’s a long trip across Oregon and I have time to think.
I’ll see more of the USA that ever in my adult life (my family never traveled the freeways). Driving the green Maverick to California will fulfill a childhood dream. I [had] always wanted to run away from home and live somewhere nice long enough that I could say I was from there. In my mind, I saw myself entering California from the east, not north. Also, this will be the first time I’ve seen more than two states in one trip (I think I was referring to driving my own car here). And with the exception of Hawaii, my longest journey back stateside in many years. I regret ten years ago I didn’t just pack up and move here (California). Then, even if there was nothing here, at least I’d know that. Of all the time I lived [out here] I never had any cash money to enjoy it until I sold that Laundromat.
Also, still June 22/84
Yes, this would have been quite the trip in it’s day. My own car, a camera, nice clothes, the rent is paid back home. A real vacation, not a blinding rainstorm until 2:00 in the morning like before. (The one “vacation” my family ever took was in the rain.) This time I see the scenery. And stay in a nice hotel in Redding. Driving across the prairies toughened me up—I put in over 600 miles in just under 14 hours and I feel great. But I most want to hit L.A. Where yes, you farm bastards, I’m going to a real shopping mall and spending some real money. On whatever I want. I’ll see some real valley girls, I may be disappointed but at least I’ll know. This trip is already beginning to represent a lot more than I thought.
This Redding, well, you can have it. There’s a convention which ate up every hotel/motel but since somebody screwed up my request (reservation), I got one for half price. It’s too bad I got a bit of belly (referring to how I had a desk job now, I was skinny as a rail), I’ve seen some nice ladies. Then I think of Lizbeth standing there waving goodbye. Maybe I’m late, but I made it. I plan to stop and take a picture of a real farm. Merely because I know a lot of [my relatives] who’ve never seen a real one.
Unit 1 (“Poppy”) has behaved well in the heat. A heavy oil ration, but it’s leaking, not burning. We boiled over, but only due to a 45-minute inch-along sequence from a camper that blew off its truck and blech, what a mess. I hope nobody was in it. Picking up some speed I crossed into California at 6:43 PM at 124,956 miles on the odometer. I said when I got this car, I’d get 25 out of it and that I’d drive it to California one day. Both occurred near an airport by Mt. Shasta on freeway I-5.
And extremely eventful Friday evening in Redding got me on the road by 11:00 AM on Saturday. I shopped at the new Mall, they actually just covered over a whole business section. The telephone exchange, for instance, looks like a customized little brick office.
