The Cadillac is packed and Stevie gets to ride in the Cadillac convertible with the top down. It's mid-June, and the weather is definitely convertible weather. The loaded moving trailer is hitched to the Hudson, and Andrew is comfy in his little bed in the back of the car.
We hit the road with the intention of taking Interstate 10 all the way to Tucson, then I-8 to San Diego, then I-5 up the coast to Long Beach. That's the plan. Of course the Interstates weren't Interstates as we know them now, but they were the best routes to take then (and now, as a matter of fact).
We would be going through San Antonio, across the desert to El Paso, with the road steadily rising toward the Rocky Mountains, almost retracing our route East when we first left California.
Now mid-June in Pasadena was still pretty nice weather, but as we were heading west, across the wastelands, it began getting hotter, and with the road rising toward the mountains, the Hudson pulling a trailer full of furniture was having a bit of a hard time. Well, we made it through El Paso. I think it was Deming, Arizona when the Hudson gave up, blew up the engine. Mo fix, no go.
Of course.
The men managed to hitch up the trailer to T's car, and Stan, Stevie, Andrew and I made the rest of the trip by train. I don't remember what happened to the Hudson. Towed off to a junkyard probably.
Phone calls to the parents letting them know when we would be arriving In Los Angeles--by train, not by auto. Arrangements to meet T & C in Long Beach eventually with our trailer-load of furniture.
Where were we going to stay? What were we going to do with our furniture? Stan's parents had a two-bedroom apartment, and we were four who had to be put up somehow.
Oh, what a mess. You've all heard about the plans of mice and men.... Well, Stevie enjoyed the train ride. And I did, too. At least we didn't have to hunt around for motels for the night. But a roomette wasn't exactly commodious for a family of four.
Next: reunion
OOPS! Deming is in New Mexico, not Arizona.