Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, October 1948 Duke was discharged, he was a happy fellow. The Army issued him a voucher for rail-transport from New Jersey to his home-state, California, but he had his discharge money and decided we should get a used car and drive West. He became the proud owner of a 1930�s Cadillac Touring Car, impressive, with running-board and back seating area as big as some living-rooms. I didn�t know anything about cars or actually what he spent on it, it was all new. I knew that Uncle Fritz, back in Frankfurt, always had big, impressive automobiles, so I took this for routine. So off we went, cruising around in that monster car, made it to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where the car gave up the ghost. The bitter lesson: used car dealers setting up business adjacent to an Army base full of eager, na�ve brand-new civilians are predators. We had checked into a small hotel, trying to think what to do next. The people in the hotel were so nice, they fell in love with Joann, gave her balloons, and that evening the owner gave us two movie tickets and baby-sat Joann, so we could have at least a little relief from our worries. Next day, Duke went to the garage, the mechanic said the Caddy was definitely a basket case, but he had an old, 1934 Chevy, slated for the wrecking-yard, but operable, that he�d give us, it needed a quart of oil every hundred miles, but otherwise was running good. Duke took the deal, and we were off, going West. It was possible to get used oil by the gallons for maybe a quarter, sometimes it was free, so every hundred miles we pulled over and Duke put some oil in "Old Betsy". Motels and fast food joints were not available then, we stayed in "cabins", usually less than a dollar a night, they were not particularly nice, but gave us a chance to sleep, clean up, wash the diapers. Picked up bread and lunch-meat or cheese in grocery stores. Joann ate whatever we had, she was nine months old and a good eater. The memorable part of the trip got us to St. Louis and onto Route 66. One night, in the Ozarks, we had a cabin with a wood-stove. The proprietors invited us to have dinner with them, they made sure the stove was well stocked , wanted us to stay a couple more days, because they were going squirrel hunting and we should experience how good the stew would be, but we were in somewhat of a hurry to go and face Duke�s parents, so we declined. I remember a motel in New Mexico which had a roadside attraction: cages full of rattlesnakes, I didn�t sleep very well that night. That old Chevy kept chugging along, in retrospect I believe it was the ideal car for the trip, I didn�t know enough about Duke�s regular driving habits, this vehicle couldn�t be pushed too hard, we had to stop every hundred miles, had a chance to walk around, do diaper changes, look at the ever-changing scenery, I realized that this was a BIG country. People were friendly, we always had our evening meal in a diner, each was different, menus were more regional. Route 66 was a major highway, but it meandered, most of the time one lane each way, through little towns and villages. Scenery got more spectacular, the Desert of New Mexico and Arizona and then the winding mountain road to Flagstaff, awesome! Entered California late at night, at Needles and, money running short, decided to go on to Calimesa, where Duke�s parents lived. We hit a desert sand-storm, high wind pushing at the car, sand getting between one�s teeth, into one�s eyes, I put a clean cloth over Joann�s face to protect her a little. Duke kept apologizing, telling me California wasn�t always like this. I cherish the memory of that road-trip, it was a vacation before "real" life started, almost like eating dessert first, and it can�t ever be repeated the way it was then. Arrived at Duke�s parent�s place after midnight - and another story began.

To everyone: Thank you for all of the feed back and trip tips... GREATLY appreciated! Quite a few other people recommended that I visit Ceder Point when I was living in Michigan, but I never got around to going... we'll definitely try to make it there, especially since we've decided to add a few more days to the trip. We don't want to be in a rush the entire time. This is, afer all, our vacation. I'll add Put in bay to the list as well. Bonebloodyidle: I couldn't tell you how many times I've driven a long distance, only to turn around and come back home the next day. My jaunts to New Orleans (which is a 700 mile one-way drive) are usually no more than a weekend long... leave home Friday night after work, arrive in New Orleans on Saturday morning and leave Sunday afternoon to return home for work on Monday morning. There have also been many trips that had no destination... I'd just drive until I decided that it was time to turn around and head back. I've actually done that a few times recently on my days off, now that fuel prices have come down. Gives me a chance to be alone, unwind and think. Casey: Is your car the 4 or 6-cylinder engine? I have the 4-cylinder... but it moves the car quite well with the i-Vtec, dual over head cam and 5-speed automatic combo. I have no problems merging into highway traffic or passing someone at highway speeds. The engine is only running at 2500 rpms at 75 mph. No timing belt to replace, either... although I will have the chain and chain guide inspected at the 120k mile shceduled tune-up. What is the mileage on your car and what problems (if any) have you encountered? I'm at 61,000 on the 06 and it's only been back to the shop for basic maintenance so far. Gas mileage has actually gradually increased along with the mileage. My best average so far has been 38 mpg on the highway.

Driving from Washington down through Oregon, you might consider driving up to Mt St Helens to see the volcano in person. http://mountsthelens.com/ I'd also suggest possibly staying at some McMenamins hotels... they are quirky but so is the Northwest. :) http://www.mcmenamins.com/Hotelshttp://www.mcmenamins.com/Hotels Consider Silver Falls State Park and the town of Silverton. http://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-falls-state-park-sublimity Cannon Beach is a beautiful place. http://www.cannonbeach.org/ And if you want some cheese... you can't miss the Tillamook Cheese Factory. :) http://www.tillamook.com/cheesefactory/index.html And I can't resist one more. If you love books, a trip to Powell's is in order. It's the largest independent bookstore in the world. http://www.powells.com/

I don't have any specific advice for any of the areas you are visiting but do want to recommend www.restaurant.com. I've used it traveling and in my own city. You can view the menus online before you go and then buy a savings certificate and print it right out. I never had a problem with using this service. You will probably be eating out a lot when traveling and the savings really add up. It is great to view the menus beforehand and get a map to the location. You can even make reservations online too. The offering include small independant ethnic restaurant to upscale supper clubs - no chains. ------------- I see you may be travelling through The Badlands. Check out Jewel cave in the area. It is awesome. http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/home/thingstodo/parksmonuments/nationalparks/jewelcavenationalmonument Here is a link that might be useful: Restaurant