Epilogue - what can I say?

My attraction to road trips was probably spawned in 1958 when my parents and siblings loaded up in a 1955 Buckskin (why do I remember that???) and white Ford Fairlane and headed east to Philadelphia (Mom's family) and New York Idlewild Airport to travel by DC-9 (yep, propeller driven) to Denmark, our Dad's homeland.  I remember vividly the adventuresome spirit involved and never felt any fear or apprehension from my parents who had managed this trip on their lonesome several times before!

We did it again in 1967 when I was 16.  We went east to pick up our Uncle Lars Peter who wanted to travel with us across country from New York/Pennsylvania.  The men folk headed out west, while Mom and Greta would fly home separately.  Only two days out, and Uncle Lars Peter asked "are we almost there"?  Heh, heh.  Well we have at least 4 more days on the road...Wow, the USA is big.

I don't know how or why my Dad would allow two 16 year old's to share in the driving, but Joe and I did just that.  I remember Joe driving full speed through a construction zone with my Dad yelling the whole way!  I guess fines didn't double back then!   

I also remember stopping for a pee break where we all got out of the car and Joe and I found some cactus to put on the drivers seat for Dad, which my Uncle found quite hilarious!

So you can see, road trips had a positive vibe with me from the git go!

So fast forward to 1976.  After graduating college, I had been trying to get a job in New Zealand.  Totally oblivious of the major worldwide recession occurring at the time.  My father stepped in and through his brother in law, my Uncle Borge, managed to get me a boat building job in Denmark!  This was convenient, as my girl friend, Jacquee, was in Vienna at the time and maybe I could reconnect with her!  

I got myself this sportscar called an MG Midget?  Totally reliable I was told.  Sold my other vehicles (yes, two 1956 F-100 pickups and a Datsun 510) and headed to Pennsylvania once again!  Slept in the car, camped by the road, skipped sleeping altogether.  No AAA, no credit cards, no cell phone.  WHAT WAS I THINKING???  Oh yeah, those things weren't invented yet...