It was safe to pull your car over to
the side of the road and sleep a few
hours, nobody was going to rob you
or kill you, and a few might even stop
to see if you needed any assistance.
We were greeted in every state as
though we were relatives. In Oklahoma
City, we were given a free room at a motel,
while members of the local
community, repaired our flat tire and
insisted we dine with them. Imagine that;
to unknowns, just passing through.
In Texas they fed us the biggest meal
I had ever seen, and in Arizona, we spent
the night with a family and got to shower.
It was a hundred and ten degrees outside.
Driving along, we lunched at parks,
cooking burgers on Bar–B-Q grills,
eating them with potato chips, and bottled
soda, which cost a nickel with no deposit.
We could never get lost since maps were
free at every gas station, and the truckers
and waitresses at the truck stops were happy
to give directions and tourist information.
It was on Route 66 that I saw my first
(and only) real buffalo, space alien, and
killer snakes, each for a quarter to fifty
cents at tourist stops along the way.
Ahh....
if only you could have been there.
