My Grandparent's 1926 California Trip Project

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In October 1926 my grandparents, Clarence and Miriam Abia McFate, packed their family into what I imagine was a pickup truck with a homemade camper in the bed and embarked on a trip that grandma, Miriam, described as…

With the auto route traveling west, in a house built on a Ford with all modern convenience of camp life. Our house is equipped with a gasoline stove for cooking, a small wood heater for heating, 1 small medicine cabinet, with all necessities of a young hospital. Folding table and chairs, 1 day bed, used in day time as a seat and a place for our bed covers, when not in use. One cupboard and all cooking utensils including a pressure cooker. We fasten tent and camp cots on out side. All in all we have a very comfortable way to travel. Not to fast but just fast enough for the most enjoyable time of our lives.

Following you will find each day drive as we journey on.

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A Close Call Indeed

Driving home from a few days at Univ. of South Dakota in Vermillion last evening and stopped at Justin’s house in M-town to meet his parents and grandmother, plus Deb & Doug. We left there about 8:30 or so and I took the old Lincoln Highway into town to avoid deer along the road on the shorter rural route.

We nearly got hit by an impaired driver (?) when turning on to Center Street just south of the Hy-Vee / Taco John’s intersection. Fortunately for us, a large SUV (Suburban?) took the force of the impact while vehicles and debris flew all around us. Nobody was injured and there’s not a scratch (that we can see) on the new Kia, but we didn’t get home until a little after 10 PM.

Fire Alarm 2 AM

Do we get extra IHG (Holiday Inn) bonus points for living through the 2 AM false fire alarm last night? NOT FUN. Hope I can drive home this afternoon without falling asleep.

Greetings from Vermillion

Arrived in Vermillion, South Dakota, last evening about 6:30 PM and went straight to dinner at the “Old Lumber Company” downtown. Checked in to our hotel adjacent to the Univ. of South Dakota campus at about 7:15 PM and went to find the music department building (the fine arts center) where Christine will be taking classes for the rest of the week.

While she’s in class I’ll be working from my hotel room here, or maybe from the USD library.