Daley had a Corvair. I always got the back seat.
The first adventure I remember was local. Daley had been drinking. Summe was allegedly sober. I had not drunk any alcohol. (There may be a cameo appearance here of one of the Ossenbeck sisters here but I am not sure.)
Daley gave Summe the keys. We were in that main road from west Covington into Covington (KY8). We are coming down the hill. On a half curve to the left, Summe lost control, spun the car, and we landed in bushes. It was a good thing. The next curve was the sharp right at the river. If he had lost it there, we might have drowned or at least been injured.
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The second adventure was a weekend in Chicago. The freeways had not then yet been built. So it was a long hard schlogg.
On one road which was straight and two lane, someone in the other direction passed and could not make it. We had just enough shoulder that there was a one point three cars abreast.
We got there Friday night. I remember no incidents then or Saturday. Sunday morning I slept in while they looked for a church. They went out and found one. Their story is this:
We went into a church and asked the usher if this was a Catholic Church. He assured us it was. The Mass began but something was not right. [E.g. the service was in English and VII had not yet happened.] So we go back and asked the usher again: Is this a Catholic Church? Looking stern and discomfited, he said: This is an English Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is down the street. He pointed for them.<>
The third adventure was setup as a visit to their friends returning from a mission trip in Honduras. Remember this was before freeways.
We left Cincinnati and went to Louisville and then worked our way to Memphis. They had been told there were these new things in Memphis called "Holiday Inn"s. Unfortunately, the Church of God got there first and filled them all. So through the night we went south on the Mississippi River road.
On a two lane road, straight but with no shoulders, the car came to a stop. The Covair had a ser4pentine belt that had a tendency to fail. We had a spare but no tools. Luckily a man came by with tools. He was the local game warden and had just come from delivering a baby. I never did learn of what species, but I had a strong suspicion it was human.
We got going again and came to the town of Clarksville (or was it Clarksdale?). It had a "hotel". We checked in. omg. Nasty smelling room of cigarette smoke and beer and maybe vomit. Which didn't seem to bother the four legged night visitors. It did keep at least one of my crew awake all night.
I was always amused when later in the decade there were civil rights protests about blacks not being able to stay in that hotel. Either they were misguided or maybe we got a room normally offered to blacks.
The next stop was New Orleans at a time I don't remember. We went to Bourbon Street and got drinks. I don't know if mine was alcoholic or not. I think there was a stripper. Not too long after I got tired. I got the car keys and went back to the car and went to sleep. I think we were parked on the street around a public building which had a huge lawn on all sides.
The dynamic duo stayed. One or more bar girls appeared. One of them gave Summe a real good feel. He was both embarrassed and a bit proud.
The next day, we headed down US90 along the Gulf coast to Florida, all the way to Miami Beach. The friends were in a nice high rise hotel. We hung out for a day and headed north.
I think by this time we were low on money. We stopped at a grocery store and got a bit of food. Given my natural practical bent, I got a box of vanilla wafers and a large bottle (64oz?) of apple juice and got back on the road.
Before there were freeways, there were a lot less gas stations everywhere. And there were a lot less people in northern FL. As we were not on the coast road, we did not go near any of the coastal cities (e.g. JAX). So there were cities, no rest stops, no gas stations, therefore no bathrooms. I was getting desperate. And this was not going to be a #1 stop. Eventually we did find a small station in one of the small towns. I was directed to the outhouse behind the building. I barely got my pants down when I was relieved is a single spasm.
That Saturday night we did not stop. We drove through to Knoxville. They somehow found the Catholic Church in Knoxville. I slept.
How we survived these trips with just a single driver must have been a blessing from God.
Alternate version: Daley & Summe
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