By Ann Furno

It was early September 1973. I was between jobs and in need of a change of scene. At the suggestion of a couple of good friends and my own adventurous spirit, my 14-year-old son and I loaded up my 1966 VW bug and headed for California — or bust! Our destination was El Cajon (meaning The Box), a suburb of San Diego where a friend from Meadville resided. We were looking forward to “getting our kicks on Route 66” as the song goes.

Our route took us through the Ozarks, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, the Painted Desert, Albuquerque and Gallup, N.M., (where we almost didn’t get gas due to gas wars then), the magnificent Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas with its endless display of dazzling lights. After a short stay in Las Vegas, taking in the sights and fabulous buffets, we continued on our way through the Mojave Desert with 120-degree heat, where we had car trouble near the Barstow exit; we were towed to a place called The Bug Barn, got the VW bug repaired and headed on to El Cajon, where my friend graciously provided us with needed rest and comfort. Fortunately I was able to find a nice and reasonably priced apartment with a swimming pool, got my son enrolled in school and obtained a good office job at Kraft Food Co., located between San Diego and El Cajon. We then embarked on a fun-filled quest to see the sights.

We especially enjoyed eating at many of the varied restaurants in the area and developed a real taste for Mexican and Chinese cuisine, even tried Japanese. Other favorites were Marie Callendar’s Pie Shop, Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor and Anthony’s Fish Grotto. We enjoyed ball games at Jack Murphy Stadium, the Coronado Bridge and Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego’s Old Town, San Juan Capistrano Mission, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo and Animal Park, Sea World, a trip to Tijuana, Mexico, watching whales at Point Loma, San Diego’s great beaches, the ocean waves, surf, salt air and boogie boards which my son really loved, and the beautiful LaJolla area.

Other great highlight events were a fantastic Tijuana Brass concert and Lawrence Welk’s TV show. Lawrence was quite friendly, chatting with us, shaking hands with my son. We ate at his golf course restaurant located in Escondido several times — great food and quite reasonable — our most favorite being the Easter Sunday prime rib buffet, only $5.95! A tour of an aircraft carrier at the San Diego Naval Base was very interesting. Another fun thing was the Mother Goose Parade (and celebrities) which was patterned after the New York City Macy’s Parade. We took in several TV shows in Los Angeles — Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Lawrence Welk Show,” “Hollywood Squares,” “The Price Is Right” (three times), and met the legendary Bob Barker but didn’t get called “to come on down.” We took in Farmers’ Market, Disney Land, Knotts Berry Farm, a tour of Universal Studios where we saw movie sets, sets of TV programs and the many interesting aspects of movie making, the Chinese Theater and the footprints of the stars/celebrities, and most of the Hollywood scene. It wasn’t meant for California to be our permanent home — family needs returned us to Meadville over a year later. We did make return visits — three round trips in the VW bug, a Greyhound Ameripass trip, and my last visit in 1986 by plane. On the return trip from our original trip in 1973, we continued to enjoy many fascinating places, which included San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf, riding in a cable car (I thought of the Rice-A-Roni commercial), Alcatraz Prison, driving across the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite Park’s giant redwoods and El Capitan peak, visiting Meadville friends in Lake Tahoe — a beautiful area — Spokane World’s Fair, majestic Mt. Shasta, Yellowstone Park and Old Faithful (almost ran out of gas there), beautiful Coeur d’ Alene, ldaho area, Big Sky Montana, South Dakota’s Bad Lands and awesome Mt. Rushmore, Nebraska’s Corn Palace, Wisconsin Dells and world’s largest cheese, a trip through Chicago and one trip driving all the way across Texas (took two days) which included a barbecue in Dallas.

On one trip coming over the Continental Divide near Denver, Colo., my car “got asthma” due to the altitude — gave me a scare. We were fortunate on one trip to visit the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., as well as attending a Billy Graham crusade when the Rev. Graham was in San Diego — it was an unforgettable experience. We did cover a lot of ground — space doesn’t permit me to share it all. We saw sage brush, tumbling tumble weeds, prairie dogs, cactus, endless deserts, magnificent mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Our traveling was truly on a shoestring budget, but we enjoyed it all to the hilt and have marvelous memories to savor. Our first trip in 1973 only cost $36 for gas in the 1966 VW bug — though the return trip home cost much more due to gas wars — sure can’t compare to today’s market!

I’m so glad we were able to take in California and the West in those earlier years. We never experienced any earthquakes (except for a very slight one in 1973) or fires while in California — mostly just that great San Diego weather. I’m one who prefers the change of seasons — the beauty and freshness of spring and the colorful crispness of autumn we enjoy in Pennsylvania. Upon leaving San Diego, I took one last look at the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Looking out at the ocean, taking in the invigorating salt air, watching waves and surf gives one a sense of calm and peace, allowing one to forget about multi-lane freeways and the frenzied pace of California, which I do not miss.

These days my “ocean view” consists of looking out over Woodcock Dam whenever I walk there. It doesn’t have the salt ocean air, waves or surf, but it does provide that peaceful, calming effect and a chance to ponder, reflect and remember — and great are the memories.

Furno is a Meadville resident.