A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO ARIZONA
March 23-25, 2012
When I was a little girl Dad worked for Farmers Insurance Group and we got transferred over to Tucson, Arizona; but our family was all still in San Diego. So, several times a year, we would drive back across the desert to visit everyone. Since Dad was transferred back to California in 1965, I have not driven back across the desert – until this past weekend. I think that 57 years is probably too long between visits…
I remember so many things about the 1950’s and 1960’s and making those trips. We had a copper and white Ford station wagon. It had no air conditioning; so most of our trips across the desert were at night to avoid the torching heat of mid-day. Mom would pack a white, Styrofoam ice chest with our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on rye bread (because the rye bread would not get soggy), Fritos and some flavor of Kool Aid to drink. My brother and I went down to the corner drugstore at Wilmot and Broadway in Tucson and would buy a package of Necco wafers and a candy necklace (do you remember those?) and took those along as our treat because they would not melt.
The back seat of the station wagon was laid down, and we had our pillows and treasures to play with (me with my Barbie Doll and Rob probably had his Army men so something like that). Seatbelts weren’t required then, so we could lay down when we got tired and took a nap.
There was a gunny sack filled with water hanging from the hood ornament of our car to help keep the radiator cool. Mom had ice in the Styrofoam ice chest that eventually melted and we could put our wash cloths in it and cool down our foreheads with a fresh cloth. Dad often times drove with a wet bandana wrapped around his forehead to keep him cool.
There were a few cities we would pass through along our way – Case Grande, Gila Bend, Dateland, Yuma and El Centro before we reached California. I have always remembered the desert sand dunes and seeing remnants of this old plank road that I believed at the time was so the wagon trains could more easily cross the sand dunes. In the huge drifts of white sand, every once in awhile a piece of this plank road would appear – depending on which way the wind was blowing on any given day at any given time. For me, it took my imagination back to a different era. I remember at each small city we passed through, we would always have to fill the radiator. The cities were noticeable in the distance because they all seemed to have tall palm trees marking their spot. At that time, there were no tall signs or neon lights. Yes, there would be a few street lamps once you reached the gas station and large June bugs flew in the lights. I do not remember the towns being very large at all – perhaps sometimes only a gas station and a few out buildings surround by palm trees. There were no McDonald’s or Jack in the Box’s. Back then, the gas station attendant came out and cleaned your windshield and pumped your gas for you, check your oil and the pressure in your tires.
Highway 80 back then was a two lane road. There were barrels of water along the road marked “radiator water” for those whose engines overheated and where you could refill your radiator gunny sack. Life was simpler back then.
I’ve heard through the years of the building of the freeways and how much the towns have all grown and become large cities with populations of many thousands; but until this weekend, I had not been back since we moved away. This was truly a trip down memory lane for me. Some things I remembered and some things were definitely new and modern.
We left early on Friday morning after stopping by Starbucks on our way out of town. We headed East on Interstate 8 which follows the route of Old Highway 80 all across the desert. There are many places where you can still drive on “the frontage road” which is actually the old highway. For the most part, I think it is in relatively good condition and still drivable. But, the new freeway is definitely an improvement and much safer with its divided lanes. We had a good rain several days before we left on our trip; and there were still patches of white snow in the shaded areas along the side of the road and on the hillsides.
I do remember some mountains that we would cross before we reached San Diego; but I did not recollect the massive gulleys and valleys full of huge quartzite boulders the further east we traveled. We also passed the Desert View Tower; high atop the mountain of rocks near Jacumba sits a four storey tower of stone that was built in 1922 to commemorate the pioneers who traveled across the desert. As we crested the mountain, the desert was before us. I did not remember so many mountains.
The desert landscape is much as I remember it “back when”; but the agriculture now was definitely something new. Back then, we would pass crops of cotton – nothing like the acres upon acres of bright green vegetables that are there now. There is now an aqueduct that carries water. There are huge towers for electricity transformers and miles upon miles of solar panels.
Once we reached the sand dunes, we came across hundreds of motor homes and their owners who gather to spend their weekends off-roading on the ATV’s and motorcycle dirt bikes on the sand dunes which were once barren and almost impassable had it not been for the plank road that I recalled seeing as a young girl.
The sand dunes did not seem as large as I remembered them; and we quickly passed them. Before we left home, I looked up information on the old plank road and found where there is only one section left near Gray’s Well outside of Holtville. We will stop there on our way back home on Sunday.
The desert was much the same as I remembered with the exception of the growth of the cities. It is spotted with low brush and tumble weeds. Finally outside of Gila Bend, I saw my first saguaro cactus. The mountains that seem to jut up suddenly from the desert floor are barren with the exception of some drought resistant plants and occasional cactus. As we got closer to Phoenix and Scottsdale, the past 50+ years showed with the tall buildings, spring-training baseball stadiums, Indian casinos, freeways and huge freeway signs telling you where you could stop for gasoline (now $4.09 per gallon!) which we used to be able to get for under 15 cents a gallon AND they gave you a tall frosted ice tea glass with every 8 gallon purchase!! Back in the 1960’s Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale was a significant landmark – now with all of the high rise construction, it was difficult for me to find on the horizon.
We arrived at our friends Mark and Debbi’s home and enjoyed a cool drink and sat down and enjoyed a nice visit. We enjoyed dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant near a local private airport where we sat outside on the patio and just relaxed and enjoyed a nice dinner and glass of wine.
Saturday morning we enjoyed some delicious bagels for breakfast then headed off on another adventure. Our first stop – going past my old school and house in Scottsdale. Near Oak St. and 90th we turned and first found Hohokum School where I went to 8th grade. Straight down that street on the corner of Oak and North 81st Place, was our home. It’s still there and other than being painted a darker beige color (it was white when we were there), it looks exactly the same. The carport is still there as well as the wrought iron rail at the front porch entry. The neighborhood looked well-kept. I remembered back in 1964 when all the ladies in our cul-de-sac had a sign-up schedule for me to babysit their kids at Christmas so they could go shopping. One of the things I remember buying my Mom and Dad with my babysitting earnings was a new set of olive green colored thermal ice tea tumblers and a matching ice bucket. I remember receiving my first stereo record player that year and listening to Roy Orbison singing “Pretty Woman”. My best friends that year were Carol Masterson and Sheila Wesley; and next time we visit, I hope to have enough time to reconnect with them.
From there we drove into downtown Scottsdale and enjoyed going through a fabulous Farmer’s Market. After parking the car, we walked past the Old Mission downtown. Its white adobe walls were meticulously painted and well-maintained. The wispy white clouds in the blue sky above gave it the perfect background to showcase the simple cross and the walls were covered with magenta bougainvillea in high bloom.
Across the street, the vendors at the Farmers Market were all under shade awnings offering a wide variety of fresh produce, homemade jams and jellies, fresh pasta, healthy doggie treats and several bakeries offering gorgeous artisan breads and the largest croissants I’ve ever seen. From there we walked down the street to a great store where I found a few souvenirs. We left there and drove back to Mark and Debbi’s where we had a very relaxing afternoon filled with watching videos of their recent travels to Antarctica and The Galapagos Islands. Mark barbecued delicious steak for dinner that we enjoyed with Debbi’s potato salad, green salad and asparagus. Strawberry shortcake was on tap for dessert.
Our visit was all too short, and we headed home Sunday morning retracing our tracks from just a day and a half before. But, once we arrived at Gray’s Well, we detoured off the freeway and followed our internet directions down Old Highway 80 to the historical marker for the Plank Road and the only remaining 50 foot section of the original planks. Had we not printed those directions, I doubt we would have found this. There is no signage indicating this even exists. It is quite a ways down the old highway and off in the sand dunes in what is now a very obvious recreational area. But, we found it nonetheless. And, I just stood there and reminisced. It brought back many happy memories for me of growing up. As we drove back down Old Highway 80 and got back on I-8 freeway and headed home, I couldn’t help remember playing the “license plate game” or “what am I thinking of” while we used to travel back then.
For me, things were simpler then. Our vacations were filled with memories of being together and visiting family. We never stayed in hotels or ate out. We didn’t even have air conditioning – and though I had no choice but to tolerate it then because that was just the way it was – I am VERY grateful for it now! I think those experiences gave me an appreciation for things that so many people take for granted today.
We left the desert and my memories and climbed the mountains back towards San Diego. Near Buckman Springs we saw fields of yellow wildflowers on the ground in the valleys. It was like blankets of yellow. They were beautiful – and yes, I had to stop and take pictures!
Though we were really only gone two days, this was a great trip down memory lane for me. Thank you Jim for being my navigator and narrator and thank you Mark and Debbi for a great visit! See you soon Arizona – next time it won’t be so long in between visits – I promise!
