CHRISTMAS 1952

While stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, Texas in 1952; I duplicated a note I had read the year before. “CHRISTMAS LEAVE ROUND TRIP TO CALIFORNIA $65. I posted it on the bulletin board in the Airman’s Club. It was that dark blue ‘48 Ford V-8 station wagon sitting on the front row of XXXX’s used car lot, near the main gate to the base, that had caught my eye while riding the bus back to the base. Why not?

Sell rides across 1600 miles, the best the Wild West has to offer in the middle of winter. From Texas to Oakland, California; successfully return without becoming AWOL and assume the responsibility for the safety of 8 passengers. Gee, That’s a really good Idea !!!

With a heater and radio, and someone’s effort to match paint the wood around the rear tailgate, it seemed to be a great way to buy a car and go home for Christmas, too !Having made the same trip the year before as a passenger, with 5 other’s in a ‘41 Plymouth Sedan, what could go wrong with this?

With $525 of my future passenger’s money and another $125 of mine, that $650 FOR SALE sign was removed from the windshield of the ‘48 Ford V-8 Wagon one week before the Departure date. I now own a car ! What’s wrong with this?

Remembering that trip in the ‘41 Plymouth, sitting upright for some 50 hours, it seemed it would be luxurious if some passengers could lay down some way for a while. Dumb & Dumber.

Looking into that rear cavern of my triple seat, 3 wide Ford’s precursor to today’s SUV, “Self, why not fabricate a hammock to fit into the rear area?” Remove the center seat and there you have it, a Double Decker ! It should be room for 3 on top and 3 underneath. A local tarpaulin shop made a pipe frame and stretched some canvas on the frame, similar to a folding cot.

Just drop the tailgate at sundown; take out the center sear, take the hammock off the roof, insert into the back of the wagon, and tie down the center seat to the tailgate. Put the little guys under and the tall ones on top. Continue trip !

Departure Day: My passengers showed up at the Airman’s Club with duffle bags full of family Christmas presents, which I didn’t expect. And like the Indians on Custer’s Last Stand, they just kept coming! More and more passengers ! What was I thinking? That down tailgate was loaded to the roof of the car. It took all the rope I had to tie them on.