63 All the mouths he feeds

Alright. Long day. Whew. Started in Chicago. Took a long time to get outta there. Made it to Wolcott and then made our escape from there. Didn't make it too much further when the trucker made an exit. We were somewhere in the vicinity of Iowa City, but rural. It was either east or west of there but there were cornfields where we got dropped off. We had to hit the sack. We still had a long ways to go.

Remember we had two sleeping bags. One that Norm gave us and one that the nice lady in Maine gave us. But remember that rainstorm in Ohio? Oh. We were airheads, or should I just say heads. We never opened that sleeping bag the whole time we were in Chicago. Oh. That thing was still damp when we opened it up. Oh. It had a peculiar smell to it too. Earthy and moldy. I do like the smell of dirt but this was beyond that. Oh no. It's really not the most comfortable thing to squeeze two people into a sleeping bag. Especially when you need to sleep. It's not like we needed the sleeping bag to give us the idea to get "romantic." That night I don't exactly remember who ended up with it, but later on we worked out a routine with that thing.

Up with sun. We were down a ditch. Pretty much ok in the dark but we had to get up when it got light. There's always a place to hide to take care of your bladder. Guess I didn't have toilet paper all the time but like my mom said "Being outdoors is a lot cleaner." We held in everything else till we hit a rest stop or whatever. The peanut butter and jelly on white bread sustained us for most of the trip. Maybe that disgusts you to mention food after I mentioned bathroom habits. I made sure I wiped my hands on clean leaves first if nothing else was around. Hey, I went to Catholic school. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Waited till restaurants or stores to drink something. I drank a lot of milk.

I was in awe of all the food growing around us. It was beautiful. The sun and the clean earth. Fresh air. Everything was so healthy.

Walking again. Way beyond today's' standards. I'm sure we found a truck stop to give ourselves a proper face washing and tooth brushing. Brush the hair again. 

Ok. Ready. Out with the thumb. Nice 70's car pulled over with two guys in front. I remember both of them had those great 70's sideburns and moustaches.

Kind of a comfortable car too. Fancy interior. 

Kind of very comfortable. "Where are you headed?" "California." "Not going that far but we're going a ways." The passenger in the front was a hitchhiker too, but they seemed to enjoy conversing with one another. The inside of that car was nice and big. We couldn't hear what they were saying and they couldn't hear what we were saying. Windows open and radio on. It was a beautiful day speeding by the cornfields and open land. He was serious about driving. They had a loaf of bread and some bologna up front. Passed a couple of sandwiches back to us. Nice change from the peanut butter. Wind, sun, music and bologna. We kept going. Hours and hours. What were we talking about in the back? I couldn't tell you exactly, but I know there were many dreams of what we were going to find. That big smile on my face again.

I don't know if you know this, but on the highways for the most part people didn't drive as fast as they do now. The speed limit was 55 mph. Except when you finally get to the desert. But anyway. I think it was mid afternoon before we stopped to pee near Omaha. Went into a store and bought some milk to drink. No bottled water then. I think everyone else bought Pepsi.

We kept driving like madmen again. All the way across Nebraska. Have you ever driven across Nebraska or Kansas? Some people don't like it. Think it's boring. If you just look, it's all different and spectacular. Good for thinking.

We pulled into a rest stop close to the border. I think it was near Sutherland, Nebraska. I remember there were quite a number of trees. We were near Ogalalla too.

Ok. The driver was tired. We needed to stop. Alright. First he lit a joint and we all had a couple of hits. Ok. Have you seen Tim Burton's remake of Dark Shadows. There's a few reasons I love that movie... one of them is the scene where the hippies are sitting around the campfire. OK. It's cartoony, but a lot of that was right. Makes me laugh. I was pretty spacey sometimes. It took a few minutes for things to sink in.

The two guys get out without saying anything. Whatever. After a little while I say "Where are they?" LBJ goes he's (driver) getting a blow job in the bushes. Huh? Whatever. It's just that I wasn't expecting it. Uh oh. LBJ looked in the front seat. Grunting sound. "He left his wallet on the front seat." Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I'm saying that not because I liked that, but because I did not like what was about to happen.

LBJ picked up the wallet. Wow. That thing was thick and filled with money. Mostly twenties. Oh. I woke up. "Put that down!" Even though we were pretty low on cash I just didn't worry enough to steal from anyone. I'm not saying I never swiped a cookie from a store, but never from a human. Especially someone who was so cool and nice. Big argument but quiet. He said "I'm just going to take $60." That didn't make it any better, but at least he didn't empty it. I also argued "He'll know."

Ok. Cool it. Here they come. I did notice the driver took a glance at his wallet. I was fuming but tried to keep it cool because there was no need at this point to get all dramatic about it. We had a few more hits on the joint and we all stretched out the best we could and got some shuteye.

I woke up when daylight hit and the car was moving again. We were headed to get a decent meal. Pulled into Ogallala and found a diner. We should have just let them have their meal and headed on down the road. But we did have a good time with them. He offered to buy breakfast and we went in. As we were stepping into the restaurant I smacked LBJ's arm and said "He's going to know!" "No he won't."

Jesus Christ. Now we're eating food that he's buying after we did that to him. God damn it. I guess I held my demeanor, but what a lousy experience. I was sweating bullets when it came time to pay. I'll never forget sitting there across from him as he's looking in his wallet and counting. But apparently he kept track like I do, and didn't notice. God help me.

Alright. Time to split up. They were heading north and we were heading west. Adios. Sorry dude. Hope it all ended up ok for you.

P.S. I'm thinking we spent a lot of our money in Chicago. Bought some food so Norm wasn't paying for everything.

 

62 I am the passenger

We were ready to go. Norm was going to drop us off by the highway on his way into work on Monday. We didn't have anything to give him in return except for our thanks. Maybe the pleasure of our company was enough for people. I'm sure he's remembered us. Thanks Norm. 💓

I don't know what was going on in that alley that Norm parked his car. On the way in we saw used condoms and on the way out someone left one hanging on his antennae. I guess at least they were using them in Chicago. I hardly saw them in New York. People weren't using them for disease, just pregnancy worries back then. Could have been a difference in what was available. Everything was regional then.

I have a little snapshot in my mind where we were dropped off. There was a small bridge. Looked pretty industrial. I remember things looked dark to me. We had a hard time there. People were just zooming by. We just wanted to get out of the city. We walked some. Stopped. Stuck our thumbs out again. Over and over.

A little bit of that "Oh... I can't stand the sound of the cars anymore. Wow. Loud here in the city." Conversation became intermittent. Big wide smiles started looking like flat horizons. I always was better at holding the faith than LBJ. Maybe I'm a little bit of an airhead? Boredom and hypnotism was setting in. I guess that switchblade could have been helpful in some situations, but not standing on the side of the road trying to get a ride. LBJ was practicing. Open. Close. Open. Close.

I'm like "Nobody wants to pick us up because you're standing there with that switchblade. Would you pick us up?" It was wearing on us. 🤣 We got to another bridge and he threw that knife like Joe Namath passing to Don Maynard downfield. Ok. We both snapped out of it. We kept walking. When it looked a little less grimy a semi finally pulled over after I don't know how many hours.

Interstate 80... we'd be yours for a while. Feeling better. Less cranky. "Where you headed?" "California." "Well, I'm stopping in for a while at a truck stop a few hours ahead."

AM radio came in strong but the truckers used CB's a lot. They'd have a handle and greet each other. The truck drivers sure seemed like they had each other's backs.

 

There we are. Pulling into the largest truck stop in the world in Walcott, Iowa. The trucker was heading into the back. We got dropped at the front. Headed on into the restaurant.

I see there's some photos of the place nowadays. It's all kinds of small franchises. We walked into a huge cafeteria type place. The tables were crammed together. It seems as though there were hundreds. The place was jam packed too. Basically nowhere to sit. One of the waitresses kind of yelled over to just sit down where there was room.

We walked around a little and saw a couple of open places, but boy did we get a few stares. Like hard stares that said "You better not even think of sitting here." Dragging around our stuff. Disheveled. Oh yeah. There's a table of like minded individuals. Glide on over there. "Is it ok if we sit with you?" They were happy to have us.

The waitresses did pretty good in such a huge place. Food was so much cheaper then. Yeah, everything was, but diners and cheap eats were more common. So we had a little conversation with everyone at the table. They finished up and left since they got there earlier than us.

Hmm, hmm. Eating our food. The waitress came up to us with a completely freaked out look on her face. Huh. She's not just freaked she's pissed. "Your friends left without paying!!! You're paying for their food too!!!" "What? We didn't even know them. We sat at the table with them because there was no other place to sit." "The hell not." She ran off I guess to get the manager or something. It was going to take a minute because of the hugeness of the place. We threw down our forks, picked up our stuff and ran. Believe me, we had to.  The long haired type was not always looked upon too kindly. Even if they believed us they might ignore it just to have a little fun and throw our asses in jail.

Got out through the crowds. Ran off to the street and stuck out thumbs out. This time luck was on our side and another truck picked us up almost immediately.

61 Work away all your pain

I thought I remembered more from our visit to Norm's. Maybe just a little. South Side.

Similar. Norm's place was cleaner & no backyard.

I have no idea why everyone's family members were off somewhere. We didn't ask why everybody was gone. There was more trust of fellow human beings then. Easier to get along with people when you trusted them. Norm's brother was out of town so we took his room. Something. Remember the scene in the Blues Brothers in the hotel? The train by the window. Well, the L rode right by. We were on the second floor so it was about the same level. I mean right next to the bedroom we were in. Every time it went by it didn't just make a lot of noise, it shook the whole damn building.

 

Norm's place was the complete opposite of Phil's. Kind of seedy and rundown. But the neighborhood felt more alive. Lots of people on the streets. A mixture of storefronts and plenty of bright clothing on the people walking the street. It was 1972. But, we didn't spend a lot of time outside while we were there. Pretty sure we stayed with Norm about four days or so.

Norm's girlfriend was staying there. She was very nice. Kind of quiet, but I could be at times too. I remember the four of us got along really well. Spent a little time listening to music and laughing about the state of life. You could tell we were out of towners though. How do you describe mopey New Yorkers that spent a lot of time contemplating shit on the subway? We were a little "gothier."

In a way we were all so innocent. We wanted to hear and learn about the different ways people led their lives. You could watch movies, read a book or a newspaper, or experience it. When LBJ and I met people along the way a lot of time was spent listening.

Here's the thing though... we were at such ease with Norm and his girlfriend we spent a lot of time relaxing. After the first day we hardly left the room. Even with that train going by constantly, I don't think we stopped much. Maybe the hypnotic vibration of the train did a number on us? 🤣 Couldn't control ourselves.

Wondering about food? No problem. Norm's girlfriend was kind of a riot. She made us food and left it by the door. 🤣 Knock knock knock. "Hey. I made some food." 🤣 I guess every one was laid back and just enjoying themselves.

By the third or fourth day the weekend rolled around. Norm was off work. Knock, knock, knock. "Hey, let's go out today." Norm and his girlfriend wanted to go to a nearby park and throw a frisbee around. Believe it or not, we never did that before. Long Island hippies weren't big on it. That would interrupt listening to music and all that other stuff we did. I mean I went to the beach all the time, but I went in the water and body surfed the waves. I didn't throw a frisbee.

I remember the park. Not details, but the sights and sounds. Lots of music on transistor radios. Jim Croce was playing loud. Don't Mess Around With Jim. Green grass and dogs running around.

Lots of people. Actually pretty crowded. I think it was good we finally went outside into the air and sun. Norm was cool and was welcoming. But we figured it was time for us to hit the road again. We actually had a pretty great time after our first intro to Chicago.

Went back to Norm's, had a good dinner and actually slept. Norm was a real city dweller and was worried about us. He handed LBJ a switchblade for protection. They also gave us another sleeping bag so we didn't have to share. How about that. 💞

60 So often it seems like home

59 Keep on knockin' but you can't come in

We're driving into his neighborhood. Talking about heading to California. It just wasn't as regimented. No calendars on the phone. No rushed reservations to make. It was easier just to relax when making any kind of a trip. Even when I was little, we made road trips and just pulled into a motel along the road when everyone was tired and hungry.

We didn't run into anyone nervous or anxious about making a destination on time. Phil had no motives, we thought, except that he probably wouldn't mind sitting around with a couple of laid back people for a bit. Heard about his friend Norm. They were in the army together, both from Chicago. Two different worlds though. Norm lived in the South Side of Chicago.

We pull into the neighborhood. I've seen some fancy houses on Long Island, but these were completely different. All kinds of strange proportions. 

Well anyway. Fancy stuff doesn't impress me. Phil shows us his sisters room. We plop down our two little bags and one sleeping bag. I have never been in such a frilly room. It was all puffy and lacey. 

Lacey and frilly like this.

I should describe my room at my parents a little. Old worn, bare wooden floor. I like that. Dark and unshined. Ridges from use. I painted a beanstalk from floor to ceiling. I heard people that bought the house later kept it. I am completely sure it's gone now. You could tell by the looks of the way they took down trees and pulled out bushes. I had a lot of knick knack things from my grandmother. An old steam radiator. A very old table with my stereo. Really not all that much. I wasn't there a lot. Most of my friends didn't go overboard either.

Norm and his girlfriend showed up. One of those funny friendships. They seemed so different and looked so different. Phil was short and quiet. Norm was big and funny. Norm went out of his way to tell us he was an Indian. American Indian. Those were the terms everyone used in 1972. Then Phil would sarcastically tell us "No. He's Mexican." They were friends and constantly joking about it.

Norm said he just picked up an album. It's real funny. Just as we were getting ready to listen, Phil brought out tabs of acid for everyone. We dropped it and smoked some reefer. Norm put the album on. I'll never forget seeing that cover for the first time.

I have to explain the difference in time periods again. There was no cable TV. There were three networks and if you were lucky you had a couple local. I was super lucky to get WPIX and WOR in New York. WNEW too. That's where I watched all my monster movies and old black and whites. Especially WPIX. There was no internet.We had newspapers, magazines, tabloids and word of mouth. You could live and not have 24 hour per day bombardment of information, or so called information, and entertainment. There was a definite difference in East Coast and West Coast influences. Sometimes never the twain should meet. It was 1972 and this was the first time we heard of Cheech and Chong.

All I remember is we were all laughing our asses off. That's all I could tell ya. We just listened all night, maybe playing some of the tracks again. Dropping that needle on the vinyl. I think my stomach hurt. Well Norm actually had to get up for work. He left with his girlfriend and we went up to the frilly room. "Are you sure your sister won't mind?" Nah.

I must say that bed was very comfortable. The most comfortable we had ever been in, let alone after staying on the ground and what not. What do you think we were doing in that bed? Well, it pretty much went on for days. What can I say? When Norm came over in the evening we'd put some clothes on and head down stairs and it all started again. We weren't eating much. Phil would leave in the day and show up later. A few times we headed out to a deli or something for some food while he was gone. We didn't raid the kitchen cause he never offered. We thought..."Ok. Whatever." Not much detail here... sorry. But it was all very relaxing and nobody minded. Cause that's what people did. More drugs in the evening, some record play, conversation and laughs. If you expect me to remember everything we talked about you can forget it.

After about three days 🤷 we came back and went up to the bedroom. There was a surprise we weren't expecting. It's not what you're expecting either... anyway, there was all kinds of psycho writing in lipstick all over the mirror. It basically said "I know you've been fucking in my bed." Hmmm. I thought the sister was gone. Phil said she wouldn't mind?

Not this

Norm came over that evening and heard about it. I think Phil was laughing. Norm told us "Phil hates his sister." Huh. That's trippy. He had us " messing up" her bed as some kind of statement. Whatever Phil. We all had a good time. I can only imagine what went on when he saw her. He wouldn't let us straighten up. Norm said "C'mon over my place." We were headed for the South Side. I remember a little bit more from there.

58 mayor daley made this place

Lots more vehicles in the morning. I remember the sun came out and we dried out pretty quickly... except for that sleeping bag. We just kind of got up and went. Found a little place to go number one, even though I was always good at holding it. Sorry. Stuck some toothpaste in my mouth and brushed my hair. The water got us pretty good the night before anyway.

We got picked up by another truck along Interstate 90. I was in the back, don't remember much. The trucker was heading off the western course and let us off on the outskirts of Chicago, eastern side. Hitching the entrance ramp, a fella picked us up and said he could drop us off the other side of Chicago. That sounded good to us because by the looks of where we were, we didn't want to spend too much time there.

I used to hang in some funky neighborhoods in New York, but some of the neighborhoods we were driving past were crappy to a degree that I hadn't ever seen before. The guy driving seemed pretty cool but then he said he had to make a stop. He took us into a place that I'll try to describe. I was in the backseat like usual and I all I could do was to turn my head right and look at the bowels of desperation. The buildings were tumbled. If there were any people to be seen, they were joyless. Leaned or sitting, but very few. Something you wouldn't believe could exist in this country. The 70's were fun but there was a lot of struggle for the poor and middle class alike. No excuses for some stuff though. No excuses. The rich don't feel it, usually.

Like this but lots and lots of rubble. Much shittier.

Make a stop in front of a building that didn't look like anyone should be in there. If somebody was, they had to be living way worse than Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy. This was a lot worse. Ok. Like a couple of idiots sitting in the car. Oh. We didn't want to make any assumptions, right away. Sitting there, looking around. Saying "Wow. Look at this." Oh five minutes goes by... 10 minutes goes by. "What's he doing in there?" All of a sudden LBJ blurts "He's getting other people. Let's book." We were definitely so out of place there. We walked fast and headed back down to the highway. 

Hit the entrance and put our thumbs out. Typical 70's car pulled over. The guy yelled at us "What the hell are you doing out here? Get in!"

It wasn't a cop car. I just like this picture.

I couldn't tell you the exact date but it was August 1972 sometime. The only exact date I remember was the day we left because of the Rolling Stones concert and resulting mayhem. The fella's name was Phil. Easy to remember cause we stayed with him awhile. He was very upset that we were walking in that neighborhood. He didn't work and my presumption was that he was over there to pick up drugs. Phil went on to tell us about the Mau Mau killings that just happened. It was like a contained race war in Chicago back then.

Very difficult to find information on this on the internet. You're not getting your full history at all. But people were in fear in Chicago. That shithead Daley. I'm not going to say I knew everything about what when on there... but whatever he did or didn't do was no good. Corruption. Politics.

Phil was somewhere in his 20's. Just got out of the army a little while back and was living with his parents in Oak Park, Illinois. But they were gone for a couple of weeks. Headed over to a neighborhood of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway. How do these cities go from one extreme to the next with a couple of miles? 

Anyway. It was going to be weird.

Mau Mau members headed back into jail.