The First Cross Country Family Road Trip

Before interstate highways, before gas stations were common, when large swaths of the middle US were little more than tumbleweeds, the thought of trying to take your family across the US by automobile was downright insane. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #roadtrip

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I do not know why it isn't showing the full screen. Re-uploading didn't help. Hopefully KZbin will have an answer.

[@HM2SGT]

🤷👌👍🍀🤞 *Meh. The auditory component is 93% for me. I listen while I drive*

[@crazedvole]

@@HM2SGT I 2nd that meh, all good.

[@JamesAllmond]

that happened when it was rendered I bet Have sent his before but been a while. Like a 720p video embedded in a 1080P spot (1080 in a 2 or 4k video). Using a Mac or may be Handbrake to compress before uploading. both can cause this. (the windows equivalents can too). Once it gets here, fixing locally and reloading may be the only fix. Too bad YT removed the replace video function (like Vimeo has) a decade or so ago.... Great subject matter, enjoyed....

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@JamesAllmond I sure do wish that YT would allow replace video...

[@ColdWarAviator]

I was able to expand the video by "stretching it" with forefinger and thumb on my android phone and make it almost full screen. (About 90% of the screen)...a fitting exercise while hearing about the family who went from one side of the Continent to the other 😊

[@bartsanders1553]

"This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. A quest for fun." -Clark Griswold, reasonable sporting goods customer

[@katieandkevinsears7724]

I've been on that road trip from hell myself. In 2005 my family decided to go to the Grand Canyon. My brother's Exploder decided it didn't want to make the whole trip and we wound up in a Taurus that my parents still own.

[@georgeperkins4171]

Dang, you beat me to it😅

[@georgeperkins4171]

My lawnmower has more h.p.

[@godoftheinterwebz]

Clark: "Roy; can I call you Roy? Have you even driven your whole family cross-country?" Roy: "Oh, hell yes. Drove the whole family to Florida. Worst two weeks I ever spent in my life. The smell from the back seat was terrible"

[@bartsanders1553]

@@katieandkevinsears7724 The early 2000s Taurus was a beast. I had the Sabel. I miss that car.

[@mamiebobb4173]

I was blessed with a father who loved taking trips. When I was 11 (1961) we moved to Northern Virginia from Ohio and we suddenly had a whole new world to explore. Every weekend we were visiting Civil War battlefields, Washington DC tourist attractions, Pennsylvania amusement parks, Blue Ridge Mountains, and more. Dad saved all his vacation time for several years in order to take one big trip in 1966. We had 6 weeks to explore the country. He joined triple A and had them lay out a route that took us to California and back (out on a northern route, return on a southern route). His only request was that they lay out the trip so we could see the maximum number of interesting sites along the way. That route snaked and coiled its way through all those states. He told them to plan it as if we would never get to go there again - so stuff in everything! There were 6 of us and he got a big 9-passenger Impala station wagon for the trip. We couldn't afford hotels and motels so he found a little trailer to hitch on the back with a tent that we would put up in the nearest camp grounds in the evening and take it down again in the morning. It was the most wonderful event of my life and I'm almost 74 now and remember every bit of it! At other times he took us to Key West, Niagara Falls,, Canadian Rockies, and down into Mexico. Were any kids ever so blessed as we? I don't think so!!!

[@gardensofthegods]

Wow , your dad sounds like such a wonderful , cool and resourceful person . And it sounds like the people at AAA back then really actually cared and took pride in their work . Your dad knew he was giving you guys experiences and memories to last your lifetimes , wow what a wonderful gift . And what a time to do the road trips . If you remember anything more at all about those road trips , please tell us .

[@gardensofthegods]

Although I wouldn't be surprised if you said one of your road trips was to Philadelphia , I actually would be surprised if you said you got to see the Swedish cabin , in the Philadelphia suburbs in Drexel Hill ... it was built in between the 1630s and the 1650s , next to the Darby Creek ... this was part of my neighborhood growing up and we used to see the cabin regularly every time we went down to the creek and the woods . Small inside but a cozy home for a fur trapper .

[@mamiebobb4173]

@@gardensofthegods Long (holiday) weekends weren't quite long enough to go very far and we spent many of them exploring Philadelphia and other spots. We took a full week to take an 'exploratory' trip to New England. The goal was to eat a fresh caught lobster in Maine. (But first he made us learn how to properly eat a lobster - so we didn't look like hicks from Virginia! LOL - as if the big car and Virginia plates didn't give us away!) As I recall it that trip ended with a fun and interesting trip to Salem, Mass. He decided we should spend the night there so we could leave early and take a nice, leisurly drive home through Pennsylvania. I can promise you that had he known about the Swedish cabin, he would have gone there! As it is we knew it meant spending time in Amish farm country. He LOVED looking at those farms. Honestly, just looking out the window at our beautiful country and seeing a particularly lovely red barn or a giant tree with golden leaves in the fall gave him as much of a thrill as ...... touring the house where Jessie James was killed. (I told you - we went everywhere we could!) One of the funniest memories of that big trip was him maneuvering that huge, long car WITH A TRAILER ON THE BACK!, down the curves and turns of Lombard Street in San Francisco. It took him almost a half hour. I don't think they even let cars do that anymore just for that reason!

[@genarolegorreta3418]

Lombard Street? Hehe!

[@kenrandall5680]

You were indeed blessed with memories so much of have missed out on. Your family road trip contains priceless memories that nobody can ever take away.

[@stuartriefe1740]

I’ll watch The History Guy even if I need a magnifying glass! 😀

[@njpaddler]

I call to your attention the cross-country motorcycle trip of 1916 by sisters Augusta and Adeline Van Buren of Brooklyn, NY. They got arrested for wearing pants. They surely deserve to be remembered.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

The gall, wearing pants... 🙂

[@Zombeegun]

@@BrilliantDesignOnline could you imagine having purple hair and pants (like they do now)?? Oh the Horror!! lol

[@OGPatriot03]

@@Zombeegun I guess it really was a slippery slope

[@gardensofthegods]

​@@ZombeegunPeople from over 100 years ago would probably be appalled by the large number of folks with alot of tattoo work ... especially all over their neck and faces ... I know I can't get used to it ... I love the beauty of the face and neck that is totally free and blank of ink ... it's a beautiful thing .

[@gardensofthegods]

If you want history guy to see this , you should repost it where he has replied to people at the top set of comments where he explains about the problem with the video . If you click on to his logo and put your comment there he is sure to see it and that would be cool if he makes a vid about that motorcycle cross-country trip .

[@psidvicious]

When we were younger, before life’s demands really kicked into full gear, my brother and I took a month+ long road trip around the western US. 30+ years later, it is still one of both of our greatest experiences we ever undertook. We traveled until we only had enough money to limp back into mom’s driveway. For anyone contemplating a similar adventure, I can only tell you “totally worth it” would be a huge understatement.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Been there, done that, 'only enough money to limp back into mom's driveway' 🙂

[@joanhoffman3702]

That’s a great memory to share. ❤

[@genarolegorreta3418]

I did it in Europe in 1990 with an expired Eurorail pass.

[@Pax.Alotin]

Living in the bush in Outback Australia ---- a day trip involves traveling a 100 miles to post a letter. A family trip means traveling 589 miles to get to the nearest beach -- where the kids have fun looking for sharks.

[@chuckh5999]

Hubert Opperman and his bike makes this lot look like wimps.

[@joanhoffman3702]

In the U.S., much like Australia, visitors don’t understand how big the country is until they experience it firsthand. “You want go to (far distance place from here)? How much time do you have?” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@EGRJ]

"Golly gee, dad! Ain't we there yet?"

[@markcraven8386]

"What's that smell ?"

[@spikespa5208]

"Stuckeys!?!"

[@grant6173]

That, my friends, is a road trip. Road not included. If they were still around, I'd treat them to a steak dinner and the beer of their choice. A true inspiration.

[@loumontcalm3500]

A tribute to Packard's reliability and stamina.

[@mikenixon2401]

For me, and perhaps you, as a child the best part of a cross country road trip was discovering the cultures, foods, radio music and differing people in various regions of the United States. Once major chain stores and restaurants lined Interstate highways, a delightful difference was lost to the history we were fortunate to have enjoyed.

[@sexyshadowcat7]

Just get off the highway a little next time. There's a ton of regional chains too that are worth trying.

[@markpaul-ym5wg]

So true.The small town mom and pop stores came to a close when their little towns were bypassed by the interstate system.Besides,they couldn't compete with the chains lower prices. 😊😊😊

[@CrazyUncleChris]

That's what I love about being a truck driver.

[@sabrinashelton1997]

And pointing out all the different states' license plates! And don't forget the hotel pools. Those really were the days.

[@navret1707]

Are we there yet? Bobby is teasing me. Are we there yet? He won’t give me enough room. Are we there yet? Tell him to stop.

[@photone]

Mo-OO-om...It's STARRING at me again!!!!!

[@peteengard9966]

The memories of Stuckys, and Ho Joes every 100 miles. Dad had a Ford pickup with a cap pulling a 28 foot Franklin trailer. Us 3 boys rode in the un insulated and un heated bed while Mom and Dad rode in the cab with the dog.

[@johnk8825]

In 1972, my wife and I were returning from a 1,300 mile trip to the east coast. Although the interstate was available for much of the way, we were traveling the "old" state or US routes, as the interstate view was always the same, BORING. While coming through a small town, we encountered a freight train stopped across the roadway. It was a search of the train by many shotgun armed men, looking for the two who had just robbed a local bank. They weren't all law men but laborers, business men, and farmers. It felt like taking a half hour to be in an old cops and robbers movie, well worth the wait.

[@user-oh2hs6jh5x]

As someone who has my annual 1429 mile trek from Arizona to the midwest starting up in just 9 days this episode seems most appropriate. What a difference travel is now when compared to then. Our trip takes 21 hours and is done over two days.

[@amygregfrancisco4372]

Why only 2 days? The back roads still exist and adventure is all around us if we're open to it. Safe travels

[@HM2SGT]

*You wouldn't find roads like the Lincoln highway, the skyline drive, The Sawmill Parkway or the Blue Ridge Parkway being built nowadays. It's all about efficiency, not about scenery now*

[@Redmenace96]

and, "why not"? The beauty of America is still there. If you choose to take the fast route, that is your problem. (not you, personally. Sorry if that is rude. Speaking to all the collective "you" z)

[@HM2SGT]

@@Redmenace96 the beauty is still there yes. So are the roads I mentioned; nobody builds roads like that anymore. _edited to be less whiny & bitchy_

[@gardensofthegods]

Is that the Sawmill Parkway in NY ? Years ago I had to drive on Sawmill Parkway a number of times coming and going from staying with family friend in Hastings on Hudson ... I loved the very curvy road and all the greenery , it was beautiful ride ... or are you talking about a different place called Sawmill Parkway ?

[@gardensofthegods]

​​@@Redmenace96I always try to go to scenic route whenever I can . I remember years ago a good friend of mine and her son saying they didn't mind sitting in traffic at the lights on the congested major roads to get somewhere when I said I prefer going the back roads way down winding beautiful roads with beautiful houses and lots of greenery with virtually no congestion and no traffic lights . I just don't understand when people put themselves through that kind of mind numbing aggravation especially if time is not an issue and they have extra time to take the scenic route . So since my friend was driving they absolutely refused to get out of the traffic and let me give them easy directions to the beautiful back roads ways even though we were not under any time constraints . We sat at one traffic light after another with a lot of congestion on the roads ... while they got angrier about the crazy traffic ... yet they still refused to let me point them to where we could take the back roads with lots of greenery and trees and winding roads . Insane ... and we were exhausted by the time we got back to her house after having to fight all that traffic .

[@HM2SGT]

@@gardensofthegods 😃 you are absolutely right, that's precisely the road I'm talking about. One of the nicer ways to get to Sleepy Hollow. I used to travel at frequently when I was driving between my home up in the highlands of the Northeast Kingdom down to my duty station in Norfolk.

[@jamesengland7461]

My, how things change. We watch this video from the comfort of our ... wherever... , maybe even our trusty horseless carriage, scarcely able to imagine the toil and hardship this family endured for weeks in every weather in an extremely primitive vehicle. Bathrooms? Enclosed cabin? Gas available AT ALL? Restaurants? Not even a place to wash your dishes after you cook while on the road. Power steering? Electric starter? Automatic transmission? Automatic choke? Power brakes? Properly formatted video? GPS? Maps that fold properly? Roadside assistance? Who needs that when you have a shovel, winch, windlass, and a 30-30 Winchester? There's coyotes, you know. Also wolves, bears, mountain lions, trigger- happy shepherds. Oh my. Where they were going, they didn't even need roads! Lance, I loved this video.

[@davidsigalow7349]

They were the Magellans of their time. Today, we panic if we don't have wifi.

[@465maltbie]

My grandfather traveled with his family from Pennsylvania to Florida in 1918. He said it took a week and they would pull over at night and sleep in a field. Thanks for sharing. Charles

[@carguybikeguy]

The story brought back every summer of my childhood. My dad loved to drive, and that love of driving, never left him. I remember being very little when he, my mother, and occasionally one of my dad‘s relatives would get into a 12 passenger Dodge van that had been temporarily converted over for long-term use; Its daily task of mom driving and errand running put on hold for a few weeks. He had a schedule of when he wanted to arrive in Washington state from Washington DC. This led to us, leaving it ungodly hours in the middle of the night. But it was all worth it, because he would spend the effort to go out of our way to find a good mom and pop place to eat breakfast. I didn’t know it at the time, but dad and mom were effectively continuing our education when school was out because we eventually had visited all the lower 48 states during my childhood summers. Soon my little brother and my little sister joined us, and it was a true full van. It was such a regular thing, the van we replaced the original Dodge with was the only new vehicle dad ever purchased. When I moved out to the San Francisco area in 2005, that was the last family road trip we ever took. It was just my mom and dad driving in their minivan. Hauling some things I would need and me driving in my car completely loaded down with everything. Dad was dying and he was on his way to go visit his brothers and sisters on the West Coast one last time. Cross country family vacations are an unforgettable experience for me. Fast forward to today, and I have found those years of knowledge and experience to come in handy. I now live in a van as opposed to under an overpass. Cross country trekking with my family has given me the tools to exist safely until I can find a real place for myself again. This episode was wonderful. Thank you.

[@gardensofthegods]

Really cool that your parents gave you a lifetime of experiences and memories traveling around like that . Very touching about your dad's last trip when he was dying . I hope you will keep writing , you're a very good story teller . It makes me sad that so many people in this country are homeless and many of them have to live in their vehicles . I know you feel blessed to have your van for now but I do hope you will get even more blessings and that the good things you want in life will be yours to enjoy . I hope that you will get the home you really want .

[@carguybikeguy]

@@gardensofthegods Thanks. Healthy encouragement is a valuable commodity these days. Yeah, dad was a travel boss! In the early Dodge Sportman days, he had a CB radio he would use to listen to the truckers; Waaaay before cell phones and consumer grade GPS. Everything was meticulously annotated and written down in a log and both my parents would have route planning meetings to go over the AAA TripTik guides for the entire route. He had 2,600 miles scheduled to within a few hours accuracy. On a related note, he also bestowed upon me uniquely punctual relationship with the clock. As it turns out, both happen to be great skills for TSD rallying. Double win!

[@tugginalong]

Most people today, couldn’t endure that trip in an RV on modern highways, much less in an automobile 100 years ago. I have letters my grandmother wrote and received in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s and they would address the envelope like the following… Mrs James Garland City And city obviously meant their city. As always, the best channel on KZbin.

[@charlesduboise5198]

My old boss said that their family drove from here in north east Oklahoma to California in 1922 before route 66 it took 3 weeks,there were very few Bridges and no paved roads they were in a new Chevy and by the time they got to San Diego they had to have one of the bearings in the engine replaced and when they came home it took 4 weeks, they took a different way back and one of the rivers they came to the bridge had washed out so they had to camp out for 5 days until the state brought in some fairies to them and to other hundreds of people waiting to cross it was a true adventure

[@mamiebobb4173]

I'm sorry - but I just loved this -post. I'm pretty sure you meant that last sentence to read "they brought in some ferries" but the mental image of little Tinker Bells flying in and carrying them all across the river is just wonderful! I want a painting of it!

[@charlesduboise5198]

@@mamiebobb4173 Thank auto correct and not wearing my glasses when I was writing it,yes the way you wrote it should have been the way it should have been

[@TheStuport]

My Dad was a 30 year USAF Pilot and our family was deployed in numerous places as a standard "Tour" is between a 2 to 4 year stint! We as a family did many across country trips and the longest was from March AFB in Riverside, Ca. to Columbus, Ohio! Dad being a pilot, had an literary for the trip, who sat where in our Volkswagen Micro-Bus, when potty breaks were and how long we had to "get the job done" as The Colonel put it. LOLOL We ate pre-prepared meals in the car and took turns sleeping in the back of the micro bus. Dad mostly drove and Mom stepped in for him here and there. We made that 2,219 mile trek in 2 and a half days! One of the BEST memories of my childhood! 2 parents, 6 kids and a ton Of Patience! CHEERS Everyone!

[@gardensofthegods]

Sounds cool but did you guys ever get the chance to do some exploring ... you know did you get the chance to go actually visit some places aside from just getting to your destination ?

[@TheStuport]

@@gardensofthegods I've made numerous cross country trips since my childhood and as an adult kid and you can bet I made it a point to check many of the "Side Attractions" that numerous Cities and towns offered up! Appreciate the shout out! Salute👋

[@jeffw1246]

My Dad was military and we moved about 6 or 7 times in as many years. I got all the road trip burned out of me early. I don't even like 100 mile runs and especially try to avoid larger towns even with bypasses. Not to mention unsafe drivers.

[@dner75-xh9le]

I'm with you. I used to be a straight-truck delivery driver and put in about 1,500 miles a week. Now I don't even like the 90 mile trip to visit relatives. I still do it, but don't like it!

[@philhatfield2282]

As someone who went on a road trip with my wife recently, traveling over 1800 miles in 3.5 days, and going through some of the area mentioned in this video, it is neat to hear about those who forged the way.

[@gardensofthegods]

I hope you also took the time to see some really interesting sites

[@philhatfield2282]

@@gardensofthegods Just the Arch of St. Louis, the Crown Center of Kansas City, the Capital Building of Missouri in Jefferson City, the Ernie Miller Nature Park in Kansas, the covered bridges of Madison County Iowa, the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal Missouri, and the first time of being in Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. :)

[@HollyMoore-wo2mh]

My son was recently took a job in CA for about 10 months. I drove out with him and saw some sights along the way. In fact he had to fly out there and bring all of his stuff back. He drove from just south of San Jose CA to Austin TX ... in just about two days. He is kinda funned out on driving for a while. 😂 I LOVE roadtrips.

[@wholeNwon]

The Packard was probably the best choice possible. Our family had 2 over the years. The last was a Caribbean. I still miss that car.

[@Redmenace96]

Car guy, here. I knew it was a Packard from :03 Ha,ha!

[@KareninCanada]

This brings back memories of my father pouring over maps and tour guides during the winter planning our summer trip. He was born in 1922 and certainly 'the family road trip' was a highlight of his youth. He recalled that when going over one of the Canadian passes in the Rocky Mountains the car couldn't manage the grade. Since all cars were rear wheel drive, you just had to go up that section backwards! And, of course, besides being steep it was also narrow with a drop off on one side.

[@spikespa5208]

Going backwards probably had less to do with rear wheel drive than the considerably lower gearing in reverse.

[@shinymike4301]

This was decades before The Grizwolds!!

[@Irish381]

Holiday Road 🎵🎵🎵

[@davea6314]

I was going to make a similar comment, but you beat me to it. Lol

[@markcraven8386]

Seemingly packed as much as the Murdoch family but, left most of it on the garage floor backing out.

[@HollyMoore-wo2mh]

@@markcraven8386 😂😂

[@jeanpaulfontaine2883]

I'm never disappointed when I watch the History Guy. I've seen dozens of episodes and always learn something new in every one. Thank you Mr. H. Guy.

[@themohawkfoundation]

For those that are uninitiated into the lifestyle, the record for automotive cross-country trip from New York to Los Angeles is now under 24 hours, set during Covid. Obviously it wasn't done legally but if you want to look into it it's quite an interesting story.

[@ghowell13]

Ahh, a person of culture, I see😂 The 2 groups that did the recent Run were fun to hear the stories from. One group didn't know the other eas planning one, if I remember correctly. There was also the guy from one group calling the one from the other for a charging cable or something, and they were going to meet up if a third party did you have it. Was wild for sure. Brock Yates couldn't have known way back then that what he started would fire the hearts and imaginations of so many, and for generations!

[@HM2SGT]

😅👍 *Cannonball Run!*

[@marckyle5895]

"Gumball"

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good Hump Day morning History Guy and everyone watching...Class is back in session... Drove from San Diego to Virginia Beach in 1989 when i received my transfer from sea-duty to shore-duty.

[@wholeNwon]

Good morning to you, as well, whoever you are and wherever you call home.

[@RetiredSailor60]

@@wholeNwon Same yo you sir/ma'am...

[@ELCADAROSA]

I left USN active duty in '89. Those six years seem so long ago ... (Retired out of the reserves in 2019.)

[@RetiredSailor60]

​​@@ELCADAROSA Thanks for your service Shipmate. What ship did you serve on?

[@ELCADAROSA]

@@RetiredSailor60 USS KIDD (DDG-993)

[@e.f.3207]

Even with a smaller picture, still another great episode. My dad and his cousin crossed the entire Alcan Highway right after it was finished in a Studebaker in the forties, each direction

[@ExposingReflections]

That would have been epic

[@gardensofthegods]

I think it would have been better if you had said what that is , for people who don't know .

[@e.f.3207]

@@gardensofthegods The Alaska Canadian Highway. Built by the army corp of engineers in 1942(?) Approximately 1700 miles or so.

[@stephenhenderson9871]

I love these stories of the grit that it took to cross our great country in the early days of the automobile. It took great cars and brave people to accomplish a task that we take for granted today. Even to own and maintain an automobile took much more determination than it does today. Thank you History Guy for another great episode.

[@bretmelton3823]

When I was young in the '70s my parents packed me and my brother into our '72 Chevy Impala for two road trips. One was 1976 from Fort Worth, TX, to Los Angelos. I remember stops at the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and Disneyland. The next year we went the opposite direction to Orlando where we stayed in Disney World. While we were there Elvis died. My mom, being a huge Elvis fan, had us pack up and go to Memphis. I will never forget the throngs of crying women along the street outside of Graceland.

[@johnwood551]

I have photos and glass plate negatives my Grandfather took when he took his 7 kids on road trips from Nebraska to places like the Black Hills in their 1921 touring car with his homemade trailer that carried a big tent and all the kitchen supplies needed. The car had water bags tied to it, isinglass windows (when they put them on) extra tires and inner tubes. One step up from wagons. All the roads were dirt and on good stretches they could top out around 30 mph. THOSE were family get together. By the time I was 8 years old ( I was born in 52) I’d crossed from East Tennessee to Nebraska ,South Dakota and all states in between at least a dozen times. I’ve been to all 50 states by car and motorcycle, it’s in my blood to see the country !!

[@johndagricola]

My wife and I traveled on a good portion of the Lincoln Highway this past summer. It runs from S.F., California to Times Square in NYC. We did, indeed, see many sights that had all but vanished since the road was built in the 1920s.

[@jotacalvo]

It’s nice to hear my hometown mentioned for something other than a flood. Great video, HG 👍 as usual.

[@samdrummond7179]

I had a vision of a coyote running off with Milton’s trousers thinking “shoot at me will ya. Ya bastard!”

[@davidcooke8005]

In 1986 I was 19, touring the US in my van. We camped in the desert north of Wamsutter. It's in the Great Divide Basin, where water doesn't flow to the Atlantic, or Pacific. The stars came out that night brighter than I've ever seen them, before or since. When I moved to Seattle from CT, I stopped there again, and found the exact spot I had camped years earlier. Wammmmmsutter.

[@rebeccapaul418]

This is very apropos for our family right now. We are planning an "Epic Family Road Trip" for this summer. We're driving from Utah to Sioux Falls, to Duluth, to Chicago, to Boston, to New York City, to Philadelphia, to Kirkland, to Kansas City and then home. Did I mention that we're taking all 8 of our children (ages 1 to 18) with us? If you see a Blue Chevy Express with Utah plates pulling a small trailer, be sure to wave!

[@CAMacKenzie]

Women and children had made journeys across the country before, but in animal-drawn wagons and on foot. In the 1840s and '50s there would have been huge tracts without hotels, towns farms, or any roads to follow at all, other than wheel ruts. And before them, the natives.

[@jaimepowell5033]

I've made a lot of cross country trips, including two transcontinentals, on my 650 Triumph motorcycle & my 1973 Harley Davidson. I did my best to avoid the interstate highway system. (Sometimes to see one thing? You have to see another.) Some roads I traveled on dirt or gravel or sand wash (I'll always remember wearing out the drive chain & sprockets on the Harley blasting through a sand wash between Kayenta & Many Farms, Arizona at 60 & 70 mph to stay on top of the sand.) Beautiful stuff I've seen? A herd of wild horses running through rough ground. The King's Throne under moonlight from a high campsite i probably shouldn't have riden up to. The Blueridge under the same conditions. Mobile Bay with a tropical low, which I was going to turn & run from, coming on shore. An adventurous life. With few regrets.

[@shelbybrown8312]

Good morning from Chicago heights Illinois

[@Phisch777]

@The History Guy you should do an episode on The Abernathy Boys! Amazing adventures of two boys under 1pm year old who travelled across America alone-twice.

[@gardensofthegods]

Scroll up to the comment right before yours where he replied to someone and click on to his icon there and write there what you just wrote ... he is sure to see your comment that way

[@kleverich]

This is reminiscent of an old typewritten journal from my great-grandmother in the early 1920s. She described in great detail a family road trip in a Model T from Texas to California. That was only a few years after this trip.

[@tcmeeks3181]

Go Pokes! I already loved the channel but finding out you are an alumni made my day! Greetings from Laramie

[@jppitman1]

You’ll have to drop by the territorial prison there, if you haven’t already, to hopefully view the two gold-topped canes which were in a container at our front door for many years until we donated them to the museum after our Mother`s passing in 2008. They belonged to my great grandfather Judge Jesse Knight, who had sentenced Butch Cassidy to that prison for horse theft. (As an aside, my Mother met my Dad at the geology camp in the Medicine Bows and I have the video clip of a color 8mm film of my parents cutting their wedding cake in a house on Grand Ave.)

[@QuiltedKittenFosters]

@The History Guy, The video isn't filling the screen. Might need to re-upload it

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I don't know why it is showing this way

[@kraneiathedancingdryad6333]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel something somewhere is having a "brain fart". I wouldn't worry too much, unless it happens a lot :D

[@ccswelding1599]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel if you full screen the video..BOOM, "normal" size lol

[@sedonaz]

It's not filling for me either

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

I concur, but I don't care, even if it was 640x480 and the size of a postage stamp, I would enjoy it.

[@stevecunningham2759]

Many years ago a neighbor gave me his copy of 1921 Dykes Auto Repair Manual that he had studied as a young man. It had a long chapter about making cross country trips. This included equipment lists, planning and modifications to the vehicle.

[@michaelhitchcock9255]

This was one of the best, if not the best, heartwarming story you ever presented. Definitely history to be remembered.

[@paulhunt598]

Born in the 50's and vacationing in the 60's in the family car I thought was universally normal. My father, a preacher, arranged his annual off Sundays into long summer vacations. We sometimes vacationed for 4 consecutive weeks. We visited many states east of Mississippi River. Dad's first station wagon (1958 Ford) was purchased during his seminary days near St. Louis after a vacation in a borrowed Chevy Nomad. Dad always owned a station wagon afterwards until the minivan was purchased in 2000. Dad's pastor salary meant that we stayed at conferences (where he did maintenance work to offset conference expenses) and with relatives. Conference grounds often seemed exotic places to me as a youngster and I didn't fully appreciate the effort my folks did to economize and let us children experience the family road trip vacation until I was grown.

[@johnnie2638]

This account brought tears to my eyes. Such a wonder such a treasure is our country. So sad to see what we are becoming.

[@palaver40]

I am finishing up a narrative as part of my family history. It is based on my Mother's recollection of travel from Weatherford, Texas to Yucaipa, California ca. 1925. She was 8 or 9 at the time. The route was over the Bankhead highway. Her Mother drove her and two sisters in a used, Fabric topped Ford Model A touring sedan. She remembered little but the thing that stuck most in her mind were the portions of plank road "Out West".

[@YeOldeTraveller]

My wife and I spent one February on a road trip from Detroit to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back. 9000 miles in 28 days. I also had the good fortune to meet a couple that road coast to coast on a tandem bicycle in 1934.

[@erents1]

Great story, it must have been amazing to cross the US back then. My most amazing cross country trip was back in 1977/78 when I rode a bicycle across the US with two of my best friends, we were fresh out of high school. We rode unsupported, carried all of our camping gear and zigzagged across the country until reaching Fort Bragg California from Cape May NJ. I have crossed the US many times since in a vehicle, by train and plane but none can hold a candle to crossing the US by bicycle!

[@danstotland6386]

Dr. Geiger you are the best. Thank you so much for helping us (i.e. me et al.) to remember forgotten history.

[@douglassauvageau7262]

In the early 1960s we had taken residence in Western Oregon while my grandparents remained in Eastern North Dakota. Memories of those dutiful visits to 'the old folks back home' included Interstate routes surfaced in oiled-gravel, watermelon stands, and the very rare stop at A+W Root Beer.

[@johnshinn6274]

1.6x will bring it to full screen. I hope that helps. I always love the history guy. Thank You, Lance. You’re the best.

[@carlmontney7916]

In 1928 when my grandfather got married he decided to take his bride from Michigan to California for a honeymoon. He wanted to go to San Diego Why he chose that I don't know He made that trip with her in a Studebaker that he owned. He always said that 28 Studebaker was the best car he ever had. I remember him talking about it and the fact that even in 1928 there were still many sections where there were no roads or very poor roads and naturally the farther away from the big cities you got the worst the roads became. He recalled a time when they were I believe in Kansas. He said they came along and ran into a long line of cars parked by the side of the road. He said it had been raining and it was a pretty bad road to begin with so he figured maybe somebody was either stuck or had broken down. He got out of the Studebaker and walked up to see what was going on and there was a stream that was rushing through full of water and he asked the guy what's going on here? The guy said that there was no bridge there and they were afraid to cross. So my grandfather took a look at it and told the guy my Studebaker will go through there I know it will I've driven it through worse than that. I'm going to go get it right now. He said that's exactly what I did I went and got my Studebaker and me and your grandmother just blasted right through that wash like it was nothing. He said that when some of the other people with cars saw him go through there They decided that was their opening and they followed him really close right through there. It doesn't surprise me one bit because he also used to use that Studebaker to plow some land around his house in Michigan. Yep, automobiles were a lot more multi-purpose back then lol.

[@lisathaviu1154]

My dad took our family on a similar cross country in 1961. It would have been better if he hadn’t insisted on driving 600 - 650 miles a day with 2 little kids. I remember him almost running out of gas and literally having to coast down a hill into Cheyenne. He also almost ran out of gas in the middle of the desert because he thought the “Last chance for gas” signs were a preparation for price gouging. When we went Las Vegas, we stayed at a flea bag hotel so grubby that it had big cracks in the walls. They hired a babysitter who looked just like the picture in a book of the witch in Hansel and Gretel and she turned on the TV to “The House on Haunted Hill.” It made me so scared I hid under the blankets under the bed the whole time. I’ve never been back and it’s been 61 years! For some reason, Las Vegas just doesn’t appeal to me.

[@roberthevern6169]

When the much younger me, made numerous trips from Boise, Id to our former home of Salinas, Ca, before the vaunted interstate system was completed, we marveled at the high speeds. Alas, for all the years(decades in fact), there remains no interstate freeway between Boise and Salinas. About 40-50 miles from home, the fast speeds with long curves disappear and a very treacherous two lane road resumes from Boise through Oregon south to the Nevada border. A few miles before Winnemucca the freeway begins again, after a harrowing two hours where slower traffic reduces the speed to 25mph in some windy corners! Little hope of ever having a completed freeway reminds us that Idaho is a difficult place to be in. At least we have pretty good internet, finally! Nice post, THG! You never seem to run iut of excellent topics! Thanks!

[@cbroz7492]

..my young Air Firce friend drove from Arizona to the Canal Zone when he was transferred there in the 80s...

[@alexcitron5159]

Amazing! Reminds me of Berthe Benz. Makes me grateful for the modern interstate highway and good state roads!

[@timmorris8932]

In the '70s and '80s, my family would make a road trip every year from Northwest Ohio to the outer Banks of North Carolina. We drag a little pop-up camper behind our truck, and stay in the federal campgrounds out there. These days I try to make as many of those sorts of trips with my wife and son as possible. The only year we didn't make the trip to the other banks was the one where he packed up the extended family and drove from Ohio and West Virginia out to the national parks out west. Good times my friends. Good times indeed.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

You and the Wright Brothers 🙂

[@timmorris8932]

@@BrilliantDesignOnline I think they may have had more fun. We had better weather though.

[@HollyMoore-wo2mh]

My BEST childhood memories are of ... the summer vacation road trips. Colorado ... New Mexico ... Arizona ... Yellowstone ... Florida. New England to visit the grandparents. Paper maps ... my father driving ... the car LOADED or pulling a popup trailer. A few times we even used a tent. Good memories... now I'm going to go off and have a good cry. My father passed in 1973. Thank you.

[@jppitman1]

Interesting. We also had road trips in Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas (Hemisfair 68), Montreal (Expo `67), Washington State, and out to grandparents in N.H. It was Travelodge and Rand McNally and an occasion Best Western along the way….in a Rambler station wagon. Out to N.H. several times the youngest was riding along on a blanket in the very back, not belted to anything!

[@dalehahnsr732]

Our one trip to the west from PA to Washington was the only trip cross country our family made when I was young. It was done in a 1966 International travel-all pulling an 18 foot travel trailer. Great times were had back then. I miss it.

[@woodsontr]

Your map looks very much like the Yellowstone highway map! Thanks for the video. I’m a lover of road trips. My wife and the dogs,2 and I took a 7 week one in 2023. It was great!

[@stantaylor3350]

When I was 9 months old, June of 56, we drove from the upper peninsula of Michigan to Alaska, Dad taught 8th grade for 4 yrs. August of 60 we drove back down to Michigan. June of 61 we drove back up and finally in August of 61 we drove out for the last time. My wife and I rode our motorcycle up to Alask in 2003, then in 2009 we pulled our 36 ft 5th wheel camper with our F 450 SD Diesel up to Alaska and back. On that trip I found the location of our homestead from so many yrs ago. It had burned down in 63 I think it was. Letters to my folks from friends left behind told our family about it. The wood and coal cook stove that my mom used was in a crumpled heap just down hill from where the wall to the kitchen would have been. My son, who moved to Alaska in 08, was a little suspicious as to weather this was really the place, he asked, if this is the place, where would the root cellar be that you've talked about. So I said, well the outside wall would be about here and there was usually split fire wood stacked against it, so I stepped sideways, then there was the path about here and if we walk straight ahead there should be a path just over the drop off to the creek. So I walked forward and there was the sand path. Then I said if we walk down it we should see where the root cellar was on the right. So I started forward and there it was, with a big old pine growing right up through the center of the roof, what was left of it. I hadn't seen it since August of 61. I got a little lump in my throat. Upon ascending the path, I stumbled on a root have exposed. I said, I wonder if that's what tripped me as a 4 yr old and I fell on my face. The homemade Hires root beer bottle I was hanging onto broke and exploded cutting my neck. The scare moved up as I grew and finally stopped at my lower jaw where it still is to this day.

[@beyondasphalt8879]

In the sixties my family of seven made the trip a couple of times in a 1967 Ford Country Squire from LA to Seneca Falls in upstate NY. Dad would drive from eight am or so till three/four o'clock and then get a room so the kids could swim. Saw a lot of the US. Good times.

[@behindthespotlight7983]

One of the best museums in Los Angeles is the Peterson Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard. The first floor exhibits are permanent; their set design on par with Hollywood and automobiles dating back to near-Stanley Steamer era. One of the takeaways when admiring the earliest touring behemoths is that it wasn’t necessarily a car’s mechanical solidity that challenged early cross country attempts. It was poor tire technology (essentially up engineered bicycle tires) and lack of roadways west of St. Louis. Early motorists faced trails similar to the prairie schooners of their grandparents generation and could not carry enough tires or tubes to make the trip. Other necessary tools: axes, shovels, chain, ranch jacks, wood blocks, sand, water pails and leverage come-alongs. Needed but left back home included blast furnace, anvil, tongs, mauls and mallets, sand casting gear, grinding wheel ….and a horse.

[@MightyMezzo]

Oh boy, this takes me back to road trips in a 1961 Ford Falcon station wagon. Great video! Of course you can thank Lt. Colonel Dwight Eisenhower and his “road trip from hell” overseeing a fleet of Army trucks coast to coast for the modern freeways we have now.

[@CrazyUncleChris]

To put this in perspective, the current record for the cannonball run is 25 hours 39 minutes at at average speed of 113mph. As a trick driver, working alone, i just loaded in Cape Canaveral Thursday morning, crossed the continent at a casual pace, and delivered at Vandenberg SFB (200 miles or so north of Los Angeles) on Monday morning. What used to be a month long, arduous trip is now done over a weekend.

[@ryanmrowka8970]

Great upload. Thank you very much. RIght up my alley for the first rainy day of New England Paving season

[@avnrulz8587]

Took a solo road trip, NY to LA, 1982. In Amarillo I met a couple driving from LA to NY. Could say we 'met in the middle.'

[@bronwynecg]

Good morning! 👋🏽 😊

[@orbyfan]

I just endured the hardship of moving several feet from my bed to my computer to watch this video; it was worth the trip.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you for putting forth the effort!

[@MADmosche]

Haha 😂

[@WhaleGold]

I have wondered if the family road trip is less a thing than it was is because these new cars are too uncomfortable for for more than four people. In 1977 I made a trip from SE Washington State to Iowa, then Missouri in a 1963 Oldsmobile. My wife, her mother and three nieces were all comfortable. The trunk was built so you could store the suitcases standing up. I limited everyone to one suitcase, had them bring out the one they were going to use, arranged them, then drew a diagram of their placement. With newer cars could only get luggage for three. I could be wrong about car size being a reason, my wife told me her twin complained about the "side trips" I made on a trip to the Oregon coast and one of those nieces said traveling with me was different because I did not just go from point A to point B, but I stopped to see things.

[@paulholmes672]

Timely, Sir, Timely. Coincidentally, just returned from a road trip, from Dallas Fort Worth to Ogden, Utah, with the outbound along the same route (albeit in reverse) from Laramie past Green River, Wyoming and in to Ogden as the Murdock's. I had been quite a few times having been stationed at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho, and back and forth to Florida. My wife had never seen Wyoming nor anything of Utah but the airport. Yes, it was vast and rolling, saw numerous Pronghorn, but even though it was barren in most human structures, it was beautiful to behold, around every hill and dale, and she never lost interest in the new scenery. Thank you, Lance!!!!

[@timburton1890]

The most precious thing I have are the memories written by my father's parents & the 4 siblings in his generation. More than just entertainment, they are an insight of life ín the past.

[@gardensofthegods]

Have you ever gotten them copyrighted and published somewhere ? If not you really should ... maybe even read them and have that on your KZbin channel where we can hear it just like audiobooks ... you could add some photos ... I mean you could really make a whole great video out of it and if you don't have much of your own photos you could just use stock photos and images from here that you can access I think for free . Just an idea that you might want to share those contents of the letters with others to appreciate

[@PinkyJujubean]

I live in Michigan and every summer my parents took two weeks off. We'd drive to Iowa to visit Grandma and relatives, them drive to Arkansas to visit other relatives. I loved those road trips

[@normd5776]

Ah, the family road trip. In 1965 our family went from Anaheim, California to Bar Harbor, Maine in 4 days, stopping each night, and taking Route 66 all the way to Chicago. Most of the time my dad drove about 100 mph. He did like driving.

[@ShukenFlash]

I mainly listen to the history guy on the frequent long cross-country drives I have to do for work and only occasionally glanced down at the screen to see a picture. As long as the audio is decent I don't mind a smaller picture, haha

[@G.L.McCarthy-vr1oe]

We have photos of my husband's grandparents on their cross country trip from Iowa to Yellowstone in 1928. They had never seen a shower before & wore their shoes into them. The roads were still iffy into the 20's. But Gramps liked less traveled routes, better for crop checking ;-)

[@joanhoffman3702]

That’s not a family road trip, that’s an expedition into unknown territory! 😂😂😂

[@davegoldspink5354]

Absolutely brilliant story thanks for sharing. Have been on many roads trips here in Australia with the family between the 60s and 70s and on my own basically since. Some of our roads were interesting at times to say the least dealing with cyclones, flooding and the like or simply crossing the continent largely on dirt roads. Have done road trips all over the country both in cars and on bikes. Think you’d have to be pretty keen to do a road trip in the 1900s in the US or here in Australia especially with your mentioned challenges back then. Thanks for this interesting story once again. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@theidahotraveler]

I’m 34 and from Idaho, sometimes I still can’t get computers to work right. Thanks for still uploading anyway brother History Gentleman.

[@roberthevern6169]

Fellow Idahoan, here! Hello from SE Boise!

[@MBMCincy63]

I actually liked the way the video was showing,as I use captions, landscape view allowed the words to be in the black frame and not over the images. Amazing durability and endurance of those people.❤ 🥶🖤🔔👍🏻🥰 (One Note phone.)

[@jliller]

A few years ago I came across a newspaper article about a few guys who drove from Tampa to Miami in the 1910s. They picked up decent roads from Tampa to the middle of the state then drove across the countryside for couple counties. Florida had legal open grazing until the 1940s so there were no fences in their way. They had no railroad to follow (it would not be built on that route for another decade or so), but the terrain was a lot of prairie and open flatwoods and they went in the dry season so it was neither particularly hot or wet.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Having done many family and personal road trips while growing up, and as an adult, I have see all the west and some of the south by automobile. I found myself emotional listening to this episode, imagining such a journey with no proper roads, which I have quite a bit of experience with as a hang glider pilot. But hats off to the gentlemen who did the journey with a ! 4-1/2 ! horsepower engine (basically the size of your lawnmower), in 61 days, where now you can do it in about 5 days-ish. Another one of your best HG Lance.

[@cpnscarlet]

Fascinating Americana!

[@johnfun3394]

We made the annual trip from California to Kansas to see Grandpa and Grandma in the late 60s and early 70s. 38 hours one way straight driving time. Still remember my brothers feet smelling really bad. Good times.

[@earllutz2663]

Thank you again THG for another wonderful video. I always enjoy the videos that I have been able to watch so far and I always appreciate your running commentary. I particularly liked your perspective on the snow encountered while you were in college. It reminded me of one of my favorite Authors, Laura Ingalls Wilder who in one of her "Little House " books described the snow in I believe "The Long Hard Winter." Again thank you THG & I hope that you will keep posting your very much appreciated videos.

[@sharonelaine5419]

I drove from San Bernardino CA to Charleston SC in 2010. Still there was beauty in the painted desert. It took me four days. I will never drive by myself again. This family was definitely BRAVE!!!!!

[@glencrandall7051]

My family traveled coast to coast and back by car in 1948. I was 12. As a grown up I drove my family, wife and 3 children, from Montgomery, AL to Long Beach, CA in 1961.🙂🙂

[@donalddodson7365]

Thank you for rekindling my memories of our trip from San Diego to relatives somewhere in Idaho. Our 1952 Pontiac station wagon (with Chief Pontiac pointing the way on the hood), small jars to obtain soil, sand and rock samples; 2 painted plywood fold out "car beds" that my Dad built and 3 adults, 1 teenager & 2 children. Priceless memories!

[@jazznik2]

I really enjoyed this one, THG. I've driven cross-country several times and had a very good time each time. Glad I didnt have to endure what this family did but it certainly must have been an adventure of a lifetime! I plan to order Murdock's book, which evidently still is available.

[@jgriff3218]

Really liked this bit of history. I recall long road trips. Stopping at the roadside attractions. Thank you for reminding me of fun family excursion.

[@Deltawhiskeymike]

The inquisitive one: "what's mommy doing sitting in your lap daddy?" Daddy: avoiding the "potholes", now go back to sleep!

[@kenrandall5680]

I loved every single second of this presentation Mr. History Guy. What a spectacular journey for the entire family and guest rider’s. Keep up offering variety, especially that with automotive subject matter. Thank you so much 👍🏻 😊!

[@kellykenworthy4063]

Greetings from Cheyenne! Had no idea you were a University of Wyoming alumnus! I majored in History as well at UW. Weirdly small world. Love your vids, subscribed for years. This one spoke to me as it did with many others just because of the adventure of motorized cross country travel. Not sure what was going on with the video size, barely 2/3 of my screen this time. Great stuff and reminded me of many a road trip in my youth and my more recent past as well. Thanks for your efforts, they are appreciated out in the wilds of Wyoming!

[@3nheaven]

Good morning!

[@coreydarr8464]

I have been from California to Maine to Oregon to Florida many times!