Mother Road

      More Letters From Paradise
            Mother Road
" Danny Wants a cup of water."  These words from John Steinbeck's novel "Grapes of Wrath," came flooding into my mind.  We were traveling over a short stretch of Historic Route 66, which Steinbeck called the "Mother Road" leading to a better life in California.  "Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino" the words rang in my ears.

Readers of this great novel will recall that it tells the story of the Joad family, driven from their land  during the Great Dust Bowl of the thirties, and their struggles driving route 66 to California.  The Joad family and hundreds of other families drove old Model T Ford cars and trucks with mechanical brakes, filled with  all their belongings, and filled with hope for a better life in California.  "Danny wants a cup of water."

Reading this great novel is to learn of the many perils of the journey. But to get an even better understanding of what they went through is to drive the short stretch of route 66 between Kingman and Oatman ,Arizona.

The narrow two- lane road runs through the desert, and then climbs up the mountain.  There are no guard rails.  The road twists and turns, and then suddenly plunges  down with a sharp S turn at the bottom.  This is repeated over and over again.  One careless touch of the steering wheel would cause your vehicle to leave the road and fall down into the canyon below.  "Danny wants a cup of water."

Those old Model T Ford cars and trucks did not have a fuel pump for the engine. Often it became necessary to shift into reverse, and back up the mountain in order to keep the engine running.

Now more than ever before, I continue to marvel at the courage of all those brave people who drove the "Mother Road" to California. "Danny wants a cup of water."

        Aloha
        Grant