Life’s Momentous Occasions

From mid-to-late July 1969, most of the world was abuzz and completely captivated by the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. 

First was the pre-flight anticipation.  Next was the lunar landing on The Sea of Tranquility.  

Finally, mankind’s first steps on the moon were taken by Mission Commander Neil Armstrong, who passed away last August 25 at the age of 82.  Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin followed Armstrong onto the moon’s surface while Michael Collins piloted the command spacecraft in lunar orbit, awaiting his crew’s return.

Few of us could ever imagine even coming reasonably close to matching such an endeavor in our own lives, but we have all had our own thrilling life experiences. 

 

Several dozen of my greatest memories have revolved around earthly land travel.  In fact, the first major vacation I remember just happened to fall during the Apollo 11 mission.  It was an eight-day trip to nearly all of the top spots of eastern Texas.  

This was in the period of me using my junior high Study Hall time to be a college football  bookie and planning detailed vacation itineraries for my own family and that of many of my Parkway North classmates. 

 

There were so many memories from that trip of nearly 44 years ago!  First, despite not leaving until mid-morning, my mom drove the full 800 miles to Houston and the Chief Motel on day one.  Of course, back then, the speed limit was at least 70-75 everywhere.  I had to check the average cost of gasoline which was 35 cents per gallon.

I do recall that just as we were approaching northeast Texas from southern Arkansas, we heard on the car radio that there was a prisoner escape from a penitentiary in Longview or Marshall, Texas.  What a soothing thought!

The next day was a memorable one indeed!  After spending some time in the motel swimming pool, we walked across a huge open field of grass to Astrohall where the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus was then being held.  Next door was the Harris County Domed Stadium, better known as The Astrodome, deemed “The Eighth Wonder of the World!”  

I still have a ticket stub for a $2.50 mezzanine reserved seat in the 4-1 Los Angeles Dodgers win behind subsequent Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton over Astros hurler Denny Lemaster.  Jim Brewer got the save for the Dodgers and first baseman Wes Parker homered.  Another Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan, known primarily as a Cincinnati Reds second baseman, homered for Houston’s only run.  So, we did get to see the huge, ultramodern scoreboard go crazy with fireworks for that and the word ‘Tilt’ printed upon it after Parker’s blast!   

The Astrodome, known as “the first, fully-air conditioned, enclosed, domed, multi-purpose sports stadium in the world,” was first opened for an Astros-Yankees exhibition game on April 9, 1965.  Sadly, it has sat totally vacant for a few years now, and before this calendar year ends, it will be decided if it has a future or if it will be demolished.

We next headed for lunch at the Continental Restaurant in Victoria, then for the Rodeway Inn in Laredo.  It’s interesting to read through the breakfast menu and see free coffee, doughnuts for 10c apiece, and a combination of three hot cakes with ham, bacon, or sausage for exactly $1. 

How exciting it was to cross the Puente Internacional Laredo into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico!  It was the first time my two sisters and I had ever set foot in a foreign country!  All I remember is how dry and narrow the Rio Grande River was, and going to marketplaces where we bought sombreros, castanets, and jewelry.

Next, it was up to San Antonio and the Master Hosts Wayfarer Inn Motor Hotel.  Yes, we did first head to the most famous attraction, The Alamo. 

I still recall the eerie feeling I had while walking inside and on the grounds of where so many died in Texas’ War of Independence in what was noted on a brochure as “Thirteen Fateful Days in 1836.”

We took pictures of us with a Spanish cannon from 1830, the original front door, the Ammunition Room, the cenotaph, and the original well.  That same night, we ate at the revolving restaurant near the top of the 750-foot-tall Tower of the Americas in Hemisfair Plaza from the World’s fair held there the previous year.

I still have the souvenir ashtray from our Tower of the Americas' dining experience.  But I also have two other memories.  One was watching all the city lights while the tower slowly moved around in its circle.  The other was looking down and seeing a flashing light way down by our car.

From far above, it sure looked like we were getting a parking ticket.  But after a couple of us ventured down to the street, we realized that it was just a street cleaner.

Speaking of clean, that is my lasting impression of Austin from the next day’s visit.  We loved touring what was then noted as the nation’s largest statehouse with its grandiose capitol dome.  

We also have a photo of The Ten Commandments statue on the grounds.  The entire city of Austin seemed so young and new, with a population of less than 250,000.  It has since added 600,000 residents to that total! 

On to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and a couple nights spent at the Quality Motel Cibola Inn in Arlington.  Unfortunately, that featured one of my worst memories ever!  After heading down the sliding board into the shallow end of the swimming pool, I slipped into the deep end and would have drowned if a man hadn’t dragged me out and resuscitated me!

In addition to that near nightmare, we decided to forego visiting the crime scene of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.   It was still so fresh in our minds after watching all the video tapes on TV less than six years prior, on November 23, 1963.

The next day, we had an absolute blast at Six Flags over Texas!  

Highlights were The Southern Palace show in the Confederate Section, Krofft’s Puppet Theater, Spelunker Cave Ride, Fabulous Flume, Fiesta Train Ride, Crazy Horse Saloon, and the Sawmill Ride!  What a long, fun day that was!

The next morning, we had breakfast at The Hungry Bear in Dallas.  We all remember that the place was like a giant cafeteria with such horrible service that my mom ended up going from table to table and pouring coffee to fellow travelers.

Prior to our last night’s stay at the Howard Johnson’s Trade Winds East in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we spent a couple hours at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City.  There were mementos of “The Singing Cowboy,” Gene Autry, a Gary Cooper saddle, and several other items.  My dad probably enjoyed it the most, but the rest of us were not really into that sort of thing.  

But travel itself is another story!  Since that time, I’ve been to every state but Alaska, all but three Canadian provinces, dozens of cities and towns in non-touristy Mexico, the Caribbean, Western Europe and more.

 

What memories do you have of your first major vacation?  Please share details by clicking the ‘comments’ tab below.