The family road trip that drove straight into presidential history

Awhile ago, we asked you to tell us about your most memorable RV trip. Below is Dave Solberg’s entry and his most memorable RV trip (though we’re sure Dave has had quite a few).

*****

My, how time flies! 51 years ago, we took off on a two-week vacation complete with a 1974 Ford LTD (baby blue!), a Starcraft popup trailer, Mom and Dad with us four boys, and our trusty Folger’s brand toilet, and headed east.

I was 15 years old and got my first towing experience driving that “boat” with a trailer in tow through rush hour traffic in Chicago. Actually, I had some towing experience earlier, driving a John Deere 4020 tractor pulling a manure spreader. Some think today’s trailers are the same thing!

Here we are at my aunt’s and uncle’s in Benton Harbor, MI.

Viewing history

We were heading to Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York. Even though we were planning on viewing history, we didn’t know we would be part of it.

Back in high school, I wasn’t very interested in history; instead, I went to gym class every hour I had for a study break, so Gettysburg wasn’t all that interesting to me. I do admit that, later in life, I gained an appreciation for American history and went back there twice.

Washington, D.C., was different, as we set up camp in the KOA just outside of the city and started planning our next few days. Keep in mind, back then there was no internet, GPS, or digital trip planners. I recently asked Dad how we knew where to go and find campgrounds, and he said we would research the areas in our World Book Encyclopedia collection.

We grabbed an Iowa and Illinois folded map from the local service station—yes, SERVICE stations where they pumped gas, washed windows, and checked your oil while the $0.34 gas was being pumped. When we got through Chicago, we stopped at the tourist center in Indiana, where there was always a large tourist brochure rack and maps of Indiana and Ohio. We did not have any prearranged camping reservation; in fact, we didn’t even know where the campgrounds were until we got to a tourist center.

At the D.C. campground, we spread out all the brochures and voted on what attractions we wanted to see. We all voted for the White House, the Smithsonian, and the Washington Monument—which my mother said “okay” to, but she was not climbing the stairs. My brothers and I did and counted them, all 896. I have to confess, I looked it up just now.

Look for a shuttle to Washington, D.C.

We were told by the KOA manager that traffic was horrible and finding a parking spot would take up most of the day. He suggested we find the first lot on the edge of town that had a shuttle.

The next day, we found a hand-painted sign stating “D.C. Attraction Tours.” We pulled in and met Irvin and his VW microbus. It was August 8, 1974, 100 degrees, and the air conditioner in Irvin’s bus did not work. We went to the Washington Mall first to climb the monument and visit the Lincoln Memorial, then off to the White House.

Watergate

It was the height of the Watergate scandal, and there were hundreds of protesters outside the gates with signs to impeach Nixon. We were amazed that they were still giving tours of the White House. We went inside and took the 1.5-hour tour through most of it, except the Oval Office, of course, which supposedly was occupied by Richard Nixon himself.

Rumors were flying around that Nixon was going to resign, even though he had gone on television stating that he would not.

Watched Nixon’s resignation on TV

After Irvin took us back to our car, we ate at the famous Green Kitchen restaurant and went back to the KOA. The RVer in the spot next to us had a portable black and white TV with rabbit ears amplified by tin foil. He invited us to watch the News Special. I don’t remember exactly which channel it was, but it was most likely moderated by Walter Cronkite, and those famous words were embedded in my memory.

“Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.”

The next day, we drove back into Washington, D.C., and actually saw the Presidential Helicopter, Marine 1, take off from the White House lawn and take the former President away. That famous wave and peace signs were quite defiant! You can see the CBS News Special on YouTube here. The trip to Boston and New York was less eventful.

Read more from Dave here, and make sure you submit your story here.

##RVT1224