Meeting a War Hero

As a seventeen year old high school student my knowledge of World War II is basically through movies and what I was taught about WWII in my history class. I grew up watching Tora, Tora, Tora and Pearl Harbor. I also grew up watching Black Sheep Squadron which follows the exploits of Pappy Boyington and his group of misfits fighting in the Pacific with Corsairs during WWII. My Grandfather was in WWII but he never talked about it with me and he died when I was five so I would not have remembered it anyways. After talking with my Father and his brothers and sisters my grandfather never talked about the war with them either. I have always sort of idolized my grandfather. I never knew him but I think that we would have gotten along well. In my room I have a couple of artifacts of his. I have a sword that I knew nothing about. His flag that was given to my grandmother. Finally, I have his dog tags. I don't wear them often but I like having them. For September 11th my school decided to line the football field with posters made by the students honoring people who have served the United States and this is where the story begins. I made my poster honoring my grandfather. It is really nothing special but seeing hundreds sof these posters lining the field was incredibly powerful. I filled the poster with pictures of my grandfather which made me dig through all of the old pictures on the computer. I found a picture of my grandfather's old ship. He worked in the diesel room on the USS Frament. My father saw me looking through these photos and decided to look into the ship. Through the magic of Google he found a woman named Debbie Dalgo Fowler Raley. She hooked him up with a man named Charles Gottshall who knew my grandfather during the war. He sent my father a picture of my grandfather and him standing over a group of Japanese prisoners. My grandfather is on the left and Mr. Gottshall in on the right. My grandfather (John Nowicki) looks scared. I am seventeen and all that fills my mind is cars and girls and he was only nineteen then and he was trying to stay alive. The weird thing about this picture is that on the back it says "missing in action" but that is a whole other story. My father and Charles Gottshall talked on the phone and that seemed to be the end of it. However, on that phone call my father figured something else out. The sword that I have in my room was actually taken from an abandoned Japanese ship that my grandfather and Charles raided. I always thought that the sword was a gift that my grandfather got from training Philipinno soldiers how to fight but that obviously wasn't the case. A couple of months passed and my father and I decided that we should go meet Mr. Gottshall. It's one thing to talk to a person on the phone but this seemed important enough to drive halfway across the country to meet him face to face. So, on a cold March morning we loaded up my Camaro and headed for Pennsylvania. It was an uneventful drive and even though it was nice to be back on the road we both just wanted to get there. We pulled into Pennsylvania late and went to bed. The next day we did nothing until we went to go meet Charles Gottshall and his wife Loa at their house. It was well kept and when we met them he was wearing a shirt that said "I would rather push a Ford than Drive a Chevy." I could not help but smile. My grandfather had gone into the auto industry as well and it was a bit funny to find out that these two men who lived in entirely different places and were pushed together through a world shattering event ended up in the same industry. Charles had made up a packet of things that we could take home. The coolest thing in there was a copy of a newspaper that was printed on board the Frament. There was also a lot of cool pictures of the ship and the crew. We talked with them for a while about the war and their lives. My father remembered the "missing in action" on the back of the picture and asked Charles about it. Nobody saw what was coming next. I am just paraphrasing what he said but it went something like this. A crew got off of the Frament and got onto a smaller boat to pick up a gentleman named Commander Smith before heading into China. They were in the Yellow Sea then they headed up the Yangtze river to take the surrender of Shanghai. Then a Japanese boat with about ten troops came up on them with rifles pointed at their ship and ordered them to dock. A Japanese Commander came out and after a lot of yelling they were told to simply go back to their ship. They got back to the Yellow Sea and then a storm hit. They had to travel South to avoid water coming over the bow. They had actually found a cove to hide in but a wave came and their boat was beached. A farmer came and told them that the Japanese were still in charge of the towns around there. The farmer was nice enough to hold them up in his barn and in the morning he fed them rotten eggs and rice. A guide came to lead them to safety and they traveled through Amoy,Nanpin,Yington ,and Hangehow on their way to Shanghai. The city of Yington was were the party was. They had ended up in Nationalist China and that's where the picture with the captured Japanese was taken. They had found out that the Chinese were fighting each other and it was the Communists against the Nationalists. The man in the light suit on the left was a spy and he was shot shortly after the picture was taken. They then either walked or took boats to Shanghai. In Shanghai they met up with the SOCKO troops (Americans who fought for the Chinese). They were put up in a nice hotel and were given 50 gold units which is about a hundred dollars in American money. They were in Shanghai about a month and a half and they had very little to do but sightsee. They would go down to the docks to watch the ladies sell stuff like pigs and vegetables. He said that their favorite thing to do was watch the locals play cards and yell at each other. My Father and I were both stunned and then Charles showed us two Japanese rifles that he had picked up when my grandfather obtained the sword. Charles said that even though my grandfather and him were not in the same squad that he liked him and he was a quiet guy. We thanked him and Loa for the hospitality and left. It is weird to think of somebody like my grandfather as nineteen. I did not know him well but I had infinitely more respect for him. I also had an incredible amount of respect for Charles. These men fought so my father and I could live the lives that we lead. Charles said that all that he wanted to do was explain to young people about what his generation did. I now know why this is the greatest generation and they always will be. This year Pearl Harbor was nothing more than a brief news clip on the news, if that. It is hard for my generation to understand what these brave men and women went through and I don't think that we ever truly will. For the bottom of my heart I would just like to say a thank you to Charles and everybody else who helped fight in that war. I wrote this at this kitchen table looking across the street at the American Flag that hangs in my neighbors yard. Thanks Charles, for making that possible. Oh, and in closing, you should try driving a Chevy, it isn't all that bad.

Day 6

                After six days the compass says east for the first time. Today we drove into Texas and stopped at the U Drop Inn in Shamrock. It was a restored gas station that was done up to look like it was selling Conoco gas. We bought a couple of shirts and took some pictures. It was almost a somber event especially considering that our journey of 1,190 miles was now over. It is hard to imagine that we just started six days ago. We are not even half-way to California but it feels like we should be there lying in the sun. We did something that most people would find crazy. We took one of the longest ways possible to get to a little town in Texas. This trip was never really about the destination but it was all about the journey. My Camaro is dirty and my Father and I are tired but that is all part of it. My Father and I took a simple trip down to Texas. However, we did something much more epic. We turned our trip into an adventure. Getting lost, uncomfortable hotel beds, constant worrying about the car, going through questionable areas, and always being on the run are all part of the trip. We ate well, had fun, and saw the real America. Nobody is going to make a movie about Rolla, Missouri and that is all part of the charm. I turned sixteen today and it was not like I expected. I thought that I would wake up to Rush playing a live concert in my bedroom and be gifted a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. Instead I woke up in a cheap hotel on the Oklahoma Texas line and I would not have it any other way. Everything was great, the car, my Dad, and of course the open road. I would like to thank everybody who followed the blog and of course all of the countries that followed along. I hope that people in The UK, China, India, Japan, Hungry, Australia, Canada, and The United States got a sense of what traveling The Mother Road is like. Finally I would like to thank my Mother for making this trip possible. She booked our reservations and just helped us along the way. She bought us books and I don't know what would have happened without her. Finally, she provided inspiration to do this trip. Thanks Mom.  I remember going up to races at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and not wanting to leave. I then remember my neighbor telling me that I had to leave to come back. My neighbor was right though, as I look out the grimy window of the car I can't help smile. I have my entire life in front of me and this trip is going to be one of my greatest memories. Life is so short and I hope that we all make the most of It. The trip is over but my trip never really ends.

( For the record, the planning for finishing the road is already in the works)

Facts Known By Few: The Corvette is considered to be an icon of Route 66.

Favorite Food: Chicken Burritos at Chelino's Mexican restaurant in Oklahoma City.

Two Favorite Songs:

1.       A Man I'll Never Be Boston

2.       My Way Frank Sinatra

Last Thoughts: We were standing in Shamrock and my Father asked if I wanted to keep going on down the road for a little bit longer. I said no because the wonder and amazement that comes with not knowing what is over the hill is so powerful. The lack of knowledge and the wonder is all part of it, it makes you want to come back.

Day 5

                We woke up today with high hopes and Starbucks. We started the day going through Oklahoma City which had a lot of neat stops and old buildings. We went by the capital and saw the Tower theater. The Tower was a theater back in the day and it still looks very period. My Father made the comment about how the car is starting to feel like home and I have to agree with him. The car is becoming a part of our day to day lives and it is becoming part of us. Through all of the miles it has been there and it is still going true. However, Oklahoma was not nearly as reliable as the car. The main problem was that sometimes there were signs, and sometimes there were no markings at all. When there are signs you depend on them and then there are no signs you get lost immediately. We spent an hour and a half searching for the road and a bridge that was used in the movie The Grapes of Wrath. We talked to a local who we hoped could aid in our quest and even she said that the locals get lost from time to time. One saving grace of Oklahoma is that it has the most original drivable road surface. It is fun to imagine yourself traversing the hills searching for a better life and a home like the weary travelers  did back in the day. We started this trip with the idea that it would be fun. It is very easy to overlook the severity and importance of the road when you are on it. We have  a home to go home to. The people that traveled this road were looking for work and a better life. I complain about being lost but for the first travels they were never lost, they had no idea where they were going. As  Steinbeck said, "... and they come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads. 66 is the mother road, the road of flight." We fly west in comfort and style while they dealt with flat tires and sleepless nights. We covered one hundred and two miles today in seven hours. We have gone nearly double that distance in previous days. The early 66 pioneers would have rejoiced at that. I would like to say that we can connect to them somehow, but in all honesty, we have no idea what these early travelers had to go through.     

Facts Known By Few: In 1926 only 800 miles of route 66 were paved. Finally, in 1937 the entire road was paved end to end.

Favorite Food: Anything at Lucille's Roadhouse.

Two Favorite Songs:

1.       Just Another Nervous Wreck Supertramp

2.       Secret Agent Man Johnny Rivers

Day 4

We blasted out of Missouri and entered into Oklahoma. We swapped twisty roads for flat stretches that spanned into the horizon. The speed limit was sixty-five mph and the towns just flew by. We saw a lot more old cars today because the climate is warm and dry. The cars don't rust nearly as much as they do in the north so they just sit. We saw a lot of VW Beatles and 60's Mustangs. One car that really caught my eye was a black Mercury Cyclone. It looked mean and like it has seen it all before. My car looked young and inexperienced in comparison. A little while after that we stopped by this big blue whale. It was a water park back in the heyday of the road and it had been restored. It was the first site on the road that we were actually able to climb on. One thing that really struck me was that there was graffiti in it and some dudes from Spain had etched their names in the top of it. I am surprised that something that is so American would be interesting to people from other countries. The road here was so flat and there was really nothing to see in some stretches. My father made the comment about how he likes the security of the interstate. He likes having guaranteed lodging and the knowledge that he knows where he is going. The highways are tempting and understandably so. We would probably be in California by now. However, they don't really give a sense of adventure. We were driving through Tulsa today and saw all of these art deco buildings and old cars and signs. If we had stayed on the interstate we would have just gone by. Granted we did get lost in Tulsa and were forced to stare at a map and scratch our heads for a half an hour but that is all part of it. This trip is not just about the road but the places that we see and how it makes us feel. The car, the road, my Father, are all part of it. This trip is a journey back in time and the monotony of Oklahoma might be boring but it shows us what traveling back in the day was really like. Finally, what the road brings is a sense of the unknown. That crazy feeling that just around the next bend might be the coolest thing in the world. Yes a blue whale is odd but it makes you feel like you can hear the sounds of the kids playing and the parents yelling. The road is a time machine and we are at its mercy. As I look out of the window at the modern America that we stay in during the night, it makes me want to get back on the road. Knowing what is just around the bend is no fun. Avoiding that feeling is one of the reasons that we are doing this.  

Facts Know By Few: A section of Route 66 was taken from Oklahoma and put into the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.   

Favorite Food: Mexican food from a restaurant called  La Mansion

Two Favorite Songs:

1.       Mad Man Moon Genesis

2.       Rock Bottom UFO

Day 3

                Missouri was not nearly as bad as yesterday. We started the day out by hopping back on the road after some waffles and headed out into the hills. The first old car that we saw was a 70's Triumph Spitfire sitting in a field, and that really opened the floodgates for car spotting. Over the course of the day  we saw old muscle cars and rundown fifties cars all along the road. I think that we saw at least three 1963 Impalas. Today was the first day we saw rundown and deserted old buildings along the road. Everything in Illinois had either been restored or taken down and the first half of Missouri had nothing. We saw abandoned  gas stations and old stone buildings with trees growing in them. Sadly, we were forced to go through some big towns with large signs and commercialism that spanned as far as the eye could see. We both wanted nothing more than to break free and experience the realness and security of the open road.  The big towns were worth it though because we were repaid for our troubles with bit of road called Devil's Elbow. Devil's Elbow was four miles of twisty roads and old buildings and bridges. The only reason that this place stands out is because we drove on the original roadbed. Most of the road is gone or recovered with new asphalt so it was cool to drive on the original. We ran into two restored gas stations but sadly no interesting antique shops. My father and I were talking about how Paul McCartney did this road and we theorized that he probably did it to see the real America. Route 66 was about making money back in the day;  today it is something sentimental. Route 66 is one of the last symbols of Neon America and people try to cling to that. Dusty is good and the car is running well. Finally, we saw an old Z28 for sale by the road and I thought that it would be a cool car to own. The thing is though, I would never trade my car. I have never had to live with it before this trip and it has not let me down. It is solidifying a place in my heart and I hope to have it for many years to come.    

Facts Known By Few: Lester Dill offered his Meramec Caverns (which are road side caves) to the government as a haven from atomic blasts. He said it was the safest bomb shelter in the world.

Two Favorite Songs:

1.       Mainstreet Bob Seger

2.       Trouble Coldplay

Favorite Food: Dickeys Barbeque  

                                                              

Day Two

                South of Springfield there was still a lot to see. We were driving through this town and saw a rundown building that upon closer inspection was an old Chevrolet dealer. It must have been from the thirties and was all brick. Farther along we saw an old car dealer with muscle car barn finds out in the front. There must have been upwards of thirty cars but the two that caught my eye were a 1973 gold Dodge Charger and a green 1971 Roadrunner. In a town called Mt. Olive we saw an old gas station. We stopped and took some pictures. I remembered reading about that place in school so that really made my day. We also stopped at an old antique shop with nothing of interest and then headed into Missouri.   Missouri quickly turned into misery. After entering Missouri, we were kicked off of some ladies store parking lot. We were taking a picture of her store and apparently we needed to buy something first to be allotted a picture. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day. The road pretty much just parallels the highway and the smaller the town the more they rely on the tourism of Route 66 to bring in income. Since the towns are right along the highway they are big enough to not need Route 66 and there was almost nothing left of the road to show. After four hours of driving we only saw two interesting spots, one was a gas station and the other a motel called the Sunset Motel. The road being so deserted it makes me wonder where people in the thirties stopped and stayed. Why has time been so cruel that it was wiped itself clean of Missouri? Right before we stopped for the night we went into an old antique shop. I bought a stuffed dog and my dad bought and old golf club. I have no idea why I bought the dog but it does look like my Dad's first dog so I got it. We named it Dusty and she sits on the back bench in the car. The road was fun to drive and hilly but with nothing to see it was a bit boring.  The car is running great and for being a V6 at eighty it only runs at two thousand rpm. We both hope that tomorrow will be better and at least now we have a dog.      

Facts Known By Few: In St. Louis at a motel called the Coral Court a man named Carl Austin Hall stayed the night. The next day he was arrested by the police and condemned to his death. He was arrested because he had kidnapped and murdered the son of a wealthy Kansas City auto dealer. Hall was paid $600,000 ransom and only half of the money was found. The rumor is that $300,000 is still hidden in the hallow walls of the Coral Court.

Favorite Food: Dinner at a place called Colton's in Rolla Missouri.  

Favorite Two Songs:

1.       Amanda Boston

2.       Baba O' Riley The Who

PS: We both decided that who we are as Top Gear characters is Hammond. As much as I would like to be the Stig I am just not racing driver material. I got carting lessons when I was ten and I was just not made of the right stuff. I like to race but I don't have what it takes to be a champion.  

First Day

I rolled out of bed at 5:30 today and my father was already up mainstreaming coffee. After getting ready, we left the house at 6:30 AM and drove down to the art museum in Chicago. The route started there and the road was clearly labeled. We followed the map and the road was well marked in Illinois and we never really got lost; we just got misplaced a couple of times. We followed the route through the south side and then into the industrial suburbs. We started to notice signs and business names that revolved around route 66. The road quickly brought us into rural areas. We stopped at White Fence Farm to get a picture. White Fence Farm was a famous stop along the road. We stopped at interesting places to snap pictures and just enjoy the scenery.  We were cruising through Pontiac IL and stopped at a Route 66 museum. What really struck me was that all of the workers had a slight obsession with the road. 66 was their lives and they would do anything to slow its decay. All along the road there were businesses or gift shops capitalizing on the road. Some of the gift shops were not open but it made my Father and I realize that we were not the only ones that vacationed on the road. We snapped some pictures of the Camaro at a couple of old gas stations and tried to stay upbeat. When I was about eight we used to drive the road and come back in one day. I remember sitting at an old gas station and mimicking a man in one of the pictures who was sitting in the same position on the same chunk of concrete. The picture was taken in the thirties and really brought the past to the present. Eight years later, we retook the same picture with me sitting on the same slab on concrete. Another thing that really struck me today was in math class this previous week I was reading about The Palms Grill Cafe in Atlanta IL. It was the place where teens in the town would hang out and it was also a Greyhound bus stop. We were driving through the town and stopped at the Cafe. We walked in and were greeted by fifties music and the smell of pie baking. It had just been restored and it was a bit like stepping back in time. You could tell though, that it was restored. The place did not feel old, and even though it was cool, it felt wrong. After ordering some pie we continued on.   At about three o'clock we were tired and had only gotten to Springfield. We found a hotel and settled down and got some dinner. It was surprising how long it took just to get to Springfield. However, it was a good day and we both are looking forward to tomorrow.  

Facts Known by Few: In 1857 Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale was assigned to create a government funded wagon road that ran along the 35th parallel. This was the beginning of route 66 and also helped establish the idea that cross country travel was at least possible with a bit of ease. His secondary and far more interesting assignment was to see if Camels could be used in the southwest desert.

Two Favorite Songs:

1.       My Eyes Have Seen You The Doors

2.       How Many More Times Led Zeppelin

Favorite Food: The pumpkin and apple pies in Atlanta IL   

The Car Is Back

The car was fixed, thanks Paul and Brian. Now, all that is left is waiting. In a response to a question that I received, I don't know how far we are going to get. The goal is just to go until we have to turn around.

Pre-trip planning

Hello Internet,

My name is Mike and as most of you know I am going a road trip with my father on route 66 over spring break. We will be taking my first car, a 1995 Camaro with a 3.4 L V6. I got my car this September and had to watch it all winter getting covered in snow. Once the warmer weather came I decided that it was time to do something grand. In my class I have an entire semester to work on a project so I decided that I would write all semester about cars and youth and then take a road trip. Route 66 was decided upon and with a little more than a week to go, the car needed to be prepared for the trip. The car is being serviced at Reese Automotive in Arlington Heights IL. New tires are being put on along with a serpentine belt, ac charge, brake and fuel lines, and finally the ever important iPod hook up. The next update will be on March 19th. Most new updates on the blog will happen at night and I can't promise a time, sorry. Like life, this trip only happens once so enjoy the ride.