All The Way To Argentina

By Carol Sirimarco

Come along with us, seven intrepid travelers, on the adventure of a lifetime as we traveled over 23,000 miles through sixteen countries in a 24’ Class A motorhome. We started our journey in Los Angeles, California, January of 1978. We drove south through Mexico, Central America, and into South America. We explored several countries in South America before returning to the United States in February of 1979. Travel with us through the deserts, mountains, and jungles of these fantastic countries. Relive our experiences with us - the good, the bad, and the scary. But always memorable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carol Sirimarco
• Release date: Sep 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781941301067

Book preview

Chapter One - THE BEGINNING

This is the tale of our family’s incredible journey in a motorhome - a drive on the Panamerican Highway from Los Angeles, California to Argentina, South America in 1978. The journey of 23,000 miles lasted for thirteen months.

In reality, the account of the trip, for all intents and purposes, started on October 22, 1946 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Bill (then Guillermo, his real legal name) got a present on his tenth birthday from his well-to-do cousin Isabel. The gift was something that he wanted really, really bad, but it was very expensive, and unfortunately, his parents could not afford to buy it for him. The present was the Encyclopedia Britannica. There were twenty books in the set, wonderfully bound in dark green leather with all sorts of pictures, descriptions, and stories. Guillermo was nicely surprised by this fantastic and pricey gift.

From the first day, the voracious, reading youngster could not set the books down! Wherever he went, at least one of the books from the collection went with him, as if they were a part of his attire.

Life went on and a couple of years went by. At one point his Father noticed his son making a list of things in a notebook while reading the Encyclopedia. He asked what the list was all about. Guillermo responded that it was a list of places in the world that he would like to go and things he would like to do. His father asked to see the list, so young Guillermo showed it to him.

Oh my God! his Father said after seeing the extensive list. Are you telling me that you plan to go to all these places and do all these things on your list?

Yes, the youngster responded. This will be one of my life goals. I think it will give my life lots of knowledge and experience and all that will be good for business. And the business will produce, I hope, money, mucho money for my traveling around the world. Those were gutsy thoughts; after all he was a very enterprising young fellow…

His astonished Father showed the long list to his Mother and asked her, What do you think of our son’s life project? After reading the list, she responded, knowing her son very well, If it is what he sets his mind to do, and he really wants it badly, I’m sure he will do it. He is intelligent and determined enough to accomplish it, or at the very least try. I’ll help him to get his wishes as much as I can. And she did!

His parents were dreamers too; they were immigrants themselves who had traveled thousands of miles to an unknown country, with a different language and customs, to better their and their sons’ lives.

The famous list of dreams was starting to be really lengthy and selective. Some of the places that young Bill wanted to travel to were: Italy, the country of his parents, Spain, France, Egypt, England, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Germany, Japan, and his favorite country, the United States of America.

Italy, because it was the country of his ancestry: the Coliseum in Rome, the Venice canals, the Vesuvius in Naples, etc.

Spain: the Alhambra in Granada, La Puerta del Sol in Madrid, the fabulous Marbella on the Costa del Sol, Malaga, and Seville.

France: the Arc of Triumph, Notre Dame, Chopin’s house, (Guillermo was in his third year of piano lessons) and Le Tour Eiffel.

England: the Royalty and where they lived, Westminster Castle, and the Tower of London where Big Ben was.

Mexico: the Mayan Ruins and the renowned Palenque’s Mayans ruins.

Peru: the Incas ruins and Chan-Chan and the mystery of the Nasca Lines. To make a long traveling story short - to this day he is still traveling around the world and most of the dreams from young Guillermo’s infamous list have been accomplished. He has been to forty-six countries in total so far.

In his favorite country, The United States of America, he dreamed about visiting the Empire State Building, the legendary Statue of Liberty, and walking across the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. He dreamed of the majesty of the Arizona Grand Canyon and of course, the famous home to the movie stars, Hollywood…

The years went by and the adolescent became a young man and he continued working towards his dream. He went to college and worked at his first manufacturing jewelry and retail store in Mar del Plata, Argentina. He worked hard and built it up until it was a successful enterprise. In the beginning of 1963 he sold everything he owned, business, house, car and motorcycle. Everything except his well used set of Encyclopedia Britannica. The books were given to an impoverished family with seven children; maybe some of them would develop lists too! At the age of twenty-seven he immigrated to his beloved United States of America. The child’s dream was at that moment, at last, set in motion…

Chapter Two - UNITED STATES of AMERICA

Once in the States he wanted to learn everything about the U.S.A. Its history, customs, music, food, the whole thing … He used to play American country music all the time in the house in Argentina and his Father remarked to him that a country with that kind of music had to be a great country full of good quality and principled people. And for the most part he was absolutely right.

1964 came rolling along; the dreaming young man worked as a fine jeweler manufacturer in a jewelry store in Beverly Hills, California. The Americans working at the store had some problems with the correct pronunciation of his first name, Guillermo (William in English). It was not easy for them to say, so his name became Bill, the name he continues to use.

The jewelry store he worked in was called The Jeweler of the Stars. He lived in Glamorous Hollywood, which really wasn’t that appealing anymore. In his spare time he played his beloved soccer with a bunch of Argentinean ex-professional soccer players. He also went to school to learn the language of his new country as fast as he could. He did not watch Spanish TV and he did not go out with Spanish girls. His friends from Argentina didn't make that kind of effort so even though they had been in the States much longer than him; they used Bill for any translation needed whenever they went out together. His plan worked. He knew that his outlook was at stake, because without fluent English there would be no big, bright, and prosperous future which meant no money to fulfill his dreams. In his adoptive country English was the language and by God, he would speak it!

And then it happened…on one fateful evening in July, 1964 he met Carol at a birthday party. Well, life was beautiful, so was Carol, and what started as a kind of a blind date ended up in marriage the first day of January of 1965. Kids came along, of course, in their happy marriage.

His job as a jeweler changed for the better, with more enhanced pay scale to go with it. This young man with a family of seven and a mother-in-law, a house mortgage and all of the responsibilities that life with a big family brought, still entertained all those traveling dreams. In spite of everything, family, job, etc. they were very much intact. Eventually with the awesome

help from Carol and after some serious considerations he decided to realize the goal of every man alive to be independent and become self employed.

That was to be a great new undertaking for the young family. Dangerous yes, risky sure, uncertain, of course. But the young man was confident that with his ability in fine jewelry designing and manufacturing, the risk of failing and falling on his face would be minimal. It was a calculated risk; he knew, but very well worth taking. Thank God and with his much-loved wife Carol’s assistance and help the new enterprise got started on the right foot.

The two car garage of the young family’s home was converted into a functioning, efficient, well equipped jewelry shop where up to four people could work. Some of his jeweler friends followed him and become his first employees and the ex-garage became the first Jewelry Shoppe. It rapidly grew to be a reality that the garage shop situation was untenable. The amount of work coming in was much too big for such a small space.

The upgrades to different and much bigger locations quickly followed. Finally after many eighteen hour days and with Carol’s very important money saving abilities as the bookkeeper of house and company, the better and more important store wish, at long last, become a reality. Sirimarco’s of Beverly Hills the one-of-a-kind jewelry store on Rodeo Dr. Beverly Hills, California opened its doors to the public!

1970 came rolling along and by then Bill and Carol had five good looking, intelligent, and thank God, healthy boys. Bill become a Boy Scout Troup Leader and Carol a Cub Scout Leader. The family had fun traveling everywhere they could whenever their business and obligations let them do it. They traveled in their comfortable Red Ford Country Squire Station Wagon with everybody in the family: Dennis, Randy, John, Paul, Gil, and Carol’s Mother LaMae. Sometimes accompanying them was Goober the boys’ always together friend, from across the street.

The trips included Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, the Mojave Desert (gem hunting), visiting Ghost Towns, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon etc.

One day the family and Goober of course, decided to visit the ill renowned town of Tombstone, Arizona. Everyone did his or her share in loading the Station Wagon to the hilt and then under a splendid sunlit sky in July of l970 they started on the way to Tombstone. They all looked forward to seeing the famous OK Corral where one of the most legendary gun fights of the Old West took place. After having breakfast at the IHOP, with, of course, all the decisions and indecisions that go on when a family of nine goes to breakfast, everybody got in the car and took to the freeway on their way to Tombstone. The route was very pleasant, the kids were playing, singing, and of course fighting but that was put to an end without any difficulty by grandma LaMae, because everyone in the family respected her so very much. Grandma was without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to the family, she was a wonderful caring lady.

By the late afternoon they started looking for someplace to spend the night. To their big surprise, all the motels that had vacancies would not accept their business because they had too many children in their party! Can you believe that? Even though Bill and Carol asked for several rooms to accommodate all of them; the managers of the motels refused them! They never heard of something like that happening to anybody anywhere. But they were as wrong as could be! Later on they found out that other people stumbled into the same predicament. Finally after looking for a place for a long while they came up to a motel that would put all of them up for the night, so they were a cluster of very happy campers.

The next day after breakfast the family continued on to Tombstone and had a fantastic time. The kids had a wonderful day looking at all the old west enactments and at the fake shootouts at the OK Corral where all the bad guys wearing black hats got shot and died and the good guys with their white hats survived the hail of bullets from the outlaws. The ladies went shopping for souvenirs to take home that in all probability would never be looked at again. On their way back home Carol and Bill engaged in a conversation about what happened the day before at the motels and reached the decision that it would be better for everyone to avoid a situation like that again. Maybe if they purchased a motorhome or a Hilton on Wheels, as Carol called them, they would not have to depend on places to spend the nights when traveling with the family. They could even go camping to more remote areas, not in tents (that Carol refused to do) but in a Hilton on Wheels. According to her it was the only way to camp and travel in comfort.

Chapter Three - THE HILTON on WHEELS

Two months went by after the Tombstone adventure and that dialogue about the motorhome was still on Bill and Carol’s minds. By then all the new model year cars were on display in the new car dealers’ showrooms. Bill and Carol had become accustomed to replacing their reliable station wagons every two years for a new one. That way, Bill hoped, Carol would not have any car problems while driving the children around on the daily family and business errands. Bill had his own car for the business.

The new station wagon buying was a family affair so everybody piled in the old red wagon and headed to Galpin Ford in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The air was getting crisp on that beautiful, clear September Saturday evening. The fall weather was approaching, the trees were just starting to change into the wonderful fall colors and the spirits of the entire family were very high indeed. They were going shopping for a new family wagon! That was something to celebrate the kids thought.

In the Galpin Ford dealer showroom all the new 1971 car models were on display; small cars, sedans, two doors, four doors, black, yellow, red, etc. and precisely in the middle of the Dealer’s show room …wow!!! There it was - their new Station Wagon. A bright yellow Country Squire station wagon with its distinctive wood paneled sides. She was really beautiful and had balloons and banners attached to it. The kids thought that it said, Made for the Sirimarcos all over it.

Their friend Alex Paztor, the dealer manager, came over to them and after the proper exchanges of pleasantries; they got down to haggling for the final price of the car. After they were finished with the paperwork for the trade in of the old station wagon for the new one Alex mentioned with a very excited face, that the dealership had secured a new line of product for sale. He said tomorrow would be the opening day for the show of the new ...Yes you guessed it!…MOTORHOMES!!!… He said he would be more than happy to show them to the family tomorrow, Sunday, as the new motorhome lot that the dealership opened across the street had no night lights on it yet. So they would have to return the next day.

Sunday morning came and the kids were up bright and early in the morning all dressed up in the best duds they had, even Gil was wearing his new cowboy boots. Anticipation must have been high because they usually slept in on Sundays. All by themselves they made breakfast - that was a first! And ate with no fuss or discussions, really rare! Goodness, they even fed Gil his favorite food, Coco Puffs, and that was unique! Jubilant with expectation, they were ready to go to see the motorhomes.

It was a typical early fall morning, bright and sunny with a beautiful clear sky when the family plus Goober (or course) piled into the new yellow Country Squire and went to Galpin Ford to meet Mr. Paztor and to see the new motorhomes.

The new coaches were lined up one next to the other on the big lot. Motorhomes were kind of new to the market, so people were not very familiar with them, at the time. Trailers or campers that you would put on top of your pick-up truck were more often than not used for family traveling. The family stood in the middle of this huge parking lot and in front of them sat about forty units. The Dealership only represented one brand, Pace Arrow, made by a company call Fleetwood Industries. Their factory was in East Los Angeles and so far, this company held a good reputation for making a good product. Believe me, we really put it to the test on our long trip and it really came out smelling like a rose.

So they started to explore them, the first in line, was a white coach with lemon yellow stripes on the front and side. The interior seats and couches were upholstered in some type of brocade fabric and the carpet was a very light yellow color. No one liked it and Carol commented about the kids going to the beach and then coming in and sitting down on the yellow brocade couch…no way!

The second one was white with green stripes and had a mauve color carpet (very in at the time) with mauve and light green upholstery...yuck...everybody said! Mr. Paztor was being very courteous to them explaining the good things and the not so good things on each of the coaches. They looked in four or five more units on display. The last one in line was a twenty-four foot white unit with a blue stripe about twelve inches wide on the front and sides of the coach. Inside it was upholstered in the same blue color as the stripe. The carpet was of short shag, light blue as well. The cabinetry was made of solid oak wood with a satin finish, very nice and practical looking. It was equipped with a huge powerful gas engine 454 HP that, according to the book, would consume gasoline at about eight to ten miles per gallon when the motorhome was loaded. Later on we found out that it would give us no more than five to six miles per gallon. Lucky for us gasoline was very inexpensive those days so that really was not a big factor to consider.

They looked at the sleeping arrangements; they seemed to be satisfactory for everybody. The seating arrangements were excellent too. This one was it!... They did not look any more..! This one was the one..! This 24 foot Pace Arrow motorhome turned out to be the Hilton on Wheels for the Sirimarco family and what a rarity..! Everybody agreed! Even Goober!

During the writing of the paperwork necessary for the purchase of the unit Bill whispered to Alex in confidence, My friend, he said with much excitement and conviction, this Hilton on Wheels that we’re purchasing today, will someday soon take a trip on the Panamerican Highway all the way to Argentina with the entire Sirimarco family in it. And take my word for it; it will not be too long before we do it. Alex did not respond to that in words, but you could see in his face a kind of incredulous expression, like he just heard something too improbable to be done. Nobody ever, to his awareness, had accomplished it.

The future would reveal a different story… The wheels of a boy’s fantasy were in motion ...only time would tell the rest of the story ...And for all accounts, time certainly did.

1972 rolled along and in the middle of it one of the proudest moments of Bill’s life became a reality. The once little boy with a dream became a United States of America citizen. The whole family and his father, who was still alive, were very proud of him. Most likely his Mother, from heaven, was full of pride for him too. The young man, father of five by now, certainly hoped so.

As the years went by the Sirimarco family took many trips in their Hilton on Wheels all over the country. They got both pleasure and more experience in motorhoming from every single trip. Each trip was like a first trip. They enjoyed and learned something from all of them.

In the summer of 1978 Bill decided that now was the time to go home to Argentina. He and Carol spent many hours discussing it. (She listened - he discussed.) His arguments FOR were varied: "It would be a better place

to raise kids. We could live better there. Think of everything the kids will learn, something new every day. It will be a great experience for you and the boys. Trust me, you’ll love it. Who could resist this logic? Carol even started to look forward to it. And being the obedient wife she was she said, Whither thou goest I will go."

Preparation

Bill and the kids worked long and hard in the motorhome to improve it, make it better, more comfortable, and more efficient for the long adventure over the Panamerican Highway that lay ahead.

A bicycle carrier rack was bolted to the front of the motorhome to carry Paul’s bicycle. The bike looked like a mini-motorcycle (he liked to emulate his brother Randy). It had a phony red plastic gas tank and big fenders. This bike, later on in the trip, caused some small problems but most of all caused lots of laughter for everybody.

A powerful CB radio with a public address system was added in the dashboard of the motorhome. It became very handy during the trip.

An extra fuel tank and one extra water tank were added underneath the coach. The added water and gasoline tanks gave them a capacity of eighty gallons each. Two extra propane tanks to be used with the heater system and the kitchen stove joined the items waiting to go. We also added a big generator of electricity that generated 110 volts to enable use of the air conditioning, TV, lights and stereo system and anything else that would use 110 volts of electricity.

Water proofed 3/4 inch plywood was bolted to the roof of the coach. It was placed there to secure the eight brightly colored metal storage trunks (from K-Mart) that were fastened to the plywood and used for storage. In between all of the trunks were spaces left to store lawn chairs, tents, big plastic toys, etc.

Inside the coach every cupboard, seat, and compartment had something packed in, on, around or under it. Packed were such essentials as Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Jiffy brand stove-top popcorn, chicken noodle soup, peanut butter, lots of jelly, paper goods, toilet paper and paper towels, medicine, and yes of course - Coco Puffs. They were essential - cases and cases of the chocolate cereal, the reason for that, Gil would not eat anything but Coco Puffs, God forgive them if there was not enough of them...he would probably starve to death. All of these were purchased at the Smart and Final Iris store in bulk.

The portable TV set, the Pong and Atari video games, Dominoes, playing cards, and the Monopoly game, etc. could not be left behind. Before leaving, Bill also purchased two very realistic looking compressed air BB guns. One was a machine gun the other a hand gun. While showing the kids how to safely use them, he put a hole in one of the living room’s sliding glass doors. From then on the drapes were kept closed in hopes a Realtor or prospective buyer wouldn’t notice. There was no time, or money, to replace them. These toy guns too would play a part in a comical problem later on in the trip.

Shoved wherever there was space for them were hoses, shovels, rope, and tarps.

In the motorhome were all the modern comforts of home. The microwave from the house sat in the bottom of a remodeled closet. There was a full kitchen: sink, oven, stove and refrigerator-freezer. The bathroom had a sink, toilet and shower squeezed into a space the size of a small closet. When you showered you could sit on the toilet and take care of two things at once.

Across from the driver’s seat was a dinette table with two bench seats. The front seat, when facing into the motorhome, was used for meals. While traveling it could be flipped over to face front. Both bench seats could be laid down and the dinette became a bed at night. Running across the entire front above the driver and passenger seats there was a bunk that was on springs. It was used for storage during the day and lowered to be slept on at night. Behind the driver’s seat was the kitchen. There was a blue Formica counter, a one compartment stainless steel sink, another small counter space and the range with an oven. Across from the kitchen in the middle just behind the door was a long bench seat that could be used as a bed. In front of the bench seat was another narrow table that stayed up during the day, but could be removed at night. There were a lot of windows so everyone could sit by one and look out. Parents of five can certainly appreciate that.

Then behind the kitchen towards the rear was the bathroom. Across from the bathroom were cupboards and closets. This was where the microwave was. Way in the back was another table and seat setup that made into a large bed. This was always kept as a bed. There was lots of storage under the bed.

All the seats and benches had been reupholstered in heavy, durable, stain resistant (dark blue, black and white plaid) fabric. To even further protect the seats, blue and white woven Mexican blankets covered them. The blankets could be taken off and washed as needed. New drapes, cream colored with blue fringed trim and lined with black-out material, covered the windows. The windows were also covered with a very dark solar film to help cut the glare from the sun. A benefit of the film was it allowed the occupants to look out but people outside could not look in. This factor added to everyone’s amusement and enjoyment throughout the trip.

The light blue/green shag carpet got covered with a heavy-duty plastic runner with throw rugs on top. The throw rugs could be shaken and washed and the plastic just swept or spot mopped. The floor would be easier to keep clean that way.

The original blue stripe on the sides of the motorhome had been decorated with stick-on stars on the rear part of the stripe (they even glowed in the dark)! Four red stripes had been painstakingly painted above the blue stripe to emulate the American flag. Very patriotic indeed, so everyone who saw them going by would definitely know that they were from the United States. Bill was very, very proud of being an American citizen.

New truck tires were installed all the way around, with inner tubes added to make them safer for the rough roads to be traveled. Additional headlights and fog lights were added above the existing headlights. Hopefully the fog lights would never have to be used. A trailer hitch was welded under the chassis on the back of the coach.

Ultimately there came the last touches, a trailer was needed to transport Randy’s motorcycle, a 1977 Honda 350cc. He would not go anywhere in the world without it, his motorcycle was to him like a horse to a cowboy, you never, never leave it behind.

Bill purchased a new sixteen foot trailer and converted it to meet our requirements. By the time they were finished with it the trailer was very functional and practical. It would be filled with all the stuff that would be used on a long, long, long trip. No other motorhomes had ever gone to South America before. There would not be any motorhome stores to buy parts from if they were needed. So spare parts for everything they could think of were purchased and packed. Extra engine fuel pump, water pump, carburetor parts, brake parts, etc, etc and tool boxes with any kind of tool imaginable. The extra propane tanks, extra tires for the trailer and motorhome and of course Randy’s motorcycle were loaded on.

There were tears and tantrums over what could go and what had to be sold at the garage sale or sent to storage. The Lego’s and Hot Wheels were carefully wrapped in heavy duty black trash bags and went with them. The kids found places to stuff them in the roof trunks.

Friends of theirs, which not long before had returned to the U.S. from Argentina, suggested a few things that they could take to sell there. All kinds of sports stuff could easily be sold. Luckily their next door neighbor was in the wholesale sporting goods business and he had a garage sale just before they were ready to leave. So water skies, life jackets, tennis rackets, tennis balls - zillions of them - fishing poles and rods were added to the load. Tents and all the camping equipment necessary for an extended trip joined the to go pile. The trailer had to be unpacked and repacked several times in order to accommodate all the extra stuff. No easy task, but everything managed to find a place to ride.

Another addition was a medium size oxygen tank cylinder for a just in case situation, which later in the trip became a very nice device to have. Bill had used the small tank in his business and had kept it when closing the shop. It would ride inside between the driver’s seat and the outer wall.

By the end of November 1977 the Hilton on Wheels and the trailer were all set up and waiting. They were parked in the driveway on the side of the house and ready for the journey to begin. The family’s business, cars, plane and other toys had been sold, furniture was in storage ready for shipping, and most importantly the house was sold. The Escrow on the house would close December 8th and then they would leave.

OH NO! On December 1st the buyer’s loan fell through. The trip had to be put on hold, aaggghhhh!!! …Until when? That was, at that moment, the sixty-four million dollar question. What could they do? Or a better question yet, what would they do? A new buyer had to be found – and soon. Or they had to change all their plans. There was so much to consider.

All the household furniture – including beds - had been packed and sent to storage since the end of November. It all was waiting to be shipped to Argentina when they arrived there. All that was left in the house was a leather and wood loveseat and chair that appropriately enough were designed to look like packing crates. A friend would pick them up after they were gone. Everyone slept either on the floor in sleeping bags or in the motorhome. An oversized green and white Coleman cooler sat on the kitchen floor and the refrigerator in the motorhome held perishable groceries. Meals were usually Taco Bell or McDonald’s.

Days passed and Christmas rolled around. The house was still not sold! To try to make things seem more normal for the boys a Christmas tree was bought from the grocery store. It was decorated with popcorn, strung cranberries and paper rings. It didn’t take much work ‘cause it was a scrawny little thing with only a few branches and not very tall. Until then, the smallest tree they’d ever had was ten feet. If it didn’t touch the ceiling it wasn’t a tree. It was sad but fun. There weren’t many presents, only things that would pack for the trip. For Christmas dinner a real treat - Pioneer Chicken.

A little about some of the individuals we’re talking about. John McClung was twenty-five years old. He was an easy going, friendly individual. He was also Goober’s older brother. He had been working in the jewelry stores for Bill for many years where he was Bill’s trusted right hand and jack of all trades and above all a family friend. John was invited to go on the trip with the family for the simple reason that he was practically part of it. He had also worked very hard on the coach and the trailer preparations. And he was out of a good job when the store was sold. He wanted to go so bad that he could taste it, dropping hints all over to everyone that he really wanted to be part of the journey! John Mc was loved very much by the entire family, the younger kids thought of him as another brother. Besides he would be a handy individual to have around, just in case. Randy and John Mc had developed a very strong relationship, basically because they both shared the love for motorcycles and both of them liked to work around engines of any kind. The family thought that it would not only be a pleasure having him around, but an asset as well. John Mc jumped up and down about as happy as he could be after he was asked to be part of the expedition. His special contribution for the trip was a full case of homemade beer compliments of one of his friends. The case of beer was stored in one of the outside, under the floor compartments of the motorhome.

Carol’s mother, LaMae, with more sense than everybody else, declined the invitation to go south in the 24-foot motorhome with seven other people. She decided she was too old to go on this adventure. She would stay at home and take care of the house until it sold. She had a Power-of-Attorney so she could do whatever was necessary. After the house was sold, she would move into her apartment.

Dennis, their oldest son was at the time nineteen years old. He had decided that the whole family was absolutely nuts or gone bunkers, and he had no inclination to go. The year before he had moved out of the house and had his own life living in a fifteen foot trailer in the middle of the Mojave Desert. How did he support himself? Well he was a sail plane instructor. And he thought they were absolutely certifiable nuts!

Now or Never Decision Time

Finally after months of preparations and postponements, the Now or Never decision time arrived. The Panamerican Highway travels through an Andes Mountain pass between Chile and Argentina at 12,500 feet. That section of the highway, due to snow accumulation on the top of the mountains, closed on June 1st and would not reopen till October 1st. So it was imperative (if they didn’t want to