Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 22:19:32 -0500
From: Charlie Ford <cford@mindspring.com>
Subject: Gamble Town to Shaky Town

Gamble city to Shaky Town-

After leaving Vegas I headed south on Interstate 15 toward LA.  I traveled
through the desert for about 25 miles then hit a steep grade climbing into
the mountains that surround las Vegas.  The bus did fairly well even though
the airflow meter was a bit choppy at times.  Finally after slowly going up
I started quickly going down.  The weather soon changed from chilly to warm
and back to chilly again.

I drove for about three hours and stopped in Barstow California to sleep
for the night.  I found a truckstop there that was just to my liking.  They
had showers and food and dark parking spaces so a weary traveler could camp
in soothing comfort.  The folks that ran the place were really nice and
allowed me to plug my computer in to take a charge.  In fact I sat in the
office and wrote the Winslow piece.  Truckers kept walking in and asking
what I was writing.  They were all wondering if I was getting loads with my
computer.

This leg of the trip was somewhat uneventful except for the fact that I got
a lot of thinking done.  I thought of where I might find some work for a
couple weeks;  I thought of what life would be like stranded in this part
of the country;  I thought of home, and family, and the lady I left in
Georgia.  I just thought.

The next morning I left the truckstop after a shower and continued south on
15.  The traffic slowly picked up and so did the mountains.  The grades out
here are quite deceiving.  You feel as if you are driving on level land
when in all actuality you are climbing a long steep grade.  As I neared LA
the road leveled out and became more rolling hills.  I got of I-15 onto
I-91 west, drove to I-55 and headed south once more.

I arrived in the City of Santa Ana where I have another cousin.  Wesley
Price came to California in 1965.  He has lived here ever since.  He is a
man of 69 years of age and has seen many hardships in his life.  He has two
children that have all but forgotten him, one he hasn靖 heard from in ten
years and has no idea where he is.  His daughter did move out here a few
years ago, but ended up taking him for a bunch of money and leaving him
holding a bag of bad checks and bills.  He is a good man and a very simple
one.  I have been staying with him for the past few days.

This morning I woke and came in the house.  I have been sleeping in my bus
because his house is not very large.  He said when I came in that he was
having chest pains.  He took some of his nitro tablets and waited for it to
settle down.  He finally ask me to call 911 and get the paramedics for him.

It only took them about 5 minutes for them to get here.  They checked him
out, put him on a stretcher and took him to Western Med. Center.  I
followed them to the hospital and after a few test they came and told me
that he had suffered a heart attack.  I am glad I was here to help him out.
As I said I am the only relative he has close by so I had to put on my
family jacket and address the situation at hand.  The airflow meter will
just have to wait for now.  I have other duties to attend to.

Anyway folks I am here and looks like I will be for a few more days.  The
doctor says the diagnosis is good and that he should be fine.  I will stay
as long as he needs me.  It pleases me to be able to help him out.  He told
me he was glad I came to town and that made me feel really good also.  It
is nice to be needed.

Thanks for tolerating my ramblings,
Charlie Ford


"79" Transporter, dressed for the road
The Mothership

 The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and
Search for the Beginning of Wind".

www.armory.com/~y21cvb/charlie/charlie.html

"Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"