We bought our first new car, a 1969 VW, when my Favorite Guy was stationed at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho. We hoped to drive to the West Coast, to at least visit Uncle Don and Aunt Rose in Washington State, and knew the VW would be more economical on gas than the 1963 Chevy.
Then he got orders for Vietnam, so the VW moved us back to Iowa. While Guy was in Vietnam, his dad died, age 48. Guy helped his mother on the farm he grew up on, but I was still living at my folks’ farm finishing up a year of teaching second grade at Van Meter. The summer of 1970, neither of us had a job, but we did have an economical VW bug. So we decided to take the trip we’d never have time for in the future.
We were gone six weeks and put 5500 miles on the VW. And we stayed in hardly any motels! By the time we moved to Colorado, we certainly owed lots of friends a night’s stay. When we bought our first house in 1973, they began to take us up on just that!
I won’t run through the entire trip, but will highlight some of it.
Colorado and Arizona to California
We stayed with Guy’s Aunt Verda Walker Garman (his mother’s older sister) lived at Redondo Beach, California. Then with Guy’s Great Aunt Eula Kidney Byerly (his dad’s aunt), her son Floyd, and his seventh wife. Yes, seventh. We’d never slept in a round bed before.
We finally met Bud Neal, one of the ten children of Keith Neal (Grandpa Kenneth’s older brother). Bud’s real name was Merritt Winsell Neal, named for the first Dexter boy killed in WWI. Our correspondence began when I became interested in genealogy. Bud (Dad’s cousin) worked in printing and publishing and printed my very first genealogy four years later. Genealogy of Miles Marshall (1789-1868): Including Civil War and other letters.
Cousin Richard Scar was Aunt Darlene Wilson Scar’s oldest son. When Dick and Jan took us sight-seeing in San Francisco, I was sure glad Jan had another coat I could borrow.
Uncle Del (Mom’s oldest brother) and Aunt Evelyn also showed us the sights, including the winery in the clipping.
Idaho
From the San Francisco area, we drove through Nevada to visit former Idaho neighbors in Reno and meet a family named Kidney.
On up to see friends in Mountain Home, Idaho, is where Guy was stationed 1967-1969.
Washington
Next we headed to to SW Washington where Uncle Don (Mom’s brother) and Aunt Rose lived. Clam digging was off limits when we were there, so they took us to a cranberry bog.
We stayed with Guy’s Huber cousins and their four kids on Mercer Island. Supper at a Spaghetti Factory was a new adventure for us.
Canada
In Canada we stayed with Guy’s former neighbors (from Glidden, Iowa) who’d moved to Alberta, and enjoyed picking and canning Saskatoon berries.
Iowa
We’d never visited the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, Iowa, so we made a stop there on our way home. Six weeks and 5500 miles in a VW bug! (We drove that VW Bug until the driver’s door wouldn’t latch well and water sloshed from underneath when it rained.)
We stayed with folks nearly the entire time. A year later Guy got a job with the FAA in Denver, Colorado. You can bet that lots of friends and relatives stayed with us there traveling between Iowa and points west!
Since then, we’ve never had enough time off for an extensive trip until now, but we’re both disabled enough that we cannot travel. So we especially enjoy remembering that epic road trip the summer of 1970!
Now, THAT’s what I’d call the trip of a lifetime!
It’s a good thing we took it when we could!
I can see that!
What an amazing road trip Joy and so wonderful to have seen so many of your relatives along the way as well as making fabulous memories. Like you we are not planning on any long haul trips but we often talk about our adventures and that keeps our memories alive. ♥♥
Thank you, Sally. So many we stayed with are no longer living, but we were kids back then, huh!
Now that’s a road trip. It got me thinking about the longest road trip I’ve ever taken, and it’s nowhere close to that.
Thanks, Pete. It’s a good thing we did it when we could!
An epic road trip, indeed! I love all of this…and the fact that your adventure made it into the Dexfield Review-Sentinel is even more fabulous. It was a different time…one I rather miss! Celebrating adventures, sharing in local newspapers. 💝💝💝
Local papers from small towns recorded when folks visited another family! Vicki, there were years when they hired someone just to call around for news to put in the paper. I bet it sold copies, huh!
Oh my goodness! Yes! I’ve loved little discoveries about local “news” — learning about distant family members and their birthday or anniversary parties. Such fun! So wholesome, right? Love you, Joy! ❤️😘❤️
That was definitely the journey of a lifetime! Hitchhiking was big during that era. Did you pick up anyone?
No, our little WV was full enough, but you’re right. Favorite Guy used to hitchhike to and from college.
What a great trip, Joy. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Thanks, John.
What a great road trip, Joy! It reminds me of the 7-month trip our son took in 2024 that started in Virginia, up to Maine, then west across the country to our home in No. Cal. He visited national parks along the way and we were happy he had the chance to do that. We’ve gone on shorter trips, but nothing like yours or his. Thanks for sharing!
Seven months! How precious!
Never took a trip that far with our ‘68 Bug, but we did drive down to Iowa a couple of times. They were stout little cars!
We drove ours until it was rusted underneath and your feet would get wet when it rained. I declared my doneness with it at that point. I just reread your memoir. Just how many cars have you bought, Bob???
The count is forty motor vehicles when I include the motorcycle and the Vespa scooter which were my only means of transportation when I owned them in France. I have an album titled “My Rides: The good, the bad, and the ugly”. That will be the title of my fun book. I have photos of most of the cars, but I’ll have to use AI for a few that are missing. If I can create and publish it for free, I figure my grandkids will get a kick out of it, and of course you’ll get a copy.
I’m sure looking forward to it, especially after the stories you recorded for Our American Stories! This was written in 2018. We still drive the two I mention at the end, and Guy had a 2003 Corvette for six years during that time: https://joynealkidney.com/2018/09/24/five-decades-of-kidney-vehicles/
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What an incredible trip, Joy, and I’m glad to hear that you took it back then. Too often we’ve met people who waited until retirement to do those kind of things, but by the time retirement came they had health reasons why they couldn’t. I know it’s not always practical to seize the day and do it when younger, but when it’s possible we should. Nowadays Glen and I have enough health reasons that put travel out of the question, so we’re glad we travelled so much when younger – but we still miss it! Good for you for going for it.
Thanks, Laura. We sure didn’t have much money at that time, but we hardly had any motel bills on that trip.
Sounds like a great road trip to take. Full of memories I’m sure
Thank you, Sue. Memories and connections with all those people as well!
I love road trips, but definitely need the nightly hotel. It’s a shame the remake of the VW was anything but economical.
I sure needed motels after that trip, Jacqui! We later drove a VW Jetta, which was my all-time favorite car to drive, our last stick-shift: https://joynealkidney.com/2026/03/31/my-favorite-car-in-six-decades/
Now, that’s a trip! We’ve made some ourselves, but not that epic! Nowadays, we have to limit ourselves to 5 hours at a time, although we drove to Maine two years ago in two 11-hour days.
Thank you, Noelle. Enjoy traveling while you can!
That really was epic! I loved the old photos of you, especially. Road trips are the best kind, I think. At least in the U.S.
Thank you, Eilene. I agree about road trips! I really dislike flying (except for take-off, which is exhilarating–every time).
What an amazing trip!! I love that you got to visit Alberta and go Saskatoon berry picking. Great memories I’m sure. xo
It sure was, Darlene. It seems like we heard while animals howling at night as well!
What an amazing journey Joy. Ahh, life was just something different back in the 60/70s. 🥰
Thank you, Debby. I wouldn’t want to go back to those days, but I wish I still had that much energy!
It’s heartwarming to read this about you and your family, Joy. It’s wonderful that you had such good driving in your VW. Our first new car was a 1973 VW we bought in Denver.
They were popular and economical, weren’t they, Tim!
Oh yes. I paid just under $2000 for it, and I remember how shocked I was when I had to pay over $3 for filling it up with gas.
Thank you, Tim. Ours cost $2169.30 in 1969! Guy sold it to Jerry’s Bug Shop for $200. 14 1/2 years old, 140,000 miles.