Sunday Drives

Jon Sampson recalls:

From 1946 (when we moved from the 'Ranch' to Myrtle Point, Oregon), we would drive to Englewood, Coos Bay to visit the grandparents on Sundays quite often. Upon arrival, grandma (Sofia) would put on two pots of coffee. One would be 'Sanka' for the kids, and one regular coffee. Dad (Johnnie) & Eli would be having a 'snort' to start with, while the kids would be served Sanka (which we immediately 'laced' with a piece of whatever cheese was being served).

On at least one of those trips, I 'learned' how to drive in snow/ice conditions. (When going uphill, keep to the right - with your right wheels on the shoulder, and thus the better traction.)

Later, (from '51 on), the grandparents would come to see us 50 miles north in Florence. I don't know about the 'snort' which Dad may have offered, but about an hour into the visit, Grandpa (Eli) would announce, "Ma, time to go." .....and they would leave!

Eli always started his car 'with a roar.' That is, he was heavy on the pedal when starting the vehicle. I understand that Grandpa's vehicle lasted for a relatively short time for whoever 'inherited' it.

Sue adds:  "Lets we go, Ma!" and Eli would rev that engine so hard that Vake would laugh out loud.  I think Eli’s last car was Sam’s first car. If memory serves, it was a 1954 Ford.   Eli would have been 74 years old when the car was new. Now that  the eldest of us, Dave and Jon, are 71, and Jon recently drove across the whole country to attend our reunion, that doesn’t seem too old to be driving, at all!

Vake brought the tradition of a Sunday drive to his family. Besides driving to Coos Bay to see Sofia and Eli, or make an excursion to the beach,  traditionally we drove over Mapleton Mountain on old logging roads in the spring to see trilliums in bloom, and in the autumn to see vine maple turning red. And we brought along, and shared, a bag of those orange deep-fried corn curls loaded with salt—yum! I still associate those with road trips.