Three Broads in a Buick 9-21

    This is a continuation of a trip, Marge, Judy and I took in the Fall of 1978.  This was our first time to see the Pacific Ocean and the West Coast.
9-21-78:  Everyone slept late this morning and after baths and packing we went to the laundromat and did a couple of loads of wash.  Someone we met, told us the drive on the California side of Lake Tahoe was well worth seeing so we took it and it is beautiful.  Mountains covered with tall narrow pines and a small river running through.  The water absolutely sparkles and some parts of the Lake are a beautiful turquoise blue.  We passed Squaw Valley Ski Resort and saw men  in kayaks practicing for the Olympics (you didn't see many kayaks in Illinois at that time)  Lake Tahoe is a beautiful lake with a lot of gorgeous homes around it.  The road twists and turns.  Marge is having nervous spasms because occasionally we see a sheer drop on one side.  We stopped at Johnnies Restaurant for lunch.  We're on the way to Frisco now on Rt. 50  that takes us to the very top of Echo Mountain and then down.  It's gorgeous.
      Well, we finally made it to San Francisco.  We got here about 5:00 p.m.  We stopped at the Holiday Inn in Emoryville, which is about ten minutes outside of downtown.  Someone suggested it to us as a place to stay.  We have a magnificent view of the freeway from our room!  We drove over to the city in the evening, it looks really neat.  Drove along the pier and through downtown.  We came back across the Oakland Bay Bridge which is really something.  On the way over all six lanes of traffic were going to San Francisco and since we couldn't see another bridge, we wondered how you got back.  We found out.  There's a bottom layer to go back (such 'hicks' in the big city).  We ate supper at a Dennys Restaurant across the street and it took hours to be waited on.  We met a nice older Negro couple who sat next to us and laughed and talked with them for awhile (we all had the same waitress)  (Things have not changed much in 34 years, service is still bad at Dennys Restaurants - in fact I avoid them whenever.  I don't think it's politically correct to call someone a Negro these days and that "older" couple was probably younger than we are now.  Ah well, it's all about perspective). 
      Back to the motel and when we got into our room, Marge turned on the lamp by the window to sit and read, the bulb crackled and broke and our room went dark.  (she had blown out the fuses in a third of the hotel)  We sat in darkness until the lights came on again.  We called home tonight and everyone is fine.  Today is Leah's 21st birthday. (When Judy had called Bill, he was all doom and gloom, Michelle had a cold and somebody else had measles.  Judy hung up and told us what he had said and started to laugh and she said: "And I'm out here and there's nothing I can do about it!"  and she laughed some more).  I love my sister!