But the trip soon turned into more, for them and in the public imagination. Mr. Kesey, who had tasted LSD in government trials, wanted to share it with the masses. A pitcher of LSD-laced orange juice was a staple of the bus refrigerator. The Pranksters put on LSD parties known as Acid Tests. The bus, nicknamed Further and painted in psychedelic colors, became a counterculture icon.
Every kid understands it.
We are keepers of the flame of Cassady. He died along a Mexican railroad track in 1968. The story would not be clear without Mr. Wolfe's book. But the images create an intimacy that makes the characters seem forever young, at a time when gas cost 28 cents a gallon. In California oil fields, a highway patrolman pulls them over, but never suspects these college youths dressed like Tommy Hilfiger are packing LSD and marijuana.