The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-14

from
Indiana
APRIL ID, 1896
ERNIE PYLE

EDITORS SoTE-This rowing reporter
for The Times goes where he pleases.
when he pIeases. in search Of odd stories
about this and that.
MEXICO CITY, April 14.-Here
WI is the box score land a little
coaching from third base) on the
Pan-American Highway to Mexico
City:
TIME took five days, on pur-
pose Actual driving time % hours.
Could do it in three days without
pushing.
ROAD-Total. 760 miles. Smooth
macadam for 600 miles. Wide and
level No crown. No roller coaster"
pavement. Could do 80 on most of
it. Speed limit is 48. Didn't see
a motorcycle cop the whole trip.
Remaining 100 miles gravel,
crushed rock, some clay. Passable in
any weather. About so miles pretty
tough going. Five bridges being
built-four circled by detours. one
by pontoon bridge $50 centavos).
No other tolls. No ferries.
STOPPING PLACES-Hotels and
tourist courts. Farther down. the
courts are better than hotels. Quail
ity of both is O. k. Quantity made
quate. If you pick your spots ahead
on the map, and get there early.
you will find place to stay. In
four nights we had good beds every
night, no hot water three nights, no
electricity one night. Not single
place that gave you lost" feel
ing. Every place absolutely clean.
PRECAUTIONS - Before leaving
i Texas, you are warned about
food and water. 1t Scares you.
Don't be scared. just be cautious.
You can tell by the looks of most
any place whether the food and
water is safe.
PERSONALITY" OF ROAD -
You won't get lonesome. You'll see
somebody nearly every mile. Vii
lagos are frequent, even in the
mountains. Everybody walks. Hun
dreds of walkers on the road. Mexi-
can people are friendly, and cour-
teous.
Hundreds of cows and burros
grazing along the road. Look out.
These cows won't move. They love
to stand in the road. If you de-
molish a COW at so miles an hour,
the demolition becomes mutual.
FACILITIES FOR CAR - The
guide books say to gas at every sta
ton you see. Nonsense. You'd be
casing half the time. The long
est stretch I remember without a
filling station was so miles through
the mountains. Elsewhere, at least
every 25 miles. Few rest rooms"
DICTURES-By all means take
l. a camera, and keep it going
like machine gun. Don't take
pictures along the border The
authorities don't like it. Anywhere
else, take all you want.
HISTORY OF ROAD--First
planned in 1925. Started from both
ends, leaving the hardest till the
last.
The horror stretch" won't be
macadamized for two years. Has
to settle first. But will be smooth
graveled in May. That will make
it easy driving. They've been six
years building this mountain Sec
ton.
Three hundred engineers, nearly
all Mexican, did the job. Ten
thousand laborers employed at one
time. Four thousand still working.
Total cost of roads, million pesos
(about $15,000,000) All along the
road, people say 1000 men have
been killed on the job. Killed by
slides, and trucks going over the
side Officials here say only 100.
One tourist was killed, a year ago.
COST OF TRIP-Travel in Mexi-
co is cheaper than in the states.
Gas and oil figure up about the
same. Rooms and meals less. You
can get good room, supper and
breakfast for two, for IA pesos go.
Our total driving and living cost for
five days was about $40.
y
WHEN TO coME-Hundreds of
w American cars have made the
trip already. We counted 30 be-
tween Monterrey and Mexico City.
The 60-mile stretch of unpaved
mountain road right now is an adj
venture, rather than a pleasure
tour. After May, it'll be smoother.
I wouldn't advise a nervous or in
experienced driver to try it. If
you're good driver and will go
slowly and watch the road, it's all
right.
I'd wait till this winter. Road
will be better. Weather better. All
facilities better. And practically all
of the native charm will still be
there. It'll take several years of
commercialism to wear that away.
So-for adventure. come right
now. For a pleasure vacation,
come next winter.