The Sidney herald., 1955-09-01
Mrs. Fern FaIIOn
Reports On $500
Mile Motor Trip

Leaving here June Is I drove
south from jamestown, N. Oak.
on Tooth Meridian highway to Ok
lahoma City. I was driving thru
rain after crossing the line into
South Dakota, which became hea-
vier the farther south 1 went.
Radio broadcastS announced that
Okla. City received three inches
of rain that day, the 18th, I be-
lieve.
From there I drove east to FIJI
Smith, Ark, where 1 spent four
weeks visiting with relatives and
old friends and Schoolmates. The
Boston Mountain Amusement
Area, just to the north of Fl.
Smith and reaching the Missouri
line provides endless opportunities
for vacationers, including fishing.
swimming, INCORPORATING, picnick-
ing and any other water sports
you wish on the numerous lakes
IN the area. Including Oklahoma
and S. W. Missouri there are Is
or 20 lakes within a days journey
from Fl. Smith. I was so amazed
at the change in the area since
my last visit fifteen years ago.
The whole NV Arkansas has
changed from a pastoral stage to
an industrial area.
My daughter, Mrs. T. r. Chris
Jefferson, who some here will re-
member as Aline Wattes, took a
bus over from Wickenburg, Ariz.
TO drive over there with me. We
went first to Dallas, Texas, for a
day at my brothers home. I could
see a lot Of growth there since
was last there. A Six-lane speed
way circling the city center at no
point more than five miles from
the center shortens a trip through
the city from any direction.
1t was now July Is and very
warm. Aline had agreed to be
back with her employer within
four days when she asked for
time off to make the trip. She
had already used the four DAYS.
As we crossed the huge state she
decided she must notify them
that we couldn't make it in time
and came upon a card which
seemed to describe the situation
accurately. On a map of Texas
was the couplet, "The sun has
riz, the sun has set, and here
we are in Texas yet"
The next night was spent at
Skellytown, Texas. This town,
consisting of several villages, is
a location for Sicily Gasoline In
dustries: refinerieS, oil wells, and
carbon black plants. While there
my niece described a wreck she
had witnessed on Highway 66 a
few hours earlier in which two
men from Tucumcari, N. Mex, had
run under a trailer-truck of gaso-
line and killed both men and six
hunting hounds which they had in
the back seat. The next day as
we came in toward Tucumcari
we passed two very, very road
weary hunting hounds keeping to
the side Of the road out of the
way of cars but very evidently
bent on reaching Tucumcari as
were. They we're very gaunt
for hounds and swaying
from side to side. If they were
iwo dogs who jumped from that l.
'ar in the wreck at Skellytown
hey had travelled $50 miles in
"a hours over road where we had
not seen a drop of water the whole
way and I do not see how they
could have gone much farther
without it.
We saw the location of the big
'Opper discovery near Grants, N.
Mex, and the construction of the
Dam. The beehive ac-
around Grants and BlueWat-
r seems a good deal like it was
It Ft. Peck in the early days, ex-
ept that this is a privately owned
%'roject, being done by the Ana
onda Co.
We drove through rain all that
fternoon which surprised me as
had understood this was a dry,
-eSert country. 1t rained also the
ext afternoon. We drove into
Vickenburg, Ariz., in the rain. We
we're treated to a nice cooling
ownpour several evenings during
he two weeks I spent there and
7ord has come that it has rained
every afternoon since. Who
avs Arizona is a dry country?
Nevertheless, the cool moist
reezes of Occur d'AIene, Ida,
'ere most refreshing when we
cached there four days later.
From Occur d'Alene to Sidney
raS an old story SO 1 came in
least possible time. It was a
ing drive but one I do not re-
ret as I saw a lot of country.
or n thing I was surprised to
nd that New Mexico and Arizona
'e not all n flat sandy desert
l had always supposed.