Journal  February 5, 1953 (Jane)
Alarm didn’t go off this morning because I didn’t wind it last night. We left Bobbie’s at about 10:15 am. Stopped for lunch along the road – ate in the trailer. We were both delighted to have our home right with us when we stopped. Baltimore wasn’t as bad to go through as we had expected. About 6:30 pm we decided we’d better stop for the night at a gas station.

There was a little boy named Allen there. He came in the trailer to play with Les. I was opening a can of roast beef and he said,
“I know what that is – it’s old chopped up horse.”
I hope he was wrong.
Put the children to bed. We fell asleep during the evening – woke up – did the dishes and fell asleep again. This time in bed. We all slept like logs.

Journal  February 6, 1953
Woke up late again. We got ready and had breakfast in the restaurant in the gas station – a big stack of pancakes each. Finally got underway at 10:15 am. We drove until 1:15 pm. Stopped in a pine grove for lunch. Drove on until 4 – had a Dairy Delite around 5 pm. We stopped in Lucama, North Carolina for gas at a Shell station. We drove on but almost to the top of the first hill we were stuck. Roland tried to keep the car going to the top of the hill but the engine stopped. Consequently, we were stuck in the middle of the road. I got out to guide so Roland could roll it back off the road but the trailer wheel went to the edge of a big ditch. We had to stop with the car still in the road. Although we were tying up traffic in both directions no southerner would stop to help us “ yankees.”

In desperation Roland decided to prime the carburetor with gas. He told me to get in the car and start the engine to pull it off the road. As I stepped on the accelerator the carburetor burst into flames. Roland dropped the can of gas and lunged for the trailer to get the fire extinguisher. I grabbed the children from the car and waited on the side of the road with them until Roland put out the fire.

Finally a man from the gas station stopped in his car and told us he was sending someone to help. Soon a big tractor (without the trailer) arrived to tow us back to the station. The driver attached a chain (about six feet long) to the front of our car and to the back of his truck. We all got back in the car and he started off, immediately taking a turn down a very narrow dirt road with big ditches on each side. The truck took wide corners and went very fast. If he had stepped on the brake we would have smashed into him.

When we reached the gas station they told us they had sold us gas with water in it. We stayed at the gas station that night while they fixed the car. They had it ready about 7 am. The people there gave me the willies the way they looked at me. I locked all the doors.

Journal  February 7, 1953
We got started from Lucama at 8:45 am. Because Roland had said, “C’mon, it’s 10:15” we dashed out with hair uncombed, shoes untied, and took our places in the car. We had trouble all day with the car and the rain. It poured. The trailer swayed on the bumpy roads and driving was very difficult. The engine kept skipping from water left in the gas. At noon we parked in a drive-in movie for lunch. About 4 pm Roland had to drain water from the gas tank. He lay under the car in the rain while I put nighties on the children. Then we ate supper by candlelight on a slant with passing trucks rocking us. We called Miss Harmon in Charleston. (where we would stay that night). We arrived in Charleston about 9 pm. Exhausted!