I learned at an early age, that you'd do anything to survive, and live to laugh about it moments later.

Such was the case on a hot summer day in 1964 when we found ourselves driving across the Mojave Desert in a foreign, convertable, sports car that felt like my shoes were three sizes too small.

We had only intended to check out the max speed of this hot little foreign convertable but somehow we managed to reach Barstow, California at a cruising rate of about 60 miles per hour.

It was hot and we had no top and the passing breeze felt like a hair dryer set at max heat, but we saw a shimmering sign in the distance that gained our attention ........

"Las Vegas! Straight Ahead! $12 a night! Air-conditioned! Swiming Pool! Rooms Available!"

So we picked up speed and headed east on old Route 66 reading signs from "Burma Shave" to distract us from the unbearable rising temperatures.

Burma Shave could have offered an important PSA (public service announcement) if there was such a thing as "Political Correctness" back then, but BS was less than honest with the slogans on those passing signs. Would have been more better if they told the truth .......

It is truth if this be said, (then about 1/3 mile later)
Go on and you'll soon be dead! (then about 1/3 mile later)
Best to turn and go right back, (then about 1/3 mile later)
Or suffer real bad heat attack!! (then about 1/3 mile later)

BURMA SHAVE!

But those Burma signs never really spoke the truth. They offered no advice to save our lives and the lives of many others. They just wanted us to buy a can of shaving cream or whatever it was that Burma sold!

So, stupidly, and without proper guidance, we headed east of Barstow in that little sports car convertable with every intent of reaching Las Vegas safely and soundly within a couple of hours.

We realized our drastic error about ten miles this side of Needles, California where the afternoon temperture hit 110 and our bodies were sizzeling at about 130 or so. We were very very hot and the desert heat was showing its superiority by increasing its temperature every 15 minutes.

Two wayward souls heading into hell in a foreign sports car! A/C wasn't in most cars way back then and would have been useless in that convetable anyway.

Back in those days, Needles, California was nothing more than a gas stop and a Foster's Freeze and a lot of dried up , dead sfuff all around the place. We felt like we were soon to be permanent residents, so we ordered Root Beers with lots of ice and tried to bring our body temperatures down to a more reasonable levels.

We must have been a pitiful sight because the Foster Freeze guy showed us genuine concern and pointed out an nearby machine that dispensed fifty (50) pound blocks of ice.

"Only a quarter and it may save your life in this heat in that car ya got there!"

It didn't take us long to understand, so we placed a quarter in the machine and a beautiful, clear block of ice slid down the chute directly to our front with a resounding "KLUNK' in the desert heat and broken silence.

We bounced it on a desert rock that was bounced on many times before and placed about 25 pounds of it on the driver's seat and the other 25 pounds of it on the passanger seat.

From here on in we'd be driving in style! Or so we thought!

Las Vegas, here we come! Yahoo! (

Will, what can I say? you are definitely a story teller! I laugh every time you post. Have you stayed at Caesers since? and if so, have they asked for their 48 cents?

Wonder what would happen if you walked up to the counter and handed them the 48 cents now?

No, Carol, I never did pay that 48 cents to Caesars, but I did write them a letter to say that I was not going to pay it with a statement to them that if they sent me one more request, it would cost more than what they said I owed them.

So they wised up and let it pass, I guess. I never even got an "Et tu, Will800?" letter.

And not even a midnite knock on my front door nor any mention of the subject matter the last time I checked in, so I have to assume that all is well between Caesar and myself!

They don't feed you to the lions anymore. At least not in public like they used to do!

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will800

<<Back in those days, Needles, California was nothing more than a gas stop and a Foster's Freeze and a lot of dried up , dead sfuff all around the place>>

Nice story. FYI, Needles hasn't changed much.

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Bill in Santa Monica, CA

Ya! I still see dead stuff there! Maybe I
should write a movie.