60 Years in Alaska!

[Ron Thorne]

It's my 60th Anniversary! On this date in 1956 I arrived in Anchorage, Alaska in a new maroon 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 4-door sedan, along with my parents, an aunt, and a friend of hers. We drove from Miami, Florida to Anchorage in 5 days with a layover in Pittsburgh. What a crazy trip, driving the Alcan Highway, dodging rocks the size of small cars, eating dust and hoping it would end soon. I learned to drive and took my driving test in that car. Four years later, Patti, my bride-to-be, arrived from Ohio with her family. My, what memories between then and now.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Congratulations, Ron and Patti! Where do the years go?

[rlfun]

Ron, I cannot imagine that marathon road trip, but in such a cool car maybe not so bad. Anchorage or bust!

[timoleon]

yes,that seems quite a trip!
i wish you to spend many years more in that nice corner of the world.
and by the way,what was the soundtrack of this trip?
i hope the car had a radio and a bit of oscar peterson or the young brat, back then, miles davis, would be ideal for me.

[Ron Thorne]

Thanks for the comments. It's still a bit surreal, believe it or not.

I was just 12 years old (nearly 13), and hadn't discovered jazz yet, except for the occasional big band tunes I heard on the radio. Elvis and "Don't Be Cruel" had just launched, so was big on the radio during our trip.