Going 55.... in These titles mean nothing.

In the spring of 1969, my husband bought a 1968 Olds Dynamic 88, dark gray 4 door, a monster of a car, beautiful, tricked out and tricky. How we had enough money to buy a year old ‘luxury’ car and the poor judgement to do it makes my old head reel. It cost $4000. We traded in the ‘63 Holiday and perhaps we had some odd windfall money to have down payment? As I recall part of the justification was that $4000 was what a NEW more modest Chevy would have cost.

My husband loved Oldsmobiles. He liked big engines and smooth lines. His best friends drove them - there were a set of 1957 pink and pink and white two toned Olds around town. Olds were stylish cars and more expensive and just more CAR than Chevys.

In 1969 my husband had a real job, our trailer payment was only $65, we had this beautiful car - its payment was about $95 , and if we were - not on top of the world, as close as we ever got. We decided to take a trip and conceive a second child.

It turned out to be the richest we ever were.

We borrowed a 9’ x 9’ umbrella tent and a camp stove from my husband’s boss. We bought sleeping bags and air mattresses, and we could stay in motels too. Options, galore.

It was our great trip west.

The target was his USMC pal who lived with his family in San Rafael CA. They’d been big friends, spending their service time mostly at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. My husband had bought his wife’s wedding ring. And he was friends with her and her family too. Pinochle and golf were their games. My husband had a kind of cushy term in service of our country. His excitement was the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the whole garrison loaded up on Navy ships and headed to Cuba. In short order.

We angled down to San Diego and up the coast to Seattle, then home across the mountains and the plains. His friends were great and we saw and did wonderful things. And we went 55 miles per hour. It was my husband’s idea. He said it would save gas and be safer and we could see things. We weren’t in a hurry anyway. The car had a 450 plus cubic inch engine. Who knows how much 55 saved us but I love that we tried it.

Last updated June 29, 2022