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Day 16 - SAN FRANCISCO!!!
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From the Diary of Eagle Scout Bernard R.
Queneau Member of the 1928 Lincoln Highway BSA Lincoln Highway Promotional Tour Telegram Sent by Bernie to his mother on Wednesday, August 5, 1928 - ARRIVED AT GOLDEN GATE 324 FINE TIME STOP RECEIVED YOUR LETTER WILL WRITE TONIGHT AM SENDING PACKAGE PLEASE OPEN STOP MONEY BY WESTERN UNION BOY SCOUT HEADQUARTERS LOS ANGELES EXPECT SPLENDID TIME HOME BY SOUTHERN ROUTE EXPECT TO FLY AT LOS ANGELES BUY CLIPPINGS FROM NEW YORK FIRM HOPE ALL WELL. |
| Monday -
September 1st Our last day of the Tour is bright and sunny – we seem to have a golden bubble of great weather that has been surrounding us all the way. There is a surprise parked out in front of the hotel – a recreation of the 1928 Reo Speedwagon that carried Bernie and the other Boy Scouts on their cross-country trip seventy-five years ago! He hasn’t seen it yet – I wish I could hang around to catch his expression, but we need to get on the road. The hotel breakfast is a little pricey, so we leave early and plan to find a place to eat on the way. Trusting fools John and Vicky Peters fall in behind us in the 1959 Caddy – they think we know where we are going! We quickly correct that error in judgment by making a wrong turn trying to follow a Denny’s sign. |
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Umm – we aren’t lost. This is the scenic route. Yeah, right. The twisting country road offers some beautiful scenery as we drive on – and on – and on. There is no place to turn Sophie or the big Caddy around, so we relax and enjoy the farms and wineries that extend from both sides of the road as far as we can see. Happily, we have been followed by one of the California people who joined the Tour for this last day. He not only has a local map, he knows how to read it! In short order, we are actually on the planned Lincoln Highway route, where we find a good place for gas and coffee. With the ceremony in Lincoln Park planned for 2:30, we decide to skip the presentation ceremony being held in Davis, CA. So while the Peters and our map-bearing rescuer turn off of I-80, we press on to the lunch stop in Vallejo, CA. |
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The festivities in Davis are really nice, according to Bob and Shirley Woolfitt (who also provided me with photos. Taking place in front of the beautiful city courthouse building, the ceremony celebrating the history of the Lincoln Highway, and the Mayor of Davis Suzie Ward presented tour host Rosemary Rubin with a proclamation honoring the tour and the efforts of the Lincoln Highway Association. Davis has gone all out, with a parade that includes a wagon train, cowboys, and antique cars. There are two very special guests at the podium – former Boy Scouts who worked with our own Bernie when he came through their town in 1928! Unfortunately, Bernie and Esther have also chosen to go straight to the lunch stop, and miss the reunion. |
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Meanwhile, back in the renegade Packard, we make our way to USA World Classics in Vallejo, where we are guests of RM Classic Auctions and Buck Kamphausen for lunch and a tour of an unusual collection of vehicles that include a horse-drawn popcorn wagon to a 1920s taxi cab in full regalia. A group gathers to discuss directions and possible routes into San Francisco. Radio reports indicate heavy traffic, and getting the last 40 miles to Lincoln Park may be a real ordeal. Part of the problem with Sophie lies in the city’s steep hills. While the Packard has been a wonderful road car, mechanical brakes and more than 5,000 pounds to stop make for a bad combination in steep grades. We are going to take a much longer route around the outer edge of San Francisco and Fisherman’s Wharf on a holiday. |
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As we get ready to leave, Bernie and Esther are also heading out. They have not seen the recreated Speedwagon yet, so I actually do get to witness their reaction when they see the unusual vehicle out in the museum parking lot. Bernie is delighted. “I never thought I would see this again. It looks wonderful.” He climbs up on the trailer and poses for photos, and then talks about his memories of truck. “It had wooden benches for us to sit on – everything we owned was piled inside. The dust would come in as we bounced down the road.” Figuring that he spent weeks in those conditions, I am surprised he isn’t throwing stones at the truck! |
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We get back on Interstate 80, with slow learners John and Vicky still trailing us in the Cadillac. In short order, the skyline of San Francisco is rising up from the mist ahead, and for the first time today I start to get excited. We’re really here! In order to reach the city, we ride over the 1927 Carquinez Bridge, which is being replaced by a new bridge currently under construction. It will soon exist only as a photograph and a footnote in the history of the Lincoln Highway that we are celebrating today. We take the exit into downtown San Francisco and wind our way to the water’s edge. Bumper-to-bumper traffic inches all the way along the waterfront, which is packed with tourists. Sophie generates a lot of attention, and behaves like the lady she is. The variety of people is staggering – every thing you can imagine, and a few you’d rather forget. |
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As we get close to the park, following the maps and instructions carefully. We are all excited now – especially when the Lincoln Park sign appears on the right. The stately Packard sweeps up the long drive towards the Legion of Merit Hall at the top of the hill. Suddenly – there it is. A troop of Boy Scouts and many of the other Tour cars are already waiting as we pull into the circle. We had hoped to be one of the first, but had been thwarted by the heavy traffic of our flatter route. However, it turns out that our parking spot has been saved – directly next to the Terminus Post that marks the end of our journey. Our flamboyant and faithful Sophie is guided into position right behind the Speedwagon. Bill sets the brake, reaches over turn off the engine, and we sit there a moment. Then Ken pipes up. “Are we there yet?” |
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Then it is time to get out and celebrate with other tour participants. Cars keep rolling in as preparations are made for the rededication ceremony. Rad and Marge Tillett had beat us there, which leaves only the Woolfitts unaccounted for. Sure enough, they roll up a few minutes later, completing the TRAACA contingent. Eventually, all the cars are there but one – J.R. Manning and his 1929 Model A. The most moving part of the day is seeing Bernie pose with local Boy Scout Troop 17 in front of the Reo Speedwagon. In 1928 he was making history – now he is one of the last remnants of that history surrounded by kids who represent an entirely new future. I do find one improvement that gets a grin from Bernie when I point it out. This time he isn’t the shortest one in the photo. |
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Finally, the time comes for the rededication itself. J.R. is not here yet, but they can’t wait any more. All of us who have been on the tour keep straining our ears for the familiar sputter of Sadie’s 4-cylinder. Everyone else had made it, even Bob Martin with the ailing 1970 Cadillac has gotten a ride in Mark Magettes' 1941 Buick Century. Our hard-working co-hosts Bob Lichty and Rosemary Rubin call the unruly Tour group together for the last time, and the Director of the Lincoln Highway Association commends all of us on our accomplishment. Then he has Bernie and the top Scout of Troop 17 (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Bernie as a teenager) unveil the historical marker information plaque that will be installed at the site. And that is it. After two and half weeks on the road, hundreds of back roads, thousand of puns, the Lincoln Highway Tour is over. |
