Across The USA by Dodge

Los Angeles

The real journey starts in LA.

What an amazing sight as the plane drops in altitude and flies low over LA with the incredible freeway system strangling the city. Then lower still and you see the cars on the local streets and all the people. Then the airport and touch down at 1615.

Through the terminal and here we go. You breathe in that red, white and blue air ... it smells like freedom to me buddy.


After a day that seems like it will never end but with the daylight now rapidly fading, I collect my baggage from the conveyor, show my luggage claim form to some kind of inspector and struggle outside, avoiding the luggage thieves that I'd read about. [Apparently they'll distract you by asking some stupid question or ask you to help lift up one of their bags and an accomplice will stealthily take off with your luggage into a toilet or somewhere, take anything valuable and be gone.]

Out the door into the "fresh air" of LA international airport. That song of Susan Raye's didn't figure amongst my thoughts. After another semi-anxious wait (will that bus come, has it left already, does it even exist) the Airport Cruiser (or the big silver bus as it's described on my voucher) finally arrived. Show my bit of paper to the driver, who was quite friendly, sling the luggage into the luggage hold, climb the steps and find a seat.


Out of the airport at 1650 and onto the streets. Whew, this is amazing, then onto the freeway and towards Orange County. An almost indescribable feeling. Here you are in another world, one you've only seen on TV or in the movies. And driving on the wrong side of the road.

"Next stop Buena Vista then Anaheim. Buena Vista next stop."
"Next stop Anaheim."

Wouldn't you know it, my hotel [I was booked into a hotel called the Jolly Roger Inn which wasn't anywhere near as bad as the name might suggest and was quite a classy place in fact and which was near Disneyland. They promote it as "across the road" from Disneyland which it was but it still takes a good ten minutes to walk to the entrance. There's this massive car park to traverse.] is just about the last one they stop at. So after dropping off numerous other vacation-makers the Jolly Roger loomed across the bow. Well, the bus seat actually.

"Jolly Roger, any passengers for the Jolly Roger?"

I dinged the bell and he stopped the bus, then helped me retrieve my luggage from the bowels of the silver beast and drove off into the dusk. I didn't give him a tip because I didn't have any American money at all in my pockets so he probably wasn't impressed. It's now 1820.

The place has a huge globe near the entrance and an inviting sign for the $8.95 prime rib special from 5pm to 7pm every day. Some other day.

I checked in, they had my reservation, took my voucher and everything was set. I cashed a Travellers check and tucked the greenbacks into my pocket. The key, sir.

I quickly found my room and opened the door. Nice carpet but a nondescript painting of a raging ocean on the wall. Then the TV with a box on top --- Cable TV, wow-ee.

Zap, zap, zap, look for a second, zap, look, zap, zap, zap. Unbelievable. There was no such thing as cable TV in Australia at the time so this was fun.

I settled on "Thelma and Louise" which I'd seen in Australia not long before and watched it again. A great movie that whet my appetite for the American scenery of Arizona/New Mexico.

After that I watched the news (a gang shooting in LA and a Californian earthquake were the features) then walked across Katella to a 7-11 on the corner and bought a newspaper (Orange Country Register) to get into the American feel and a quik milk drink to quench my thirst.





Chapter 3
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