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PART
I
New Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Thurs., April 16, 1925
It
is cold in April riding a motorcycle without a windshield,
but breathing in the ozone as we whiz along is most invigorating!
When sitting on the driver's seat and turning on the gas
I feel as if the whole world were mine. The sense of power,
somehow not the machine's but mine, is tremendous.
We are off at last, and such a time as we had hitching and
tying all our bundles on the motorcycle, before leaving
Brooklyn this morning! The passers-by must have thought
we were bound for the Arctic with presents for all the Eskimos.
In the bow, on the rear of the sidecar, behind the driver,
or in between, we finally found niches for everything that
we could possibly need during the year--books and radio,
gasoline stove and basket of provisions, seven army blankets
and a mattress, a small trunk full of clothes, a tent and
many odds and ends, including ourselves under several layers
of underwear and as many strata of sweaters.
Our friends and relatives bid us goodbye as if in truth
we were headed for the Arctic, for most of them considered
it just as wild and crazy an undertaking. No doubt they
are right for we both tossed up good jobs and have but slim
funds for a long trip, planning to stop and earn more as
soon as we run out.
He has a definite plan to make the trip useful in a business
way, and has taken along to study four huge Moody's Manuals
on industry, each as large as an unabridged Webster. Crazy
or not, it is fun to have the open road and unknown adventures
ahead!
When it began to rain soon after leaving Brooklyn, we did
not mind too much, for both of us wore home?made waterproof
zippered coveralls that keep out wind and wet, and every
box and bundle has its waterproof cover, laboriously home-made
out of army shelter?halves.
The preparation for this trip has taken some time. A mattress
filled with kapok is warm and soft and yet so light it can
be rolled into a small bundle. Seven army blankets sewn
together on three sides make a fine sleeping-bag, better
than the store ones for we can choose the proper layer according
to the weather, under one on warm nights and four or five
on cold ones, and each morning they can be turned inside
out to air and rotate their use. A toilet article kit made
out of black oilcloth, lined with rubber and bound with
gray tape, looks quite stylish and has plenty of room for
pajamas and towel besides the toilet articles. Our food
is all in waterproof oiled silk bags which occupy very little
space. It would seem we are well prepared for rain or cold.
About fifty miles from home the trunk began to rattle and
bounce, so we hunted up a blacksmith and had him install
an iron brace extending forward from the trunk rack to the
back of the driver's seat and on to this brace the trunk
was belted. We hope it will turn out to be as satisfactory
as now it appears to be.
This took time and together with a late morning start it
was nearly dark when we reached Poughkeepsie. Luckily we
found a splendid spot for our first camp, a glade in the
woods beside a brook and quite sheltered from the wind.
Violets, both yellow and blue ones, spatter the grass in
front of the tent and bloodroots whiten the hillside.
After studying the whims of our new gasoline stove, lighting
it many times only to have it blown out by the wind again
and again, we finally caught the knack and ate supper in
front of a roaring fire. We could hardly wait till dark
to try out the electric light in the tent which Bill hooked
up to the motorcycle battery. So right after supper we crawled
under the blankets to read for several hours while listening
to the radio, a superheterodyne which Bill had made himself.
Such comfort and luxury for motorcycle hobos!
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