HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 24 VOL3
OCTOBER 24TH 2007
WEATHER; CLEAR, COOL LOW HUMIDITY, 81 DEGREES
ANOTHER SLOW DAY WENT AND GOT A HAIR CUT AND LILLIAN AND I PAINTED THE ANGLE IRON TO BE USED ON THE ROOF OF THE DECK.
WE’VE BEEN WATCHING THE REPORTS ON THE FIRES OUT IN CALIFORNIA! I CAN’T IMAGINE THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION THAT IS HAPPENING OUT THERE. OVER 500,000 PEOPLE EVACUATED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY ALONE AND OVER 1,000 HOMES DESTROYED.
IT REALLY HIT ME CLOSE TO HOME WHEN THEY SHOWED THE HOMES BURNING IN NEWHALL, ONE MAN, LARRY HIMMELL A REPORTER HAD TO STAND BY AND WATCH HIS HOME GO UP IN FLAMES!
I TOLD LILLIAN IT REALLY HIT HOME ANOTHER WAY, I USED TO RIDE MOTORCYCLES ALL OVER THE HILLS AND VALLEYS AROUND THERE WITH BILL MASON AND DICK CLARK INFACT 6 OF US STARTED TO RIDE ALL THE WAY TO LAS VEGAS FOLLOWING THE HI-TENSION POWER LINES THROUGH THE SAND THE TWO HARLEY RIDERS GAVE UP AFTER WE HAD TO PUSH THOSE HEAVY MACHINES OUT TO THE ROAD IN THE FIRST HOUR BUT THE FOUR OF US LIMEY BIKE RIDERS WENT ON, WE CAMPED OUT THE FIRST NIGHT UNDER ONE OF THE FOUR LEGGED STEEL TOWERS. WE MADE VEGAS THE NEXT DAY JUST BEFORE DARK AND STAYED IN THE DESERT INN PARKING LOT. WE ATE AT THE CHUCK WAGON THEY HAD EVERY NIGHT, ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $1.00 BUT YOU BETTER NOT LEAVE ANYTHING BUT BONES ON YOU PLATE OR YOU PAID $10.00 TO GET OUT!
ONE OF THE FIRST GOOD PAYING JOBS I HAD AFTER HIGH SCHOOL WAS DELIVERING NITRO GLYCERAN TO THE OIL WELLS IN NEWHALL. IT PAID $300.00 A TRIP AND BEFORE MY DAD FOUND OUT WHAT I WAS DOING I’D MADE TWO RUNS, $600.00
I TRIED TO GEY MY DAD TO COME OVER TO THE OFFICE AND SEE HOW THEY PACKED THE NITRO FOR THE TRIP. IT WAS IN A CHEVROLET PICKUP, ONE GALLON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED SUSPENDED IN A SPECIAL HOLE THAT WAS CUT IN THE FLOOR AND 200 LBS OF DRY ICE PACKED AROUND IT.
THE TRUCK HAD 14” DONUT TIRES WITH 12 LBS OF AIR EXTRA LONG LEAF SPRINGS AND SPECIAL SHOCKS. THERE WAS A CANOPY OVER THE BED, THE FIRST CAMPER SHELL I’D EVER SEEN AND IT AND THE SIDES OF THE BED WERE WELL INSULSTED!
WE HAD TWO TRUCKS TO THE CONVOY THAT LEFT THE OFFICE AT2:30AM AND A POLICE ESCORT ½ MILE BEHIND AND ½ MILE AHEAD THROUGH SAN FERNANDO AND THE HIGHWAY PATROL PICKED US UP AT THE SEPULVEDA INTERSECTION. THEY TOOK US ALL THE WAY TO THE NEWHALL TURN OFF AND THEY STAYED ½ MILE AHEAD AND BEHIND. THE ROAD UP TO THE DROP OFF POINY WAS THE WORST PART OF THE WHOLE TRIP
I NEVER COULD FIGURE WHY THE OIL WELL DRILLERS LET IT GET IN SUCH BAD SHAPE UNLESS THEY WERE HOPING WE’D HIT ONE OF THE BIG POT HOLES AND GO BLEWY!
THEY HAD ONE OF THE TRUCKS GET AWAY ON A HILL NEAR THERE AND THE HOLE WAS ABOUT 15FT. DEEP AND 20 FT ACROSS ALL THEY FOUND WERE THE DRIVERS GLOVES AND JACKET AND THE TAIL GATE OF THE TRUCK. NO BODY COULD FIGURE OUT WHY THE DRIVER DIDN’T JUMP.
MY DAD PUT A STOP TO THIS IN A NEW YORK MINUTE BUT LIKE I SAID I MADE $600.00 FOR TWO DAYS WORK. MY BUDDY DICK CLARK WHO GOT ME THE JOB WORKED ALL SUMMER AND WHEN HE QUIT TO GO TO WORK FOR PARAMOUNT WITH HIS DAD BUDDY CLARK IN THE WARDROBE DEPT HE MADE ENOUGH THE BUY A BEAUTIFUL 41’ CHEVY CLUB COUPE.
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SON MICHAEL WHO’S GOING TO BE 48 ON THE 25TH OF OCTOBER
HOWARD
SAY A SILENT PRAYER FOR THOSE POOR FOLKS OUT IN CALIFORNIA
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