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-11-

way. The western plains were completely devoid of highway signs and as yet no known road maps were in existence.

The reporters, while a publicity threat in case of adverse happenings, also were a labor bonus for us.  We had, as standard equipment, a Graflex camera to take pictures of the trip.  We quickly made friends with the newspapermen, handed them the camera and asked, "How about it,boys. You take the pictures for us. You do it so professionally."  Each group gladly obliged. Our collection of pictures was superlative. Not once was it necessary for any volunteer cameraman to record a disaster...either happening or in the making.  Our luck held to the end. [[insert:]] N.P. [[margin note]] new paragraph [[/margin note]]

Flat tires were the prime bugaboo of the auto pioneers.  For the whole trip I had one puncture at ecactly [[sic]] three thousand three hundred and thirty three miles.  A beautiful sundown was touching the Cheyenne, Wyoming hills with a little golden cloud dust [[strikethrough]] when I heard [[/strikethrough]] suddenly came the thump that [[strikethrough]] meant [[/strikethrough]] spelled trouble.  Thanks to my excellent indoctrination at the Overland plant changing the tire was easy.  We had no motor trouble but two springs lost their tussle with some unseen gopher holes.  To the gophers bringing down the puffing mechanical monster seemed like a triumph.  Their victory was short lived. We stuck a piece of two by four between the spring leaves and limped into the next town.  It was never necessary to take a tow.  I'd have  pushed the darned thing rather than experience that supreme humiliation.   Garages, it's true, were few and far between and filling stations even farther.  Many times I believe we negotiated the last few miles of the day's trip solely on the car's reputation and my imagination.  The best top speed was 50 miles an hour on a hard packed lake bed in Nevada. [[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]] The best single day's mileage was [[strikethrough]] 260 [[/strikethrough]] two hundred sixty.  The worst [[strikethrough]] was [[/strikethrough]] mileage a miserable [[strikethrough]] 14 [[/strikethrough]] fourteen.  I'd say that every mile of the [[strikethrough]] 14 [[/strikethrough]] fourteen was recorded with a few drops of my heart's blood.A series of streams and uncharted rivers almost forced us to abandon the car and start doing the Australian  crawl.

Transcription Notes:
N.P. believed to mean New Paragraph