The Summer of Love

The year is 1967, the Summer of Love. This is the era of Rock & Roll. The Beatles, The Stones, The Doors, and Procol Harum are the top bands. Johnson is president. The Vietnam War is in full swing. Anti-war marches alternate with civil rights protests, often led by Martin Luther King. Gas prices are 33 cents a gallon and cigarettes are 35 cents a pack. A McDonald's hamburger, fries, and a shake were 52 cents. It cost 60 cents to go to the movies.

You are eighteen years old, you live in Springfield, Illinois, the state capital, and you're a senior in Springfield High School. You watched the television coverage of the Human Be-In in San Francisco in January. When Timothy Leary said, "Turn on, tune in, and drop out," his words resonated with you, and you decided to head to California over Spring Break.

Springfield lies on Route 66, the famous highway that crosses the country from Chicago through Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Santa Monica California. This is the natural path to get to San Francisco.

You leave without letting your parents know. Your friend has driven you to the highway just outside of town and dropped you off. You have $15 in cash, a driver's license, a backpack, and the clothes on your back. In the backpack is a change of clothes, two turkey and cheese sandwiches, a can of Coke, and a paperback book.

It is March 18th, 1967. It's 32 degrees. You're hoping a ride comes soon. You put out your thumb.

(Author's Note: I've started a tip jar over at Ko-Fi. Drop-in and say hi!)