Greg and the '73 Camaro, Vandenberg AFB, Spring 1974

 

I am wearing another of those pullover shirts.  This is the parking lot in front of a few of the barracks where we missile trainees lived while learning all about missiles in classrooms and in the missile procedures trainers on base.

Vandenberg was a marvelous base to be stationed at.  Without the gasoline crisis, I could have driven home every weekend, but I still was able to go home more often than not.

I brought up all of my possessions, books and record albums.  I intended to drive my Camaro back to Minot and have the Air Force ship all my stuff to Minot from Vandenberg. 

I had read about the Wherehouse stereo equipment store in electronics magazines.  They were located in San Luis Obispo.  One of the guys I was in training with and I decided to drive over there and each purchase four large Advent speakers.  We removed the back seat of the Camaro for more room, just in case.

In their boxes the speakers were even larger.  We managed to fit three into the trunk.  More went into the now-removed back seat area.  We had already moved the seats as far forward as we were able.  One of us had to carry the final boxed speaker in his lap. 

Since I could no longer fit behind the wheel, and since he was smaller than I, he drove and I tried to look out the side mirror on the passenger's side while he used the side mirror on the driver's side any time we needed to change lanes.  With a speaker box in my lap, I could not move, and the rear-view mirror was blocked by the four speakers piled high in the back seat area.  We were fortunate that we did not get a ticket.

I set up the system in my barracks room.  I remember listening to Joni Mitchell's newest album, COURT AND SPARK, testing the limits of the system with "Car on a Hill" and "Help Me".

When missile school was finally over, Tim McConnell and I decided to drive to Minot together, he in his blue Maverick and me in my maroon Camaro.

We spent the first night staying with Aunt Jean and Uncle Lloyd in San Leandro, CA, driving over to San Francisco for dinner in Fisherman's Wharf.  The following day, we took off north and east.

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