MY MEXICAN VACATION (#67): In August of 1974, there was nearly a month between the end of my summer quarter and the start of my fall quarter. I would graduate after the fall quarter of law school and begin my life as an adult.
There was only one way to spent my last month as a young, free man. ROAD TRIP! I talked to my best friend, Joe Vinciquerra, and he spread the word. Soon we had Jim Sweeney, his wife Jo Ann, and his white Dodge van. Next to join the group was Rocky with his white Dodge van, and then Eric and his German Shepard, Satan.
All we needed was Chevy Chase, no one could have written a better National Lampoon movie script. We drove nearly 6,000 miles in 21 days. We left from St. Petersburg and drove straight through to Laredo, were we crossed into Mexico.
We were ultimately heading to Playa de Carmen to take a ferry to Cozumel. When in Mexico, we tried to never drive at night. When it started to get dark, we would look for a place to pull over. The vans were parked close together, with their sliding side doors open, and Satan on his leash between them. All in all, we felt pretty safe. We had hidden an old 32 caliber pistol, and for a while had 5 bullets.
One of our first major stops was in Tampico, where we bought 3 cases of beer at the Corona Brewery. After we started drinking beer, we got lost and spent nearly half of a day backtracking.
We finally made it to Veracruz, where we were going to sleep on the beach. It was stunning, with wide, white sandy beaches. I have always loved the Gulf of Mexico. Near sunset we watched a group of nuns walk down the beach. A rider on horseback came over the dune nearest us, and Satan was off in a flash, chasing the horse back the dune. Satan returned in 10 minutes with a very satisfied expression.
The next morning we left for Campeche and things started to get crazy. The following will be in a collection of short stories, “My Mexican Vacation”, but briefly:
Hitchhiking school teachers from France;
Out of control bus and the accident;
Dishonest cop;
“It was good practice for you”;
Jim’s truck impounded in Campeche for 3 days;
One armed Judge;
“You don’t burn money?”;
Invitation to visit France;
Parting with the French girls in Merida;
Chichen Itza ruins;
Playa de Carmen and the last ferry to Cozumel;
Night on the beach with the bats;
HURRICANE CARMEN hits;
Six in a hotel room;
JoAnn Sweeney (pregnant) flew home from Cancun;
Dangerous crossing back to Playa de Carmen;
South to the Belize border;
San Cristobal;
Constant stops and searches by the Army because of Eric’s long hair;
Found, but were afraid to approach, a whore house;
Washed out roads and bridges;
Acapulco;
Montezuma’s revenge;
Three row boats make a ferry;
Stuck in Taxco;
Colds and throats too sore and hoarse to use our CB radios;
Clouds and wrecked buses and cars.
It was a trip none of us will ever forget. The sound track was Jimmy Buffett’s “A White Sport and a Pink Crustacean” and “Living and Dying in 3/4 Time.” Great adventure, great friends, great music. Who could ask for a better way to prepare for the cruel world of adult life?
