Jason Lester Atkins (Les) was 16 years old and he had just gotten his driver’s license. His father, Jesse Clifton Atkins (J.C.), loaned Les his 1934 Ford and Les drove himself and his two younger sisters, Catherine (Age 14) and Bernice (Age 15), on a trip across the United States. They started at the Atlantic Ocean in Hampton, Virginia and drove to Atlanta, Georgia.
Then they drove to Texas and visited El Paso. They crossed the border and visited Juárez, Mexico. It was the first time the three Atkins teenagers had ever been to Mexico. For entertainment they went to a Bull Fight.
The trio then drove to New Mexico. Each teenager had a big rug which they unrolled at night, and they slept on their rugs on the picnic tables beside the road. While they were in New Mexico, they visited the Laguna Indian Reservation and Les took the picture on the right. Note the stone building and the wooden wagon in the background of the picture. Catherine Atkins (age 14) is standing in the rear on the left, and Bernice Atkins (age 15) is standing in the rear on the right. The four Indian children’s names in the front row are: Joseph, Josephine, Albert, and Raymond.
The three teenagers then drove across the Painted Desert in Arizona. There were no picnic tables beside the road in the Painted Desert, so they slept on their rugs on the ground at night. Then they visited the Grand Canyon. The Park Rangers advised them against spending the night on the rim of the canyon because of the danger of wild cougars. However, the trio were young and they thirsted for adventure. The Rangers told them to keep a fire going all night and if they heard the cougars or saw eyes looking at them through the darkness, they should immediately get back into their car for the balance of the night. There was a railroad track nearby and the trains burned coal to fire the steam engine. Les walked along the track and found some chunks of coal that had fallen at random from the train. He kept a fire burning all night while the three of them slept on their rugs on the ground on the rim of the Grand Canyon. They never saw any wild cougars. The next morning they continued their journey.
Their next stop was Long Beach, California on the Pacific Ocean. Then they drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco. There was no bridge in 1936 so they took the ferry over to Oakland. Then they drove over the mountains to Northern Nevada. There was still snow on the mountains in July. They drove through Reno and once they got onto the Nevada desert the road was 100° F during the day. The 1934 Ford had a flat tire and Les patched the inner tube using a cold patch. However, the heat of the highway melted the patch several times and Les kept having to replace it. Finally, they arrived at a small Nevada town which consisted of about four stores in 1936. Les found a spot to park in the shade and he waited for his tires to cool. Then they continued their journey.
They drove to Chicago, Illinois and they spent some time in the big city near LakeMichigan. Canada was on the opposite end of Lake Michigan. Finally, with their money almost gone, they drove home to Hampton, Virginia. An exciting summer adventure for three teenagers from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and from Mexico to Canada.
The thirst for adventure is in the blood of all Atkins offspring. It is the reason the Atkins family has a history of being the first pioneers in many areas of the United States.