 
Tponetom
Member
Username: Tponetom
Post Number: 28
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 6:58 pm: |    |
Jubilation and Melancholia
July, 1945. We were looking forward to our Senior year at St. Joe’s. I suggested to two of my
classmates Dan and Vinnie that we take a camping trip to the Upper Peninsula for a week or so,
They agreed. We had no experience with camping. We had a tent, a fry pan, charcoal and other
utensils and somehow managed to do a decent job of it. Dan had his ‘36 Ford with suspicious
tires but it ran well and we had no trouble with it. At my persuasion, we were smart enough to
buy plenty of black market gasoline ration stamps. If we did not use them all, we could sell all of
them sooner or later when we got back home. On August 10, we arrived in Mackinaw City and
boarded the car ferry that would take us across the Straits to St. Ignace. That was always a
delightful ride. Our destination was the Straits State Park which was/is still located right next to
the, then, yet to come, Mackinac Bridge. On the third day or so we were doing well, until we
turned on the car radio and picked up a Detroit (WJR?) Station. We heard nothing but
BEDLAM. Horns, sirens, music and unintelligible voices. Japan had surrendered! V-J Day was
going full blast in Detroit and we three sad sacks were light years away from all the celebrations.
What we did hear, was that gas rationing was over with. You could buy all the gas you wanted.
Dan and Vinnie looked at me and one of them said, “Maybe we should find some small town
where they don’t have a radio, and sell them our ration stamps at a discount..” I never lived it
down. |