July 19, 1967: Happy Birthday!

Diary entry for July 19, 1967:

Left motel about 8:30. Got to L. A. 12:30. Finally found Wilshire Blvd after much driving. Then couldn't find motel. Checked into the low priced motel about 3. David didn't go to work. We ate a hot dog, rested, and then drove to eat supper. We are staying on Sunset Blvd. Terrible driving here and we are struck by the strange people. Boys with hair, girls with none. We are all very tired and worn out. What a birthday for me!

Yes, we finally arrived in Los Angeles on Mom's 26th birthday, "very tired and worn out" after driving for two and a half days. Dad wasn't a super romantic kind of guy, so it's no surprise there is no mention of a birthday gift or special dinner. I'm sure he got Mom something for her birthday, although maybe a day or two later. We were probably looking for Wilshire Blvd because my dad would be working at an insurance company somewhere on Wilshire. Maybe we couldn't find it because Dad was too cheap to buy a map. Another low-priced motel, but no mention of cockroaches this time. So that's a positive. Note the beginning of culture shock, starting with the hair styles of both males and females. (I assume Mom meant "boys with long hair, girls with none.") I recall being on the lookout for hippies for some reason when we moved to L. A. According to my mother I was not shy about yelling "Hippies!" out the car window as we drove down Sunset Boulevard.