Letter # 492 October 9, 1944

New Guinea
Monday eve
Oct, 9, 1944
Hello Luscious and lovely;
I didn't get any mail from you today so I now have a chance to continue telling you of the trip to the west coast.  Don't have anything to report from here either so nothing stopping me.
If my memory isn't fooling me I've covered it as far as L.A. and left it there.  The pictures that Bonnie sent have probably given you the general route of the trip.  I don't know but it seems I have written about this, did I?  I'm slipping too, I guess.
L.A. is a pretty city, anyhow, what little we saw of it was.  All the west coast cities are different from ours in that there are very few real tall buildings.  The cities are scattered out over a large area and those on the coast, like L.A. and Frisco are built on hills.  We think Akron has some hills.  Not even mole hills in comparison.  Sure is lucky they never have any ice or snow or the undertakers and junk yards would be plenty busy.
From L.A. we went east again back over the coast range and to Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, and into camp.  The trip over the mountains was scenic and interesting.  Didn't get very high up, about 4000 feet I guess but it sure was a long slow climb and we had two big mountain engines too.  The engineer's cab on these trains is on the front of the engine, so the engineer has a better and quicker view of the tracks on those winding, curving roads.  Funny looking things.  Seem to be going  backward all the time.  That must be one of the new things in railroading.  Never saw any like them before.  I can't get too enthused over what I saw of California's mountains.  Didn't even catch more than a couple glimpses of the peaks in the eastern range so I can't say much of them.  They say they are the really pretty ones.  The coast range is rugged and the roads as steep as any mountain roads I've ever been on but not pretty.  Very little timber.  What there is is mostly scrub.  It's either bare rock or covered with a brown looking grass.  Evidently good grazing.  Lots of cattle feeding all over the hills, small farms here and there too.
I think I'm right about this figure.  27 tunnels we went through in crossing that range of mountains.  Only one was very long.  I'd guess it to be a mile.  On the way down the east side and into the San Joaquin Valley we had some fun betting if the railroad we could see way below us was the one we were on.  It usually was but at the time it seemed impossible.  The old story about the engineer and the men in the caboose shaking hands when they go around a sharp curve could almost be true on that trip.
The trip up the valley was a repetition of some of the irrigated lands in Arizona.  Lots of fruit, oranges, grapefruit, olives, dates, and lots of garden farms.  I remember going past large areas of grapes too.  Grains, hay, and such are also grown there, practically all by irrigation from the eastern mountains.  It seems that the coast catches all the rain clouds and very little falls in the valleys.  The roads, cities, and homes up the valley are typical of any prosperous farming section in Ohio.  As we got closer to Frisco we saw snow on quite a few of the mountain tops.  Of course that was early in May. 9-10-11-12 to be exact.  The days were warm, the sun hot, but the nights cool or almost cold.
Got into camp at midnight and of course, true to Army customs, we must have a short arm and get a couple shots in the arm, before we could go to bed.  I had my overcoat on.  Remember how heavy it was, and was cold even then.  We stripped out in the cold and filed through the examination.  You can bet we were cussing at everything and everyone too.  Just like the first experience in Army life.
Got settled in time to get up again next morning and do very little but wait and play ball and such for the next two weeks.  Had a few little road marches just to keep us in shape you know.  One was about a 15 miler back into the hills.  That was one march I really enjoyed.  You know me and the hills.  Just can't stay out of them if there is any way to get into them.  Crazy enough to even like going on foot.
I went into Pittsburgh one night out of curiosity mostly.  I did go to try to find a crystal for my watch and to see what the possible accommodations for a wife might be. I was sure there would be no chance of you coming but, hell, a man can hope, can't he?  I was still hoping until I walked up the gangplank too.  Hope, and the things a fellow has to go back to are the biggest factors that keep us going on.  I for one, have so much to go back to that I should be able to keep going a long time.  I will too, but I don't like it.  I want my Mummy with me.  I love her and miss her like the devil.
The town was only five minutes from camp and was rather nice for a small place.  Not quite as big as Medina, I'd say.  Several hotels though and a lot of new "housing project" homes.  wouldn't that have been a set up for us?
Nice camp too.  More theaters and more and better P.X.'s.  Ice cream and milk shakes and cold drinks.  Gosh it sure was good by comparison to Polk.  The food was swell too.  I had nearly regained my pre-war weight while we were there, 190 lbs.  That's why you think my picture looked better than I had before.  I was me again, then.
You know about my visit to Frisco so I needn't go into that again.  Of any big cities I've ever seen, I like Frisco best.  Steve really showed me the town too.
Then Saturday the 27th we took off for Frisco by boat and transferred there to our transport.  Sunday we sailed out the bay, past Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge and out across the limitless, blue Pacific. It sure seemed limitless too.  Except for a few hazy outlines we never saw land again until the 17th.  That was New Guinea.  On the 20th we got here and still are here.
The 6th of June we crossed the Equator and had the usual celebration on board.  You've  read of the initiations and etc. pulled on all landlubbers.  I was only a spectator but I am sending in another letter the diploma I received to prove I've been over the Equator.  On Friday the 9th we crossed the date line and so missed Saturday entirely. Two of our boys missed having a birthday because of that.  Crazy but it's true.  Went to bed Friday night and got up Sunday morning.
Well, honey, I guess that brings us up to date on the travels of Sgt. Effinger.  For any more you'll have to wait until they happen.  Who knows.  It may be the Philippines or India or China next.  I hope it's the U.S.A. but I doubt it very much.
Night, my lovely.  Gosh that look sure gets me, honey. If it was only the real flesh and blood you, I'd be in heaven on earth.  I loves you so much.  Miss you too.
Your hubby.
Norm.