您能相信開車穿越美國只比步行穿越美國稍快一點而已嗎？這是發生在美國陸軍上校艾森豪身上的真實情況。1919年夏季，他自願參加美軍的橫貫大陸車隊 (U.S. Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy) ，旅程起自華盛頓特區，終於加州舊金山。這趟總共動員了近300人及幾十台卡車、摩托車及拖拉機旅程的主要目的在於決定一機動化的軍事考察隊是否有可能穿越大陸。這並不是一項有把握的賭注，因為超過密西西比河以外的鄉村道路變化很大，路面常會消失不見。1919年時，假如您想要到全國各地旅行，最好是搭乘火車！

Can you imagine driving across the United States only a little faster than you can walk? That's what Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower did in the summer of 1919, when he volunteered for the U.S. Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, California. A major purpose of this journey of nearly 300 men and several dozen trucks, motorcycles, and tractors was to determine whether it was possible for a motorized military expedition to cross the continent. It was no sure bet, because in rural areas beyond the Mississippi River, the roads varied from poor to nonexistent. If you wanted to get around the country in 1919, you took the railroad!

1 / 3 頁