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Show (In 1933, when the first driving licenses were issued in the State of Utah, John K, Virginia, and family members registered and received their first licenses in the office set up in Moroni for that purpose. Those were later dubbed "Granddaddy" licenses). There were no improved roads in the first car-driving years, and after miring a few times people learned that cars were only feasible for summer use. In the fall they were jacked up to ease the heavy weight on fragile tires, and left on stilts in barns or new garages until the next spring produced dry roads again. The first improved section of road between Mt. Pleasant and Salt Lake was a five or six mile strip in the Lehi area, and John K detoured for it. Before long another five-mile strip or so was improved, and then another. Throughout the following years there were always detours for road work of some kind. John K often remarked that they had earned all of the good highways of later years by their constant detouring enroute from Mt. Pleasant via Nephi to Salt Lake and back. Highway 89 via Thistle was unimproved until a later time, but occasionally, John K chose to drive that route-a narrow, winding, much slower wagon road. Always one puncture and often more could be expected on the roadways in those days of travel. Nails were most often responsible-or sharp bits of glass. But tires were frail- even less sturdy than motorcycle tires of later times and of 163 |