John Steinbeck a 1955 movie directed by Elia Kazan and starring James Dean. In 1960, Steinbeck bought a pickup truck and had it modified with a custom-built camper top – which was rare at the time – and drove across the United States with his faithful 'blue' standard poodle, Charley. Steinbeck nicknamed his truck "Rocinante" after Don Quixote's "noble steed". In this sometimes comical, sometimes melancholic book, Steinbeck describes what he sees from Maine to Montana to California, and from there to Texas and Louisiana and back to his home on Long Island. The restored camper truck is on exhibit in the
Janet Steinbeck Janet Steinbeck Janet May Steinbeck (born 27 February 1951), also known by her married name Janet Murray, was an Australian competitive swimmer of the 1960s who raced internationally in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, winning two silver medals as a member of Australian relay teams. Steinbeck was primarily a freestyle swimmer. As a 15-year-old at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, Steinbeck won a silver medal in the women's 4×110-yard freestyle relay. Swimming the first leg of the four-swimmer relay, she combined with teammates Janice Murphy, Lynette Bell and Marion Smith for a time of 4:11.1,