From the first day I sat behind the wheel of a car I knew then I was going to love driving. In the 1960’s and me in my 20’s was some of the most fun times driving.
I worked for a used car dealer. I was the book keeper, driver and anything else the boss needed me to do. But when I was asked to drive I was always ready.
He would purchase vehicles just across the line in another state, and have me drive some guys to pick them up. Sometimes he would send me in a Cadillac and other times a Lincoln. Can you imagine how I felt driving those fancy cars? I was loving it.
Other times he had me driving pickups, three quarter-ton trucks or two-ton trucks.
I have seen or driven trucks with part of the floorboard missing. One pickup with no driver seat only a large can to sit on. But we managed to get them all driven to the lot.
Once I was sent to take some guys to pick up some vehicles in another city. He sent me in his Cadillac. On the way back to the lot a gravel truck passed me going very fast. One of the rear wheels flipped a rock in the air. The rock hit and cracked the windshield of the Cadillac.
I knew the boss would be very upset about that. I took off after the truck and got close enough to get a tag number and another number on the truck. The boss never told me if he found the driver. He was glad I got the information and wasn’t upset with me.
One morning he asked me to take a guy to pick up a pickup on the other side of town. When we got there we discovered a man had shot him self in the truck and it had not been cleaned.
I felt sorry for the man that the boss had sent to drive the truck to the lot. Poor man drove with his head out the window the whole way. As much as I loved driving I was thankful he did not ask me to drive that truck.
In my lifetime I have driven vans, trucks, and several makes of cars. It never mattered to me what the vehicle was I would drive every chance I got.
I remember other incidents, but they are not as interesting as the ones I have mentioned.
The first vehicle I purchased was a Ford F150 pickup. The second one I purchased was a Pontiac Firebird. I loved that car and it was the most fun to drive.
Not long after I purchased the Firebird I moved to another state. I was needed to send out royalty checks from the place I worked at the time.
They needed me until they could hire someone. So me in that red Firebird drove every weekend for awhile to the neighboring state to get the checks out. I had to watch my speed because that car loved to fly. :) But I loved it and enjoyed driving that car so much.
I no longer drive, but if I could I would still love it.
This blog post was written after finding out a blog friend had driven an 18 wheeler earlier in life. Thank you John.