Ode to a Truck


On Saturday, I found a new hobby. This hobby could potentially cost a lot of money if serious amounts of self-restraint are not imposed. You see, I've always been a car guy. I like quick, little cars that dart to and fro like a featherweight boxer. So when we got a truck in December, this was quite the departure from my normal taste. (Remember the pictures of the Honda all crunched up? State Farm Decided it wasn't worth fixing.) When buying the truck, I reasoned, "Why would anyone EVER have a truck that wasn't 4-wheel drive? If I want to drive a 2-wheel drive vehicle, I'll get a sports car." And thus, begins the tale of what could potentially be a serious addiction.

Ever since driving the truck off the lot, it has been treated differently than any other vehicle I've ever owned. It doesn't get washed as frequently. It gets used more. It gets abused more. Scratches (within reason) are accepted as normal accessories to the exterior styling. For someone who loves little race cars, I can't believe I lived this long without a truck. I look for reasons to use the truck for what it's supposed to be used for - trucking things hither and yon.

Despite the good use I've gotten out of the truck over the last 3 months, I've never exploited that little knob that has some curious markings on it. What does "4-Hi" do?? And even more perplexing, what does "4-Lo" do? So with great excitement, I called my buddies Scott and Travis (see Travis' protrait to the left), and said, "Let's go get my truck dirty." We headed up to Lytle Creek which is in the mountains just below the Cajon Pass on the 15 Freeway. After about 40 minutes on the freeway, we pulled off and headed up into the mountains on a narrow winding road. We kept going until the pavement stopped. We got out for a minute, realized it was cold as stink, and got back in the trucks as the snow started falling. (It still amazes me about Southern California, that you can be in 70-80 degree sunshine, look up at the snow-capped peaks, and be frolicking in the snow in about 45 minutes.) Needless to say, where the pavement stopped was where the fun truly began. I give you the following photos as a small taste.

A good time was had by all. I also got to do my first donut in the truck. Too fun. It is easy to see how addicting the desire to reach tougher terrain can cause people to spend ridiculous sums of money on toys they are TRYING to break. I certainly don't have that bug, but I know I want to get out and do this again!

Unfortunately, this last photo shows all that's left of the truck after an unfortunate meeting with a cliff.