The previous ten about my workspace were pretty tame. When I think about driving, things get considerably more "interesting".
1) I once had both front wheels over a cliff. Had I not bottomed out, I would have gone over. I crawled carefully out the passenger side window, because the driver's side door opened into the air, plus I was afraid the door swinging out would cause the car to tip.
2) I once hit a large hump in the road going 50, and went airborne high and far enough to jump ten or more cars (seriously).
3) The same Toyota station wagon I subjected #2 to I also took up some of Colorado's gnarliest 4-wheel-drive roads.
3b) (I came back and added this). At one point, the radiator failed on the station wagon. I built a wire basket around the exhaust manifold and melted big blocks of ice all the way to Provo - 300 miles away. It cost me as much in ice as it did gas, but I made it.
4) I used to drive for Telluride Transit, and would go to pick up people who thought they were landing in Telluride and whose plane was diverted to an airport 140 miles away. They were furious at first, but by the time I showed them all the historical and geological features along the way, and huffed their luggage up the stairs to their condo they were mightily pleased. Tips were out of this world.
5) I used to drive for the off-airport parking lot Park 'N Fly. The vans had signs saying "Please Don't Tip the Drivers". The upside was it was a brainless job that left me lots of time to read and play my kalimba.
6) My Toyota station wagon shut down a 240 Z. Oh, was he annoyed!
7) I've permanently removed the back seat from my Saturn sedan, so as to have room for all our yard sale finds.
8) My woodhauling truck had no starter, no emergency brake and no left side rear-view mirror.
9) I almost always know whether I'm driving north, south, east or west.
10) I used to sleep in my truck. I wasn't homeless; I just worked such long days in the woods that going home wasn't an option.
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Comments: 16
"I once had both front wheels over a cliff. Had I not bottomed out, I would have gone over. I crawled carefully out the passenger side window, because the driver's side door opened into the air, plus I was afraid the door swinging out would cause the car to tip."
That #1 freakin' scared me!
#6 is awesome! Nothing like having a dragger with a sleeper!
My station wagon had high-altitude jets, and I was down in Phoenix, where I could get super premium. It just made the buggy scream.
My brother had a 1971 LeMans Sport, which was just a grandma version of the GTO. He had the engine bored out, added a NO2 kit and would take it on the Washington Beltway late at night. In the dark, these fools in Porsches and Mustangs would see Grandma's car. He would step on it, and let them disappear in his rearview window. He saved the Nitrous for Corvettes... Only cost his two rear diffy's, about 4 sets of rear tires and a lot of NO2 bottles!
Sigh...
I had a 1967 Chevelle Malibu convertible, in the Mailibu Yellow paint. The 285 (?) engine, with the autoglide transmission.
Damn thing rusted through from the floor boards up...
Had to get rid of it when my girlfriend turns to me and says "where's my purse, I put it right here?" pointing at my floor boards...
Still, loved that car.
Jan, there were many times where no customers would come and I put that time to good use indeed. I worked out several good tunes. Now that I have a challenging job I rarely pick it up. It all balances out I suppose.
Cheryl, I have written about the jump, and the other two links go to stories about the pickup without a starter. I think the cliff episode is next. It doesn't have me come off looking too bright though.