King of the Hill

Being a life-long car guy had to start somewhere. I can trace my inspirations back to many small moments, back from a pretty young age. Small things that planted the seeds, and the many joys I discovered as a kid growing up on a farm. I was always around, and learned how to operate, many kinds of motorized vehicles.
As a young teenager, with two types of driving permits at age 14, I soon discovered the fun of driving on the roads and highways, away from the farm. With a school permit, and a work permit for farm business, I had many excuses to drive into town, about 7 miles away. At school, I soon learned that the girls noticed the boys who drove to school. And, I also noticed that the type of car you drove made an even stronger impression.
My teenage years were also the same time that that muscle cars, and pony cars, were being introduced to the American public. They made a big impression on me, along with the rest of the world. I was hooked. A "life-long car guy" was born.
I have wrote before in this blog about those cars that had a big influence on me at that time in my life. My Mom getting a 66 Mustang when I was 16 years old was one. I even got to drive it once in awhile. And, when I was 17, I saw my first 67 Shelby GT 500, the car that has become my all-time favorite Mustang. But, when it comes to the car that has made the biggest lasting impression on me, over the last 50+ years, that would have to be the awesome 427 Cobra roadster that Carroll Shelby introduced to the world in those days. In my eyes, it is still the "King of the Hill" of cars.
If you want more of my automotive story, check out my book, just follow this link: Grab Some Gears

"King of the Hill"  The always awesome Shelby 427 Cobra. (internet photo)

Southern Utah

I've done a lot of traveling around over the years, drove many highways, and seen a lot of different country. Just this week, we returned from our first trip to Hawaii, and now I have that to add to my list of places I've seen. Of all the different places I been, Southern Utah is still my favorite.
I guess that it's a pretty good thing when you get to live in the place you want to be. Our climate here is a drastic contrast to what we just experienced in Hawaii. The humidity over there suits some people just fine, and the less temperature variation from night to day, and season to season, is ideal for many people. As for me, this climate here in the American Southwest, is more to my liking. I like the dry climate and sunny days. A perfect place to be a "car guy".
The beaches of Oahu were very nice, and everything is so green over there. Here in Southern Utah, the red rock canyons and desert vistas are spectacular. Different people prefer different things. I am very happy to live where I do.  Thank you mother nature.
Anyone interested can check out my book on amazon, and even read sample pages,  just follow this link; Grab Some Gears

My 2015 Mustang GT , in the beautiful red rock country of Southern Utah.

April 17 th.

I have mentioned before that I like things that include the number 7, and especially the number 17. So, today is pretty special for me, for several reasons.
As most of my readers know, I am a huge Mustang fan,  and April 17 is National Mustang Day. This is the day the first Mustang was introduced to the world in 1964, a date most Mustang enthusiasts are well aware of.
On a more personal level, Jackie and I made our first trip to Hawaii today, April 17, and we flew from Las Vegas on Hawaiian Airlines flight 17. How’s that for fate?
I’m loving this.  Also, I like to make my blog posts on dates that end in 7, so this is perfect, April 17 th. is a pretty good day in my book.

Darwin and Jackie in Hawaii on April 17, 2018

Flying

For many people, flying is a routine mode of travel. Whether for work, or vacation, many people fly all the time. But for me, it doesn't happen very often. In fact, I haven't been on an airliner in the last 20 years.  Actually, it has probably been more like 30 years.
I haven't been on a plane since the increased security checks have gone into practice, so I haven't had that experience yet. And, the having to arrive at the airport two hours early to accomplish all that is something new to me.
I am used to traveling by car. I'm pretty good at that. I know how to pack my luggage for a car trip, and how to get everything packed into the car just right, so all the stuff we need is along for the trip, and easy to find when we need it. Not quite the same as traveling by plane.
We are in the process of getting ready for a trip to Hawaii in a couple weeks. Jackie and I have never been there, and we're really looking forward to the trip. All the plane reservations, and rental car reservations, were a new experience for me. But, now that all that is completed, it turned out to be not near as hard as I imagined. All the good advice from our family made it pretty easy. I think it's going to be great. I'm a long way from being an expert, but I'm working on it.

North shore of Oahu. (internet photo)  I'm looking forward to checking it out. 

Just The Other Day

In the past few days, I spent time doing some clean-up on many of the photo files on my computer. As I was looking through some of the hundreds of photos, I ran into many I hadn't seen in awhile, and I as looked them over, it kind of took me by surprise, how many years ago they were taken. It felt like "just the other day" when actually it was years ago.
I've noticed that more and more in recent years, as I have gone through hundreds of photos while getting ready to move, and then again as I have tried to get things organized in the new home. We have so many old photos, and I got rid of hundreds of bad, or meaningless ones, in the process, and still have hundreds.
I guess that is just a side effect of getting older anyway, but I have noticed time after time, as I look over these photos of my life, I'm often shocked by how many years have gone by.
That's one of the reasons that I am proud of the effort I put into writing my book, and documenting some of my life experiences for a time when I can't remember so well what it was like to have lived it. My book contains about 40 color photos, and now I think that was a good thing, though, in reality, it wasn't "just the other day".
Anyone who may be interested can check out my book and read sample pages by following this link; Grab Some Gears

My 1999 Mustang GT,  just the other day,  . . . actually,  it was almost 20 years ago.

The Lucky Car Guy

For almost as far back as I can remember, I have always loved cars. Growing up on a farm and ranch is South Dakota, I started driving all kinds of vehicles at an early age. I had school and farm permits to drive on the roads and highways at age 14. My brother and I had motorcycles, and we got a jeep for Christmas, around this time in our lives. When I was 16, my mom got a new 1966 Mustang, and I was lucky enough to get to drive that, once in awhile.
I had a 64 Falcon Sprint when I got married, and went into the Air Force. A couple years later, we got our first Mustang, a yellow coupe, with a 289 V8. Those were the first in a long list of cool vehicles we have owned over the last 50 years. I truly have been "The Lucky Car Guy".
I have known a lot of car enthusiasts over the years, but many of those people who loved and admired cars, never got to actually own and enjoy driving very many of the cars of their dreams. Some of them had a special car at an early age that they loved and remember, but, had to sell it to make way for the usual life and family concerns. I was lucky enough to have many special cars and trucks, all through the years of raising kids, holding down a job, and living the modest life of the typical working man.
 Over the last 30 or so years, the level of performance cars I have owned has increased, however, many of the best racing experiences I have wrote about in my book, happened while I still had kids at home. My kids are grown and have had families of their own for many years now. The most high performance Mustangs I have owned, happened after all the kids were no longer living at home. I guess that's the way it should be. When it's all said and done, all things considered, I think most enthusiasts would agree, I have been a "Lucky Car Guy". 
Anyone interested can check out my book by following this link: Grab Some Gears

"The Lucky Car Guy" ,  with the 2007 Shelby GT 500 I owned a few years ago.

The Road of Life

"The Road of Life" for me was always measured in the cars I have owned along the way. Being a car guy, and writing a book about my racing years, that is usually the way I have most often found to express my ideas of what is meant by life's highway. But, yes, there is a lot more to it than just the cars we drive along the way. It has more to do with the people who share the trip with us.
This being primarily an automotive related blog, I have touched on this subject many times before, and usually centered on the car theme. When the idea crosses my mind, I often associate it with the cars of a certain time in my life. But in recent years, things have happened that put it into a different perspective. We loose people, and that is the end of the road, for their earthly life.
A theme I see repeated by many of my automotive enthusiast friends is "Life is too short to drive boring cars" and I think many of us feel that way. I think of the car enthusiasts among the friends and family that we have lost in recent years, and I know that their enjoyment of the vehicles they loved had a real value, and added to their enjoyment of the years they had in this life. Our cars do play a part in making us who we are, and can add to our happiness in this life.
Anyone interested in knowing more of my story can check out my book, just follow this link; Grab Some Gears 

My 2015 Mustang GT , the car I am currently enjoying on this section of my "Road of Life".