Not The Olympics

Over the last week or more, most of us have been following our favorite Olympic performers, loving their victories, and sad when our people don't make the podium.  I'm always amazed at the years of dedication and training these people have to put in to get them to that level in their sport.
I have never been good at that type of sporting activities. I'm a "motor head" from way back. Most of us never get the chance to achieve Olympic style victories in our life, but many of us get our own winning moments that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.
In my fifty some years of enjoying automotive activities, I've got my share of victories. I have won my share of street races, have a trophy on my shelf for "legal" drag strip racing, and have many first place awards from the many car shows I have entered over the years. I've had my share of recognition while participating in the activities I love.  But, one in particular stands out as the one I'm most proud of. It's the trophy I won 37 years ago for taking first place in an off-road race held on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah.
I was driving the 78 Ford 1/2 ton 4X4 pickup that I had been "tweeking" for about three years. I had special ordered the truck with limited-slip axles front and rear, and equipped with the 400 V8 and 4-speed manual transmission. Just weeks before the race, I replaced the original engine with a modified and "blueprinted" version I had built myself.  The motor was a torque monster that performed flawlessly, and powered me to my first place finish in the 1/2 ton class. No, it may not be the Olympics, but to me, it was a pretty great day.
To read the complete story, and my many other adventures, check out my book at this link: Grab Some Gears

Vintage photo of me and my 1978 Ford, after winning first place in the off-road race in March of 1981.

Next Road Trip

There is always someplace we have had in our mind that we have always wanted to see, but somehow never seem to get to visit. Some of these places may not even be that far away from home, just a little out of the way, and maybe just a little more than would fit into a simple day trip.
For me, one of those places is Monument Valley, on the Utah - Arizona border. It was made famous in countless old western movies, and noted for it's spectacular landscape vistas. That famous location is less than a day's drive from our home, but I have never made the trip. It has never been "on the way" to someplace we were going anyway, and we never seem to get around to making a special trip just to see that area. Maybe this will be the year. I have been thinking about it for many years, maybe the time will be right this year.
There is probably a place like this near you. Somewhere you always wanted to go. Life is short, lets hit the road and go. I'm ready, are you?

Monument Valley (internet photo)

Beautiful Places

I'm lucky enough to live in some of the most beautiful country in the world. I get out and enjoy my surroundings as often as possible. I walk a beautiful canyon trail almost every day for my exercise, and we take short road trips once in awhile to enjoy the beautiful National Parks close to our home here in Southern Utah.
No matter where we live, there is some beautiful country near most of us, anywhere in the world. From the posts I see on Twitter, I know most of us have some favorite places we like to drive to and enjoy. Thanks to the many forms of social media, we can share photos of these special places with the rest of the world. I have been to some of the places I see posted on social media, and the memories are made fresh in my mind. The many places I haven't been, the photos I see make me wish I could visit as well.
Life is much too short. We all need to get out and enjoy the beautiful places near us, and as many of the far away places as we can make it to. Get out and enjoy. This is a beautiful world we live in.

On a drive, a few months ago, through the beautiful Zion National Park, near our home in Southern Utah.

This is "Darwin's Garage"

Yes, that's what I call my blog, but there is a real "Darwin's Garage", actually three different garages in the last 37 years. It's one of my favorite places to spend time, keeping my cars clean and detailed, as well as keeping the garage itself neat and clean. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I do keep things pretty clean and organized around here.
In my first garage, about 30 some years ago, I built high performance engines, restored a couple rare muscle cars, and performed mechanical upgrades to my racing cars. A lot of work was performed in that garage.
My second garage was the largest I have had, so far anyway. It was a nice big, heated, three car garage, with epoxy coated floor, and nice big windows. By the time I had that garage, it was more of a detail shop, and not so much mechanical work was being performed. Although I did still do oil changes, tire rotations, and some modifications to my performance cars.
My current garage, here in Southern Utah, is not as big as my last garage, and is mostly used to keep my cars clean and detailed. I perform very little mechanical work these days. It's a nice garage, with finished and painted walls, epoxy coated floor, and decorated with many of my automotive signs and racing treasures. I do greatly enjoy the time I spend out there.
Anyone interested in my automotive history, and past drag racing and street racing experiences, can check out my book at: Grab Some Gears

This is me, enjoying time spent in the real "Darwin's Garage".

Warmer Climate

As winter sets in over much of our half of the planet, and I see the reports of nasty cold weather happening to many of my friends, family, and Twitter associates, I'm glad I live in a warmer climate. It makes it much easier to enjoy my cars all year around.
I spent most of my life living in colder areas, and dealing with snow, ice, and freezing weather.  It seems like the cold weather lasted almost half of the year, though in reality, it was probably more like four or five months. But, it was way to much time to put up with weather that hampered my enjoyment of my cars. Though I drove my performance cars year around, there were many days that they had to stay in the garage, because of snow and nasty roads.
We've had this home in Southern Utah for eight years now, though we have lived here full time for less than four years. Even when our primary home was up north, I kept my best performance car garaged down here, so I could enjoy it when I was down on weekends and holidays. I quickly grew to love this climate, and couldn't wait to live here full time.
As many of my Twitter friends and associates talk about putting their performance cars away for the winter, it makes me appreciate my warmer climate, because I remember vividly what it was like living in the snow. I'm very happy I live where I do.
For more of my automotive history, you can check out my book at; Grab Some Gears

My Mustang and our Southern Utah home town. Snow usually stays on those distant mountain tops.

Finding Solitude

The end of the year, the holidays, the colder weather, and all that come with it, has always been a hard time for me. I have never liked crowds, dealing with a lot of people at one time, even like parties or large family gatherings. "I am a loner" !
We always hear that many people experience depression around the holidays. I think most of them are probably people who would like to be around other people, but find themselves alone around this time of year. I used to work with a single guy, who's whole life centered around his work environment, and everyone he associated with were the people he worked with. When the holidays came around, and everyone had a lot of time off at work, he spent the days home alone, and I think it was very hard on him every year. I know he got very depressed.
That's not me. I like my time alone. That's when my batteries recharge. I love it especially when I have something to do that I enjoy, like keeping my cars clean, keeping my house and garage clean and neatly organized, or just out walking in a beautiful, quite place, on a nice day. These things I enjoy doing every chance I get.
This year, at the end of a very stressful last seven months, I've needed that solitude more than ever before. I especially enjoy my walks in the canyon. I find myself taking more notice of the beauty and quiet, more than I ever have before. I do enjoy that time, and cherish it, and thank God for it.

Me,  enjoying the beautiful Snow Canyon State Park, near my home in Southern Utah.

Drag Strip Days

Readers of this blog, and those familiar with my book, may know that I was a street racer for over 40 years. During those years, I also spent quite a bit of time on the "legal" drag strip, racing my cars in the "street legal" classes. This went on for about a ten year period, between 1987 and 1997, and I still have a lot of the time slips, and a trophy, from those days. During those years, I ran four different cars on the drag strip near my former home in Northern Utah.
In the last couple years, we had a drag strip here in Southern Utah. I went out and watched the racing a couple times, thinking about running on the strip again in my 2015 Mustang GT. About the time I was ready to try my luck again, they closed down the drag strip, and started construction of large industrial buildings on the site. That was the end of that, and for my return to drag racing.
A lot of thing changed in my time away from drag strip racing. Now days, you see a lot of different vehicles, other than the classic muscle cars that used to dominate the racing. You now find way more large, hopped-up, diesel pickup trucks, than the muscle cars of the old days.
Just like the move from muscle cars to hopped-up turbo imports among the street racing crowd, I guess everything changes, even if it's sad for some of us "old-timers", that's the way it goes.
Anyone interested can check out my book at: "Grab Some Gears"

Vintage photo of me on the drag strip in my 87 Mustang,  in the late 1980's.