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".

My Dad

My dad and I were seldom on the same page on many subjects in our years together. In many ways, he was a hard man to get along with, and often in a bad mood, as I remember those days. But now, in retrospect, and looking back from the perspective of an old man myself, he did a lot for me. For all his faults, he taught me a lot that I didn't appreciate at the time.
He was an excellent welder, electrician, and mechanic, and he taught me some of those skills at an early age. Those things I learned from him played an important role in my professional career, at several junctures, through the years. He was also the inspiration for my love of cars, though I didn't realize that fact until years after he was gone.
My dad was a farmer all his life. He was also an excellent fabricator, often making modifications and improvements to many pieces of farm equipment. If something was broken, he would fix it, often making improvements, and making it a better piece of equipment than it was when it was new. The stuff he worked on was always well finished, cleaned and painted, and looking better than new, when he got finished working on it.
The times I remember best, and when he taught me the most, during my teen aged years, were also the years we got along the worst. I guess that is just normal for a father and son, but I didn't realize it at the time. He actually did a lot for us in those days.
After 17 years together, the love of his life, my mom, left for greener pastures. He was never the same again. He spent the remainder of his life a lonely and broken man. He died at the age of 67 in a nursing home. I find myself thinking a lot about him in recent months, as I am now 67 myself.

My dad, Darrell D. Dirks, on an outing with us in Northern Utah, in the mid-1980's.

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".