Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Happy Birthday Daddy


When I was a kid we had a Twuck… it was a Chevy Carryall that started life as a school bus and ended life as a camper.  The front seat was a bench seat with a pull down entrance on the passenger side.  The back seat was empty space for a cooler and a bed.  My dad built the bed, with storage under it and enough room for my sister and I to roll around in the back sharing space with Zorro the German Shepard.

I learned to drive in the Twuck…  First sitting on my dad’s lap to learn how to steer and then with pillows under my bum and behind my back so I could see over the dash board and be far enough forward to reach the pedals.

Trips usually started early enough for my mom, my sister and I to crawl in the back and sleep for the first few hours until my dad decided to pull over for breakfast, then it would be back into the truck pillows propping me up as I read or just stared out the window watching the side of the road or playing the I spy game with my sister.

We bought Moby with the same design plan in mind.  Room in the front for a portable fridge and space enough in the back for a bed with storage under it.  I know my dad is laughing that we are bringing a portable fridge… half the fun of Mexico was trying to find ice for the cooler.  He is also shaking his head at the size of the beast, wider and higher than the twuck  but better suited to the height of my husband (my dad was only 5’10” Fritz is 6’2”). 

We hope that Moby will carry us as well as the twuck, that his 4 wheel drive will get us through rough roads and across streams (we don’t plan on being really crazy).  But mostly I hope that Fritz and I will have as much fun in our twuck as I had as a kid, when I first had a (mis)adventure.



3 comments:

  1. Hi Trish... loving reading this. When Donny and I sold everything and moved to Indonesia in 2004, I started keeping a blog too. It was a great way to keep in touch and to be able to reflect on things - as well as work some things out. Complicated moving to a third-world, Islamic, Asian country - literally all the way around the globe!

    I remember the twuck too... and your dad letting me drive it before he "should" have! I still have a very light scar on my shin from where the spring-loaded clutch got me once when my foot slipped off of it!

    I only went on that one trip with you guys down to Bahia de Los Angeles when we were - what - 15? But, wow, what a dense week or two of, as you say, (mis)adventures that was! So very, very memorable... one of those experiences, along with moving to Indonesia, that make me think - yeah, I've LIVED! No question about that. And your dad was a great role model in that way!

    Looking forward to reading...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Trish and Fritz!

    We're slowly catching up on your blog posts up here in Vancouver. Loving reading the trip prep posts because it's the same stage we're at right now! The truck looks like it's a great platform for the trip!

    Richard and Ashley

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Richard and Ashley,
    So glad to hear that there will be others behind us! When do you leave? How long is your trip? If we can help you with anything let us know!
    Trisha and Fritz

    ReplyDelete