Truck Love, from strangers!

Kent here, sharing with you about truck love.

Here in good-ol-Athens, Ohio, people have an infinite love for Trucks. New trucks, old trucks, shiny trucks, flat-beds, dooolys, trucks with performance dual pipes (straight out the back or straight up like a semi).....sport trucks, 4 wheel drive, 2 wheel drive, 4-bangers, Diesel and big v-8s.

Growing up, in the sub-burbs of Cleveland, I wasn't very fond of the classic pick-up truck. I did not see much need for them. I preferred sports-cars, and station wagons....and old cars from previous generations. Never did I dream about trucks. One might call me a "hater" of trucks, back then. I did not see much use for a truck bed, let alone 4-wheel drive. Yeah, I know it snows in Cleveland, especially on the east-side, with that Lake effect snow. But I learned how to drive in the snow with old-fashioned rear-wheel drive and 200 lbs. in the trunk. (I am not a fan of front wheel drive, and find it very difficult to "peal-out / spin the tires" for dramatic entrances or leaving).

So, it was not until I spent some time in Athens, along with a few significant trips to my mom's side of the family near Hamilton, Ohio (where my uncle Sturlin and cousin Larry showed off their old 60's model Ford).....that I began to develop my appreciation for TRUCKS.

In Athens, everyone owns either a truck or a Subaru. Its that simple. They both have very utilitarian value. Lori and I own a 1984 Toyota 2 wheel drive, 4-banger, pickup truck. It originally belonged to her paternal grandfather, then her oldest brother Keith. Prior to the Toyota, I owned a Mazda B-2000....which got great gas mileage. I could drive that thing every day for 3 weeks before I needed to refuel. [Once the frame cracked, I sold it to a buddy and he bolted the bed and cab together...and drove it another year or two.]


Owning a 1984 Toyota is a matter of stubborn pride for me. The engines on these Toyotas run forever. In fact, one of the teenagers that I worked with once informed me that he drove the snot out of his. He was quoted as saying, "You cant blow those 'Yota's up, I've tried". One summer, Lori and I drove all over the USA in our truck, and put 11, 000 miles on it in 3 months. So, 170, 000+ miles later, we are still TRUCKIN with our 'Yota.

Our truck bed was a rusty mess. So I got up the gumption to replace it with a wooden one. The other day, on my way to work, two elderly retiree's - husband-and-wife, slowly pulled up next to me in traffic in their new chevy malibu. They were both grinnin from ear to ear. He was driving and wearing what appeared to be a John Deere hat...and his wife gave me the THUMBS-UP. TRUCK LOVE!