DRIVING THROUGH TIME WHILE NAVIGATING LIFE: An American Individual's True Story

“An American Individual’s True Story” is, in reality, a story about all of us and how we evolve through life without knowing where our lives will lead or destinations will end. For more than 100 years the very fabric of the North American dream has been tightly interwoven with motor vehicles and the personal driving experience, specifically with automobiles and motorcycles. That would indicate that every person currently living, and born on this continent, likely has a favorite memory that can be sparked by just seeing a picture of that vehicle or a similar vehicle later in life. This came to my attention while pondering how many unique vehicles my spouse and I have owned or leased over some time. We don’t consciously think about it daily, but when we look back over time, we realize that most of these vehicles played an important role in our lives—some more significantly than others. And just like seeing a picture of an old friend we used to know, many memories come flooding through, along with the good, bad, and the ugly. But they all were a part of our lives and carried us to where we are today. And so, that gave me the idea of using mostly my cars, and my spouses as a “vehicle” for recounting a glimpse of my journey, along with pictures and personal flash stories that depict what roles certain vehicles played in our lives. Within the following pages, you will find a wide variety of real-life stories about the 36 vehicles my spouse and I have owned, as well as, a few others, and where they have taken us in life. By traveling back in time, the journey starts at the beginning of one American household’s connection to the progression of the American automobile experience. These stories also illuminate our dependence on vehicles and continued fascination with the personal driving experience. Hopefully, many of these stories will reawaken memories of your own experiences with one or more of your favorite vehicles. For privacy reasons, most personal names have been omitted. Read more