It was not just my parents that got me to try new things. Like every 14 year old, I was fascinated with driving a car! Sometimes things happen in unexpected ways and places with unexpected people. Uncle Chip always had a great influence on me and he was always a blast to hang out with not to mention a little crazy!
Nothing like a fishing trip on a late summer afternoon, especially with somebody like Uncle Chip. He was a character. He was a little wiry guy who liked beer and loved to laugh even more. If you were with him you were in for a good time and that’s all there was to it. He loved to fish and sip beer on a lazy summer afternoon and he knew a lot of good places to fish both near and far. There was this small pond out of town that you had to go down several long winding dirt roads to find We would go there occasionally. This one afternoon went even better than I could have imagined before going out.
At the time he had this beat up old blue early 80's Pontiac sedan with paint slowly peeling off and a perfectly echoed number 43 on the door in support of the most famous NASCAR driver ever, Richard Petty. He called it the Blue Goose. Once you got in the car, there were poles, old beer cans and plenty of live bait in the form of crekets running all over the interior. I can't make this stuff up! Once at the fishing hole, he got out an old lawn chair and he would sit by the pond with a small red cooler just big enough for an iced down six pack. He also had a unique style of fishing; at least I thought so. Instead of one-man one pole, he would cast out five or so lines and lay the poles close to the chair and hold an ice-cold beer instead. We joked and laughed and managed to catch a few fish over a several hours.
I was around 14 and like any one that age all I could think about was driving. So as we put the poles, fish and other things away I asked him kinda jokingly if I could drive back up to the main road leading back into town. Sure! He said. This was my first time behind the wheel and not just steering. I have a knack for looking over a situation and knowing if I can handle it or not. I knew I could do this one. I eased the Blue Goose back up the trail to the dirt road where I stopped. Chip said keep going you’re doing good. I continued on a half a mile or so back up to the main road enjoying every second! It was a fairly busy two-lane country road. I put the car in park thinking it was over. Wrong…
“You are doing really well, keep going. Drive us up to the highway. There’s not much traffic.”
I felt good and nervously pulled out. I still remember the rear view mirror was a little off and it was awkward seeing behind us. Still I tooled on up the road as if I knew what I doing. Something told me Chip would let me drive the rest of the way home but an even a young know it all teen knows his limits. I pulled off the road before reaching the highway feeling a little nervous, scared and very excited all at once. I knew I could drive a car and had done it thanks to crazy Uncle Chip.
I wanted to drive and knew I could. Dad was not so sure. He knew about the lesson with Uncle Chip but still had some doubt. Still, he helped me get up with a driving instructor to get a second opinion. On the appointed day, I drove the guy around a huge coliseum parking lot and nothing was destroyed or broken! I could tell by Dad’s look he thought the answer was “No”. I knew different. The earlier illegal driving lessons from Uncle Chip had paid off and I was confident! The Instructor told Dad I might be able to get a license but he had no way of knowing for sure. So I pressed on through Driver’s Ed classes and training. I got my learner’s permit and after a lot of going back and fourth between the state and doctors month after month. With time, persistence and hard work I got my license. I have no hard feelings. The state guys and the docs were just doing their jobs. I’ve logged a lot of miles all over this land of ours (from California to North Carolina and many places in between) and know I have many more to go...
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