The Truck

So nothing's really happened this week. Same old, same old. Finding scat, floating on the river, etc etc. So I've decided to rant about my mode of transportation.

I'm currently driving a 1997 Red Ford F-150. The thing is obviously ancient. The interior is bare bones...Gray pleather (plastic leather) seats, a rear view mirror and clutch cap that fall off (often while I've been driving), and power nothing. If I want to drive with the windows rolled down, I have to roll them both down before I start the car, or deal with just one. And I've been driving around with the windows down A LOT because (this is the best part) there is no air conditioning in the car. None, zip, zero, nada. I personally like having the windows down instead of using the A/C, but when you're driving though a dust cloud, air conditioning would be nice. And let me tell you, getting into a truck with pleather seats that have been baking in the sun is NOT fun. When we're shuttling back from the river, I essentially arrive at the house dripping sweat. Saunas have NOTHING on this truck....On the bright side, the radio is actually decent. I get some good rock stations, one eclectic station, and NPR (which I'm going to add to my car when I get home).

My truck is on the right....

Now the "best" part about the truck...it's a stick-shift. Fortunately, I know how to drive a stick thanks to my parents, but this truck is very persnickety. The clutch doesn't always catch and the transmission pattern is very tight. Essentially, it's hard to get this clunker to change gears, let alone start moving in 1st. I've kicked up gravel/spun the tires more times than I care to admit, and I'm being careful! I'm just really glad that most of my driving is out on the highway, where it's actually easy and somewhat fun to change gears (fellas, I now see the appeal of owning a manual, but that doesn't mean I'll own one). It's another story when I drive into town. Stopping at a light or sign on a hill...not fun. I feel a spike of terror when I have to go forward, feel the car roll backwards, and then lurch forward like it's going to stall out, only to have the clutch catch and the car start moving. When I move forward is when I release my death grip on the wheel and the clutch. Driving in busy areas with a manual is no fun.

And that's pretty much all I have. Oh, I'm not running at 6:30am...I'm WAY to tired at that time. So I've been running at 4 or 5pm. When I step outside to start running, it's like I'm stepping into an OVEN. It's that same hot, desiccating feeling, and running in it is not easy. I'm kind of glad that I'm not in Georgia, though. No humidity is a good thing.