Mini-motorist

So just a quick post of random things I remember about learning to drive Juniper style…

My very first memory of “driving” is sitting on my dad’s lap steering the tractor, I might have been 3 or 4… Dad?

Secondly I remember being in kindergarten and “driving” Old Blue while Dad loaded the back… that must have been the longest it ever took to load a truck… Dad would jump down and give it some gas (I couldn't reach the pedals) then he would hop on back as I steered down the center of two rows, and then he would hop off and give it some gas… and on it went.  Looking back, we must have been picking up a few leftover bales or something, it seems ridiculous to try and do a legit load in this manner.

Finally, in 4^th grade, when it was time to learn to drive for real, Dad taught me to drive in the Chevy Luv (what a great ride) we would drive in the field and around the farm.  Haha… I remember once heading to the barn from the house, apparently I gave it a little more gas than Dad thought necessary (yup, started right at the beginning!) so he yanked the E-brake part-way down the hill and saved the day. 

Later that summer, we were in the field near Henrie’s and Dad found himself without a needed tool.  So I got sent on my first solo trip.  I don’t know that Mom was nearly as impressed as I was.  So that was it… I was a driver.  And like every 4^th grader, I was now ready to show off my new skills to passengers.  So, Kristen in tow, we set off on an adventure…

However.

I got confused regarding the gearing… I was thinking I needed to be in 4^th gear to go up the hill.

Oops.

So again, down by Henrie’s, I only made it part way up the hill before it died… frightening.  But with my superb skills we backed straight down the road.

No we didn't. 

We ended up in the sagebrush.  We were upright though, with no noticeable damage to the Luv.  Of course we had an audience… TJ, Tyler, I’m sure some of the Campbell boys, and I don’t know who else came by just in time to add to my embarrassment.  Don’t you worry though, I got the gearing all figured out and I was a pro by the time it came time for Drivers Ed the summer between 8^th and 9^th grade.

Side note: that summer I was also in 4-H… sewing was not my favorite thing.  I just wanted to be done, Dad came in as mom was trying to convince me to take my time and do a good job on my shorts (what???).  He told me that if I drove the sewing machine like that he would think that that’s how I drove his pick-up and he would have to take away my driving privileges.  Boo. :(

Mike and I took private lessons in Burley so we could get the lessons over quick and would be available to help on the farm (I think that’s why they put us in private lessons).  Anyway… the difference between the two of us and the “city folk” was striking to say the least.  I remember Mike and I looking at each other like “Is this guy for real?”  When we pulled into the gas station and the teacher wanted to know if we knew how to gas up the car.  We also heard horror stories about the other students.  Like when two separate students ran off the road into the same person’s front lawn… oopsie! 

One more driving story comes to mind, the city cousins came to visit, one who was a little older than me (I was 15) had never driven.  I thought “I’ll let you drive!”  Bad idea… I thought we were going over the hill by Crippen’s.

I didn't let her drive home.

Dad wasn't happy that I let her drive at all.

What are your best “learning to drive in Juniper stories?”  Or for you parents your best “watching kids learn to drive in Juniper stories?”