I bought my first car in about 1953 in partnership with my brother. It was a 1929 model A Ford. The car was in good condition as it had been driven very little.
Now here is where the story starts to sound like my motorcycle story. Neither one of us had a driver's license. The car did not have a license. We did not have insurance. And yet we merrily drove around with our car. The area was remote with few people and little traffic. We avoided driving into the village as it was rumored that there was a town cop in the village. So we drove the country roads with some of our friends.
Today's weather brought back the memory of my car. Today we had lots of snow and wind. and it was minus 20 C. On a similar day about 71 years ago we decided to go for a drive. These cars did not have heaters. There was no anti freeze so we had to put water in the radiator and hope that the water didn't freeze. There was no snow plow. In the winter everybody put their car in the garage and used their horses for transportation. Only fools decided to use a car.
This didn't discourage us from going for a ride. We picked up 2 or 3 friends and made sure that we had some shovels and off we went. The first couple of snow banks we were able to plow through but finally we got stuck. So everybody out of the car and pushed. These cars were not very heavy. We got it out of that snow bank. We got stuck again and had to use shovels to get the car out of the snowbank.
Finally we turned around and went back home. I remember feeling exhausted after all the effort to get the car through the snowbanks.
Today I stayed in the house and kept warm. For that caper we were outside 3 or 4 hours and enjoyed ourselves.
This is such a lovely memory for you to hold dear. My brother did something similar I think with his motorcycle when he was a teenager.
ReplyDeleteI remember the fun we had. It was just as much fun to hit the snowbank and get stuck as it was driving down the road.
DeleteThat’s a great memory, and I can just imagine seeing you all digging yourselves out of those snow banks.
ReplyDeleteWell, we were teenagers so some fun is a bit weird.
DeleteI remember cars with no heating and struggling up steep hills. Cars are too sophisticated now and the days of doing your own car maintenance are long gone.
ReplyDeleteI used to do much of the mechanical work on my cars but no more. Cars are a series of sensors.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI do not like driving in the snow. My first car was a 77 Camaro and it was not a good car for driving in the snow. I remember having to be pushed back onto the road one time. Take care, have a great day!
A 77 Camaro was a hot car.
DeleteI wonder did you even have winter tires on that car! That was an adventurous day you shared with your brother and friends, enough so that many memories were made! I enjoy reading these kinds of posts you share with us!
ReplyDeleteWinter tires had not been invented.( I think) They were very narrow tires.
DeleteYou tell the best stories! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThe students sometimes played story telling on me to get out of work.
DeleteThose backroads sound like those here on the island, rural enough to accommodate the unlicensed!
ReplyDeleteWe were very rural. Heavy equipment for removing snow off roads was not in common use.
DeleteIt sounds like it was fun, even if just a bit on the dangerous side. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. It was risky. Farm families didn't really ge
Deletet safety.
I learned to drive in small micro cars that were commonplace after the oil embargo crisis of the 80's. Telling stories of my first cars don't have the same appeal as your story.
ReplyDeleteYou must have been in an urban district where there was need for enforcement of regulations.
DeleteYou were adventurous back then, Red. Braving the cold, snowbanks, and all the challenges with a sense of humor and determination. It's a reminder of how much simpler life could be. Thanks for sharing such a nostalgic memory! Stay warm and take care! John
ReplyDeleteFarm people at that time didn't really get safety. We were free range. Kids made sure that they wee home to eat.
DeleteWhat a fun adventure to look back on.
ReplyDeleteWe were completely free range. However, we had to work hard.
DeleteHow brave! Glad you didn't get a ticket for blocking traffic. I've seen TV shows where rural folks have fetched their draft horses to retract vehicles out of mud and snow. Sounds like a fun carefree day! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteThe road was closed because of snow so no worries about police. I never heard of anybody getting a ticket. We had one policeman over a very large area.
DeleteWhat a terrific story this is, Red! You sure have had some fun adventures in your life. Thanks for sharing them!
ReplyDeleteWe were very free range but we also had to work hard.
DeleteSounds like a fun experience.
ReplyDeleteWe learned a few things looking after this old car.
DeleteHow fun, and you were all very smart to bring shovels!
ReplyDeleteWe knew how to shovel snow and push vehicles.
DeleteWhat a great memory of a fun outing with friends:)
ReplyDeleteSpinning wheels in snow was great fun. we also took turns driving.
DeleteAs rural kids you had so much freedom, perhaps sometimes even too much.
ReplyDeleteSuch good memories.
We also had to work hard and were given responsibility that way.
DeleteSuch fun memory, thanks for sharing with us. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteRampdiary
It's hard to believe that you drove a 1929 car! Things have changed so much , it must feel like a different life
ReplyDelete