It is with a deep and profound sorrow that I announce the time has finally come, I have parted ways with my beloved pickup truck, “Old Blue.” Many of you know this Chevrolet Silverado as an extension of me and it truly has been the most consistent part of my life over the last several years. Purchased with 88,000 miles on it, we were together for 171,000 more miles over nine amazing years. Kenny Chesney first sang of this truck in his country hit I Go Back, when he penned the lyrics “I go back to a two tone, short bed Chevy / driving my first love out to the levy…” which I actually did. Old Blue was something of a Renaissance Truck, it came with a six foot bed that never needed to be made, no matter how many times I slept in the back. The ceiling was stuck with so many fishing flies it resembled a tackle box, it always wore a gold bowtie because it was classy, but never turned down a road soda on a back country road. We even used the bed as a pool once back in college. This truck provided the ultimate tailgating platform, where it hosted countless tailgates for concerts, NASCAR races, college football games and even a wedding over the years. Old Blue lived in some amazing places, including Vail and Aspen Colorado, Charleston, South Carolina and of course our favorite town, Blacksburg, Virginia. This truck drove cross country to Colorado three times and was my home and suitcase on the awesome return trips, each spanning three weeks over a different route back to the East Coast, just to see the United States. In fact this truck has likely been more places and seen more sites than many folks will in their lifetime, 31 states in all with me behind the wheel. Only a two wheel drive, this truck thought it was actually a 4 wheel drive. We rarely got stuck together and went a lot of places that it was “impossible” to go, including driving over Aspen Mountain where four wheel drive is required, bouncing down the rocky Kokapani Trail in Utah, where only the Jeeps dare to explore, and cruising up and down the beaches of Ocracoke Island, NC without any issue from the sugar sand. It kept me out of trouble many times too, providing a safe place to sleep on more nights than I can count and a hiding spot from the Indians who wanted to scalp me in New Mexico. Old Blue was also involved in some of my wildest rumors, including the time I got stabbed in Virginia Beach and most recently being suspected by Richmond police as a getaway vehicle after I incited a bar brawl on Easter Sunday. Some of this countrys most successful businessmen rode shotgun, including the creator of YouTube, owner of Interscope records and heir to the Dickies Jeans fortune. Bill Clinton politely nodded at this piece of American history on the 4th of July. And of course Old Blue was always a great set of wheels for many dates over the years with some wonderful ladies that I’ve been lucky enough to know in my life. Together we commuted to downtown Manhattan, sang Margaritaville in Key West, gazed over the Grand Canyon, listened to jazz music in New Orleans, herded buffalo in Jackson Hole, turned Savannah green on St. Patricks Day, played in the mud in West Virginia, kept on trucking where Forrest Gump stopped running in Utah, dodged tornados in Arkansas, parked on the corner in Winslow, Arizona and despite the dents and scratches, this truck was always such a fine sight to see. Old Blue, thanks for always being so reliable, letting my friends and I dance on your roof, always carrying a cooler of cold beer at the ready, for letting me sing at the top of my lungs to Take it Easy, Ramblin’ Man and Brandy You’re a Fine Girl, never complaining when I put another dent in your paint and for only once ever running out of gas. Here is to you, thank you for all of the amazing memories, it’s been one hell of a ride. https://youtube/watch?v=MdeSLxz5TTE
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:53:32 +0000
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