I was looking through some older stuff today and found this. It was taken with my first digital camera back in 2001. I was totally blown away by the immediateness of taking the shot and seeing what I had captured on the little screen. This picture was at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Colorado. I remember being kicked out of our rogue campsite by a park ranger that didn’t appreciate college kids throwing an extra large sleeping bag down and snuggling up next to their jeep.
Speaking of the Jeep, Michelle and I just passed “Old Bessie” on to one of her cousin’s kids. That car is on her second engine, second transmission, 3rd differential rebuild and still going strong at 270k miles. I love that car. Between the bike grease on the backseats, the perma-funk and mud stained carpets, it’s a total wonder that Michelle gave me the time of day, let alone agreed to marry me. Old Bessie drove all over the country, up to Canada and down to Mexico, North Carolina, Florida and back. Lots of awesome campsites were found with her four-wheel drive and high ground clearance.
I’m not a car person at all. But, I do have strong feelings associated with the memories I have and the smells, sensations and pictures in my head of some of the awesome experiences I have had. And many of those memories include a really old, solvent-infused, sand-filled jeep.
Later Bessie.
