Once upon a time in Norway (a Friday afternoon early this autum) there was a granny who had just picked her car up from the garage. There had been a problem with an engine sensor, so the car hadn't worked properly for a few days. But now it was fixed, and the car had that lovely acceleration again. So granny decided to do what all grannies should do now and again: go play in the dirt! Having a 4WD is often a good thing in Norway. It gets icy and snowy, the roads are narrow and not very fast, and there are lots of uphills. Downhills too, but the 4WD is just as good or bad as any other car downhill. We also have some muddy, sandy, bumpy, wet places that we call parking lots. These are often found near popular outing sites. It just so happens that we have a popular outing site nearby. It has a nice parking lot and one that's absolutely not nice at all unless the weather has been dry for a few days. This autumn hadn't been dry so the parking lot was as muddy, sandy, bumpy and wet as any granny with her mind set on playing in the dirt could wish for. When granny reached her playground she started her fun. She accellerated, splashed through the pools, up and down the muddy edges, around the little bank of brush, and criss-crossed all over the place while hollering, laughing and whooping with delight. Then she heard a strange sound, the car sort of bounced a bit and as granny continued driving she noticed a big piece of something dark grey in her rear-view mirror. Ooops! Granny did what every sensible granny should do. She drove back, picked the big chunk of whatever-it-was up and put it in the trunk. Then she phoned her garage and was told to come in on Monday. Granny drove very carefully that week-end and went to the garage on Monday. Her toes pointed inwards, she blushed a bit and her eyes were downcast. The mechanic looked at the piece in the trunk, then at granny and asked: "What on earth have you been up to?" Granny replied: "You really don't want to know." He laughed and left it at that. The car got fixed, and granny could leave the garage with the warning "Drive carefully now, remember you're not Petter Solberg!" ringing in her ears. "Pfft" granny thought to herself. Fortunately the repair wasn't too expensive, but granny thinks it's best to not play that hard unless she gets herself a car more suited for that kind of activity. But boy! did she have fun while it lasted! And this is what the car looked like before granny took it to the garage, complete with mud, sand and the part that got tore off:
Oh, yes! When we got our little truck--two-seater, full 7' bed, and absolutely no extras except a radio--I tore up and down the country roads here. I tried to talk a friend into coming along with a six-pack of beer and a rifle, so we could drink and shoot out porch lights. She refused. Droopy, I love the idea of you out tearing up the countryside in your 4WD. What was the part the fell off? The only thing I've lost on our truck was part of the bumper when I tried to drag our garden tractor out of a drainage ditch (and yes, I was the one that got the garden tractor in the drainage ditch and was trying desperately to get it out before my husband got home. Fail.) Sometimes ya just gotta have fun!
That's the inside fender well, just plastic so hopefully it didn't cost much for them to stick it back in place. I had an Audi when I lived up in the Colorado rockies, it hugged the road so nice the drive between Denver and Evergreen became my Grand Prix track. This is what you need for that parking lot. It's a real one, not the yuppie version.
Oh, Marlingardener, that would be a sight! But maybe you'd be safer, or the neighbours would be safer, if you shot at targets not porch lights. Too bad about your bumper, but at least you didn't lie down and give up. Thanks for posting that eeeh... compact car toni. If it fits, it sits, right? Your road trips with the Audi sound like fun. Did your passengers think so? I've secretly yearned for a Hummer, but it fits neither my wallet nor my garage. It's also a little bit too big for going to the mall.
The Hummer belongs to a friend. He also drives a Smart Car. He says that if you average the two, he has two normal size cars.
What are you two like?!! I just wish I'd been there to witness both you and Jane getting up to your high jinks. I'd have been cheering you on and enjoying every minute with you.
What a tale...or tails, should I say. You two are remarkable rallycross renegades behind the wheel. Droopy--what got into you, gal? That was such an enjoyable account to read. I could picture it all. After reading it through a couple of times, I imagine that I see a very loose sort of similarity with the novel by William Faulkner....The Rievers. It was that you took a family auto for a little spin that really wasn't totally proper or approved... and of course; like in the Rievers, you were penalized after your errant off-track adventure. The book is an oldie, but a goodie. I find Mr Faulkner a true wordsmith with an uncanny ability to be grammatically correct while using long sentences. A talent that I can only aspire to. He is in my view a Master Grammartition. hahaha. Well, I made that term up, but you know what I mean. I am not one to offer advice for things that do not fall within the realm of gardening; however, ----this book is such a pleasure to read...on several levels.
How funny! You definitely have a gift for telling of your adventures. I'm not going to admit to anything I did when I was younger, or older!
Okay, here's the plan. I borrow a dualie (that's a huge pick-up truck with four back tires, all over-size) and we pack Eileen, Donna, Droopy, and anyone else who wants to come into the double cab (seats two in front and three skinny very friendly people in the back seat) and we go running the back roads. In deference to those who might be afraid of being arrested, we'll refrain from shooting out porch lights, but the beer comes along. Remember, the dualie is borrowed, so if by chance someone gets the license plate number, we are still in the clear (at least until the guy who owns the pick-up gets out of jail and comes to have a chat with us!)
Sounds legit? I like his way of thinking! I've been told I'm not very granny-like, but then again, what's a granny supposed to be like these days? I'll slow down and start baking in a few years' time. Maybe. A need for speed and an urge to have a bit of fun I guess. I hardly ever put a foot wrong as a rule. Oh, please do tell! I love stories, and with this weather I need some good ones. It was, you ought to try it yourself. I recommend a bit of rally now and then to lift the mood. When I bought that car I told the people I wanted a car who could take a beating. The saleswomen laughed and said they knew I USED my cars. I think she actually wanted to say -abused- but was too polite.
Droopy, the trips in the Audi were solo.....just me, the winding road through the mountains and my foot on the gas pedal.
The only thing I'll admit to is liking large cars with even bigger engines and maybe drag racing a little. My favorite car of all was a 1960 Thunderbird with a 429 engine.
