The end of an era
El Vuato has driven off into the sunset. Here he is after safely driving ADG and me some 2177 miles to Baja and back.
I had that truck for a very very long time… 12 years at my best estimation, and it always served me well. It was fun to drive, convenient, exceedingly useful, easy to work on, and obviously incredibly stylin’. El Vuato had no air conditioning and a tape deck with no reverse… stock. Towards the end of it’s life (with me), it had stripes on only one side and the “chrome” was beginning to bubble on the door handles.
The windshield got cracked and replaced at least four times.
By now you’ve probably done the math and realized that I had that truck in High School, meaning that it was probably my first car as well, which it was. Most people you know my age have probably had two or three cars by now; but my philosophy has always been to keep driving it ’till it don’t drive no more. To hell with the critics. It was never a question of money, or prestige, or even comfort in most cases. I could throw my bike or skis in the back and head up to the mountains. I could stuff it to the gills when I had to move.
El Vuato helped me move 11 times.
El Vuato helped other people move at least 6 times.
It drove me to more life experiences than I can count and never once let me down. If I wasn’t with ADG, I’d tell you how many girls have been in that truck.. because I am that number is one (insert winking emoticon).
Fare thee well, El Vuato. I barely knew ye.