My dad’s words come to me more often now that I am closer to 60 than 50. When he was in his 70’s I would complain that he didn’t need to mow the yard at 11am in August, or haul his landscaping supplies from the pickup to the backyard by himself. He would simply sip his tea, grin, look me in the eye and proclaim he felt like he was still in his 50’s.
I found him on the roof one day when mom told me he was outside working on a project. On the roof! The guy was a workhorse.
And now, it doesn’t seem that long ago I was in my 40’s, climbing multiple 14er’s during a week’s vacation or backpacking 50 miles. I am still up for these things and luckily retirement allows me the extra time to complete them. I suppose if my son asked me, I would probably just sip my iced coffee and tell him I still feel 40.
But that would be a lie.
I am slowing down and my joints send stronger signals than they used to. Or maybe I just “hear” them better now. There was a time when Saturday mornings were made for fifty mile bike rides and a plate of pancakes with my buddies. Now, I try to avoid eating too many pancakes, never mind the bike ride.
So it was, the other day, as I was crawling around the Wichitas with a friend of mine in my 1981 FJ43, that it came to me, my new rig is the proper match for my maturing adventure lifestyle. She makes a ruckus and is not overly svelte in appearance. She doesn’t get as many miles to the gallon as I am accustomed to and she requires on-going maintenance and considerable TLC.
Shoot, I spent two days in my garage and at a neighbors house just getting the carburetor tuned to our lower Oklahoma altitude after returning from Colorado. Like my dad, she gets the job done but needs the occasional break to sip tea in the shade. She climbs mountain passes as well as the modern rides and can haul whatever you like. There might be some coughing, a little extra groaning and maybe a rattle or two, but she will enjoy the view from the pass along with everyone else. I would say she is, like Toby Keith sings, “as good once as she ever was!”
It’s a wholly different ride when we take the Subaru to the mountains. The Outback can cruise at 75 and play a podcast in relative quiet. We easily east and drink, discuss any topic and stay cool or warm depending on the weather outside. And the Outback can make it to Colorado in a little over a tank of gas.
By contrast, I drove the FJ round trip to Colorado with the windows rolled down. 1800 miles, five passes and some hot days - With The Windows Down. We paid attention to the oil pressure and engine temp and babied her through the hot SE Colorado backroads and Oklahoma’s panhandle. No complaints.
The big difference between the Subaru and the Land Cruiser is how much nature you are going to experience. Like John Muir encouraged, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” There is a bit of Muir in my friend Jim Cox. He prefers dirt roads to highways. On one trip to Wyoming we traveled almost exclusively via rural roads. It was fantastically slow and beautiful and memorable. It was a trip designed for a Land Cruiser.
The FJ43 is most definitely my new adventure speed. Slower and more intentional, windows down so you know when you are breathing the warm, heavy air of the Oklahoma wheat fields or the volcanic dust in New Mexico or the spruce of the Colorado high country.
As the temps drop we put on our Leadville Melly’s, just as when the air thins we lean out the FJ’s fuel mixture. She needs gasoline every 200 miles and that’s about how often I like to get coffee - and chat up a stranger. The FJ makes more friends than Lemonade and that means more interesting travels even if it does take longer at stops. How many new trails and hamburger joints have I learned about simply by putting gasoline into the tank and talking with a curious stranger.
What’s the rush?
Enjoy the trail.
Make a friend.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller is no John Muir, but on this they were of like mind.
I think Ferris and Muir would both drive an FJ43.