Driving A Bug

Driving a stock 1973 VW Beetle on today's freeways requires a little advance planning. The gas pedal is floored when you first see the entry ramp, so that, hopefully, by the time you get to the freeway, you are at least going 50 MPH. You shift gears at red-line, which in a Bug is around 4,500 RPM. Once up to speed, you can hold 60-65 MPH, but you feel like you are about to break a world record because you feel every bump and wind shift. Stopping also requires a little planning. With the old drum brakes, you get to stand on the pedal as the car pulls one way, then the other. When you finally get to where you are going, you feel like you have accomplished something, which you did; You actually DROVE a car. You were not a passenger in a luxury machine with all the personal creature comforts; you had the windows down so that the exhaust smell would not overtake you. There is no radio to listen to, so I usually whistle. For other enjoyment, I will look down at the floorboard to see the road passing through the rust holes.

Gotta love really driving, it seems like a lost art, especially when you shift through the gears.