I Survived the 80s; Riding in the Beds of Pickup Trucks, Gluten and Processed Foods

    I live in the mountains and that means driving zig zagging winding mountain roads. I’m used to this commute and I do not get car sick.
    I have so many friends who do however get car sick, and I feel bad for them when they come up to visit.
   I try to drive slow, no one wants a puker in their car, but it’s hard for me to commiserate with them after what I lived through growing up.
   When I was a kid growing up in the eighties we had a lot of worn out cars.
   My Dad had this old pick up truck and three kids plus my Mom riding shot gun. He also had a lot of crap.
   There were jumper cables in the tiny back seat, at least two giant two liter trucker mugs and many bottles of Arizona iced tea, oh god I hoped they were not iced tea and not pee. (Dad did not believe in stopping for bathroom breaks)
    Because of all the crap in the little bucket seats in the tiny truck, my brothers and I would have to ride in the bed of the truck. The truck did have a shell on the bed. It did not however have air conditioning or seat belts.
   Welcome to the eighties. It is hard to believe now, but this was once legal. (Hell, I remember when they legalized motorcycle helmets in California. I can’t believe some of the things that were legal when I was a kid)
    Did I ever get car sick in the back of that old pick up truck?
    No.
    If Dad was not going to stop driving to pee, he would not be stopping if some one puked.
    It’s amazing to think this was normal activity in the eighties.
    I think of these stories now and it seems unbelievable.
   When I was a kid I drank out of the hose.
   I ate raw cookie dough.
   My Dad smoked til I was ten (Yea for Asthma today!)
   But there were good things in the eighties too.
   Remember Pong? That was an awesome video game (And violence free!)
   Us kids played pogs and monopoly. We spent summers building snow caves during winters snow storms.
   Yes, that’s right; we played outside!
   We survived riding in the backs of pick up trucks, eating gluten and processed foods and lived to tell about it!

 

Comments

  1. The Great Gordino

    I also survived! I do worry about the kids of today – totally immersed in their screens, and protected to the nth degree by helaht & safety – I can understand why of course, but the odd scrape here and there was all part of growing up back then!
    Very nice read,
    cheers, Gordon

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