John's Old Truck: Living the Dream and Honoring Mom

This is a true story about never forgetting, persevering, paying tribute and living lifelong dreams. The centerpiece is a 1949 Chevrolet pickup truck that has been in our family since the summer of 1981, and that I have owned for just over a decade. The first part of the big dream became real on May 30th, 2015, when she went down the road under her own power for the first time in 30 years. After a fantastic first summer on the road, I thought it was a good time to start working on the next phase – the total restoration that will enable a drive the across the country, focusing on a full length run of Route 66. The thought of such an epic road trip has intrigued me since my early teen years, before I was old enough to drive.

As you might imagine, fully restoring a nearly 70 year old truck in preparation for a coast to coast trip is not an inexpensive proposition. Like most other everyday working people, I would never be able to make it happen with just the day job, so I decided to write this story.

My entire experience with the truck – the recently successful five year effort to get it back on the road, the long desired road trip and this book – is a tribute to the memory of my mother, who died tragically just as the truck came into our family. The circumstances surrounding this stunning loss, which are detailed in this story, created an unbreakable emotional attachment to this old Chevy. For as long as I live, no amount of money will buy it.

The planned road trip will be documented from beginning to end with photos, video and blog updates. We'll stop along the way to visit with friends in various parts of the country, eventually ending up in Ohio for our annual family reunion, which has been happening on the family farm every August since 1969. Mom always loved the idea of such a big adventure, and I'm quite sure she would have wanted to ride along.

You can ride along too, via the blog and/or social media links, which you'll find at the end of the story. Thank you for reading!