Truckin' For Dads

Tomorrow, on Father's Day, the Hartsburg Naughtons will be making a four hour round trip to my dad's house to visit the LaPlata Naughtons near Kirksville, Missouri. Sounds pleasant enough, doesn't it? Did I mention we will be travelling in my 1975 Ford F-250, four-wheel-drive, three-quarter-ton tailgatin' and fishin' truck? Oh, it was equipped with air conditioning at the factory, but soon after I bought it a shard of shrapnel flew through the side of the air compressor causing it to seize up which in turn seized the pulley and belt which in turn caused a large and alarming plume of smoke and an ear piercing "BOOM" to emmanate from under the hood. So, it will be a warm (and loud) ride with the windows down at 65 MPH on Highway 63. Why the devil would we take the truck when we have two other vehicles with perfectly functional A/C? Because we are going to tow home our "new" 14 ft V-bottom fishing boat that I'm getting from my dad! But a few preparations were in order first.

I needed a trailer-light wiring harness installed. So I went to U-Haul and after waiting an hour and a half after my appointment time while the techs installed a hitch on a guy's truck who didn't have an appointment, my truck was finally pulled into the bay to be worked on. Lucky for all of us, it didn't cost as much as they originally quoted me. Next, I stopped at O'Reilly for a gallon of motor oil. I have learned from experience that my truck runs better when there is oil in the engine. Later when I got home I assembled a road emergency kit. Dad had given me a water-proof ammo box a few years ago and I loaded it with the oil, a gallon of coolant, a can of starting fluid, a can of brake fluid, a can of WD-40, two funnels, a flashlight, and some jumper cables. I felt pretty prepared for any "contingencies" that we might encounter. Then, it dawned on me. Despite driving the truck for a year and a half, I still did not have a spare tire for it. So today I went to Big O Tire and picked up a used wheel and tire to have as my spare. Then I threw in a jack, a tire iron, and a tool box, and chained everything down in the bed of the truck. Yes I said chained. There is no tailgate to contain the load. The old farmer I bought the truck from said, "Course there ain't no tailgate. Lost that years ago." (But really, You don't need a tailgate to go tailgatin'.)

Since buying "Old '75" from its original owner, I have had the brakes re-done, the carb re-built, and the exploded air compressor removed. I personally changed the spark plugs, the plug wires, the distributor cap, the rotor, the fuel filter (the operation that brought me to tears) and the paint color. The odometer has crossed the 85,000 actual mile threshold. It has carted our family out of our snow covered road several times and has hauled many a load of trash/Barnes Family's personal effects dutifully. It proudly hauled my sister Karah safely through the entirety of the Mizzou Homecoming Parade last year while she rode in the back and represented LaPlata as the reigning "Queen Soya" from their Soybean Festival. Not to mention the many tailgate parties that it has served to perfection. (I even mounted a bottle opener to the left side of the bed.) Finally, I am ready to put the beast to its greatest test since it was retired from doing farm work. I just hope that all of my preparations will pay off. As much joy as this truck has brought to people, I pray to Buddha that it has amassed enough good Karma to bring us (and the boat) home safely. Wish us luck.