Learning to Drive in San Felipe

Before the Jeep, there was Dad’s Chevy Luv pickup. That’s where I learned to drive stick. Dad’s teaching method was simple and terrifying: he handed me the keys on the beach in San Felipe and said “See if you can figure it out.”

I learned to drive in sand, which made it much more difficult than pavement. Air down the tires, release clutch just quickly enough to get moving but not too quickly to stall. I didn’t burn out the clutch (much).

The Luv wasn’t really that fun to drive. Years later an employee of Dad’s smashed it into a hay truck.