It was about 8 pm on a Tuesday evening in the fall of 1965. It was the end of my "after school" shift at my parents restaurant and Jerry, my sister, had come to take me home. Being 6 years older she owned a car! I think she was bored of the small town life, she had been here about 2 months. As we drove away from the parking lot she asked if I wanted to learn to drive. I told her "I guess so."
She pulled over and put me behind the wheel. With only a few instructions I was moving. Jerry patiently taught me to use the clutch, brake and gas. I don't remember popping the clutch or stalling the engine but I do remember being terrified I would side swipe one of the few cars parked along side the road. I was probably driving down the middle of the road!
I also remember trying to make a right turn down an alley. Jerry never said anything negative but I do remember her saying "Maybe that's enough for tonight." We traded places and she drove home.
That was my first driving lesson. Driver's education was just getting started and my parents never thought of letting me enroll. Instead I borrowed the books from the school and read them on my own, in my bedroom and hid the books under my mattress.
After that night I would drive mom and dad's car whenever they were out of town. About a year later we were living in a different little village when dad decided I neede to learn to drive. We lived about 45 miles from the closet town. Often dad would need someone to drive to the town to buy supplies for the business. If dad was working in a "man camp" mom was left to run the tavern so there was no one to go get supplies.
Mom took me out to teach me to drive on the roads of Elk River. She was much more calm than I expected but when I cut a corner too wide and came very close to the opposing ditch mom as decided I had learned enough for that day.
Later that year it was another boring friday night so a friend and I decided that mom and dad were asleep and they would never know that we borrowed their car. It was december and the snow was 3 feet deep. We just wanted to drive around, listen to the radio and gossip. We were having a great time for a while.
One turn and one icy spot and friday night turned cold. We walked the two miles back into town and woke up her brother, he was 20 and would know what to do.
He towed us out of the ditch with his pickup and sent us home. Mom and dad never knew!
The next year I was living with my gramma during the summer. I worked as a waitress and saved up $150. I bought 1957 ford fairlane. It ran great and I began driving, learning as I went. I also checked another driver's manual out of the library and studied hard. In a month I went for my driver's license.
Ahhhh, sweet independence!
She pulled over and put me behind the wheel. With only a few instructions I was moving. Jerry patiently taught me to use the clutch, brake and gas. I don't remember popping the clutch or stalling the engine but I do remember being terrified I would side swipe one of the few cars parked along side the road. I was probably driving down the middle of the road!
I also remember trying to make a right turn down an alley. Jerry never said anything negative but I do remember her saying "Maybe that's enough for tonight." We traded places and she drove home.
That was my first driving lesson. Driver's education was just getting started and my parents never thought of letting me enroll. Instead I borrowed the books from the school and read them on my own, in my bedroom and hid the books under my mattress.
After that night I would drive mom and dad's car whenever they were out of town. About a year later we were living in a different little village when dad decided I neede to learn to drive. We lived about 45 miles from the closet town. Often dad would need someone to drive to the town to buy supplies for the business. If dad was working in a "man camp" mom was left to run the tavern so there was no one to go get supplies.
Mom took me out to teach me to drive on the roads of Elk River. She was much more calm than I expected but when I cut a corner too wide and came very close to the opposing ditch mom as decided I had learned enough for that day.
Later that year it was another boring friday night so a friend and I decided that mom and dad were asleep and they would never know that we borrowed their car. It was december and the snow was 3 feet deep. We just wanted to drive around, listen to the radio and gossip. We were having a great time for a while.
One turn and one icy spot and friday night turned cold. We walked the two miles back into town and woke up her brother, he was 20 and would know what to do.
He towed us out of the ditch with his pickup and sent us home. Mom and dad never knew!
The next year I was living with my gramma during the summer. I worked as a waitress and saved up $150. I bought 1957 ford fairlane. It ran great and I began driving, learning as I went. I also checked another driver's manual out of the library and studied hard. In a month I went for my driver's license.
Ahhhh, sweet independence!
