Satuday Stories - Driving 05-13-17

Diane never had a  drivers license before she moved to California in 1957.  Of course, she had driven the cars of various boy friends, but needing to drive wasn't a big deal back then.  She rode the bus as did almost everyone she knew.  Her mother didn't learn to drive until Diane was a senior in high school - she also took the bus, even to the grocery store.

When Diane moved to California her uncle took her out driving and it was just like she had always driven - possibly the result of observation? - and it didn't take many practice drives before she was always in the driver's seat.  But she had to have a student license before she could qualify for a "real" license.  The first time she drove on the freeway she had a licensed friend in the passenger's seat, one who had not ridden with her before.  They knew where they wanted to go and knew they would take the freeway.  Turning onto the on ramp, Diane increased her speed so when she merged into traffic she was going about the same as the cars in the lane.  She looked over at her friend to see that she was white-faced and gripping the hand rest.  "When did you learn to do that?  I thought you hadn't driven on the freeway before?"  Diane was surprised, it seemed to her she had just done what everyone else did when entering a freeway.  Again, it was probably observation.  Soon she had her license and was driving everywhere she wanted to go in her used, bright red Mercury convertible, mostly with the top down. She worked in downtown Los Angeles and had been just a rider in a carpool until she was licensed and took her weekly turn with all the guys.   Within a few months she drove to Oregon in her flashy car - no problems.  It was before I-5 was built, so she drove up on Hwy 99, getting lost with everyone else in Sacramento, and winding through the Siskiyou Mountains on mostly two lane roads with strategically placed passing lanes.  Her first grand road trip.  Over the last sixty years she has driven many hundreds of thousands of miles and has visited every state except Alaska - she might have to leave the road and take a cruise to complete the fifty states.

Originally her California license was a letter followed by five digits.  Sometime, long ago, the state re-numbered everyone by putting an additional two digits between the letter and the numbers.  She wonders when it will be necessary to add more digits to accommodate all the drivers in the state. 

She is always excited to be "On the Road Again".

 

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