Let me be the first one to say, I'm not a great driver. I never successfully parallel parked between two cars until a few years ago. I grew up driving tractors and dump trucks in fields, which required little knowledge, rules of the road, or skill. But, this rural life was not enough for me. I looked for every reason to go to the big city of Ogden, or the really big city of Salt Lake. (I thought they were big cities at the time!) My high school girl friends, would always let me drive, because I looked forward to the adrenalin rush of cars, freeways and traffic. I loved DRIVING!!!!
Imagine the spikes in my pulse rate when I first saw the New Jersey turnpike toll booths for the first time. I'd never seen a toll booth, let alone what looked to me like one hundred lanes of traffic either direction. The largest road in Utah was 1-15. It was two lanes either direction, except in Salt Lake, where it was three lanes in some parts.
For a girl that wanted to get out of the country, this was Heaven! It was exciting. Blessed with a map in my mind, I learned multiple ways back and forth from NJ to the World Trade Center. Seriously, it seemed all roads led to Rome, or rather New York.
I learned it so well, that my friends who'd lived in NJ all their lives, asked me for directions, and elected me as "tour director" to get a big group of us to Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and back. I learned the back roads, the main roads, and the short cuts. ( I had a good teacher- Carol, she gave great directions!)
I also picked up on some of the nuances in east coast driving. I'd like to compare them to Utah. It's culturally a different view point.
In NJ, you honk. It's not a big deal, an insult or a mistake. You simply honk to let others know you are coming, or they are in your way, or honking even signals which direction you are going. Your horn is more valuable than your turn signal. Most honks are short little "beep beeps."
In Utah, it's as if you are committing a capital offense if you even CONSIDER honking your horn, and it's not a life or death situation. Learning to honk my horn as I drive never left me. So, when I have kids that were old enough to know what was culturally acceptable, they'd scream "mom, don't honk, it's soooo rude!"
In Utah, if you are second in line at the light, and the driver in front, does not see the light has changed, only a rude person would honk! I've sat a light, where the driver in the first car, missed the entire light because no one up front would honk!
My kids finally started to understand why their mother was a honking crazy driver after a weekend in the Garden State and NYC. It took about two hours in traffic, and then all of sudden they now realize where I learned, really learned to drive.
In Utah, drivers seem to think they are the only ones on the road. Every car has it's personal space bubble, and if you get into it, it's culturally unacceptable and you might get flipped off, glared at, or once, on the free way, a guy rolled down his window and threw a marble at my car for getting in his bubble space. Dented my car.
On the east coast, if you are following at a safe distance, you are politely inviting no less than four cars to get in between you. My husband learned this the hard way. We were following friends on the turnpike no less, and as the back seat driver, with co- pilot license, I kept saying, "speed up, get closer, you are too far back." The friends we were following were in their late seventies, but it was my 39 year old husband who was driving like the old man! And when four cars, crammed over to take the exit we needed, but could no longer see our elderly friends, my husband nearly missed the exit! I wanted to drive so badly my teeth hurt. I patiently cringed, remembering my husband is a home grown Utah driver.
When I lived in NJ, I was always called Miss... and that's part of the reason I picked the pen name Miss K. K is my married initial. Miss- is from one of the best experiences of my life.
I drove a Dodge Omni 024 hatchback, I didn't pay for gas or maintenance. I had my own room, and I lived with a family as a nanny that treated me with enormous kindness. The Dodge Omni is a happy memory because it signaled my independence, my adventures and I got to finally drive in a truly big city. It was exciting, free-ing and fun!
For the past twenty years, I've been driving station wagons and vans. About a month ago, we made the decision to sell the van. It's emotional for me, because different cars signify different ages and stages. I was sad to leave my Dodge Omni in NJ, I am sad to sell our family's version of a "love bug." That van signifies the one thing I've been doing for the past twenty years. Loving, teaching, helping, driving, waiting, picking up, returning, lots of errands based on love.
My new identity, or rather new set of wheels parked in the garage is another Dodge. While it's not hatchback or a little car, it is white, it is a Dodge 2500 Extended Cab Ram! I love Dodge. Maybe it's a signal of the free time on my hands. The kids are raised, Maybe it's the Omni- calling to me... in a new a different way.
