Since we are in Poulsbo for the week and commuting in by ferry I asked my sister Carla if we could borrow a car from her again. Luckily she said yes so Sam had company on the trip to Poulsbo instead of doing it solo while I drove around. She and her husband both have company trucks so they don't need both vehicles during the week - actually she has a company truck while he has a company car. They showed up Sunday just after we arrived to drop it off and meet us for dinner.
They decided to loan us Dave's truck instead of Carla's new SUV - pretty sure the new factor played a role and I have to admit it would have for me as well. Sam would be working in Seattle so I would drop him off after the ferry commute and head over to Redmond.
Dave has a Diesel Chevy truck but I have an Avalanche also made by Chevy (soon to be the US Govt) so it should be pretty much the same deal other than the throaty rumbling sound of a diesel.
What I had forgotten about was that in reality my Avalanche is probably a bit closer to a SUV than a truck. My first clue was when I went to climb in the cab in my skirt. Fortunately I didn't have on my normal 4 inch heels since I had just walked down a dock but the skirt probably wasn't the smartest fashion choice. I had brought skirts to wear to work since they don't need ironing like pants might after being stuffed in a small closet aboard a boat.
My truck has running boards - Dave's does not and his truck is just a bit taller than mine. Well as long as I climbed in when no one else was around it shouldn't be an issue. I also decided that maybe keeping on my flip flops until after I exited the truck might be a wise call as well since 4" spike heels when you jump down might not be the safest choice.
It was actually Sam who first discovered the driver's side didn't have a mirror on the visor. I now know exactly how much I use one now - maybe that is something I need to cut down on while driving.
Once I started driving I realized the biggest difference of all is that Dave's truck actually drives like a truck. It doesn't quite handle like mine does and the turning radius isn't quite as short which I discovered when I went to whip in a parking place. Fortunately he does have an automatic since I remember driving a jeep stick shift in Seattle when I owned one of those many years ago and an automatic is the only thing to have in a large vehicle in the city. Now sports cars are a different story and I believe those should never be automatic.
Having grown up driving trucks since my dad had a construction company and a company truck was the only option sometimes when I wanted a vehicle to drive I should have remembered the differences. But I had gotten used to my SUV/truck and had mistakenly thought I had been driving a truck the past few years.
So I do have to admit that maybe what I drive is a whole lot closer to an SUV now but I am pretty happy with that since I need a running board, a visor mirror on the drivers side, a shorter turning radius, and maybe most important my sun roof. Guess the sun roof should have been one of my first clues - I mean in a truck don't you just roll the driver's side window down instead?
I think the Avalanche I have suits me perfectly - I can haul stuff and still wear my heels and skirts and exit somewhat gracefully. I am often at the top of the speed dial for those living in the Seattle area when they need to haul large items and go to the dump and want to borrow a truck. It is really only from those who grew up driving trucks (and my nephew Levi who said I had a tonka truck the first time he saw it) and living in small towns that I hear I don't really drive a truck. I would have to say I agree with them now and I am good with it.
Thanks Dave for the loan of your rig! I am turning into those parking spots a bit more carefully now but it helps when I am the first on to arrive at work in the morning and there aren't any other cars around thanks to Sam's early morning conference calls.
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