Day 33 - Trout-mobile

Let's face it, our cars are an extension of ourselves. Movies like American Graffiti, Grease, and the Fast and the Furious movies, all reinforce this idea. Often our mode of transportation is the only medium that states who we are to many people. We spend an inordinate amount of time driving to work, to school, to church, to get groceries, and even to the stream. As such, we want it to somehow express who we are.

I drive a 2003 Saturn Vue. It is front wheel drive, and has a 4-cylinder engine. When I purchased this vehicle a couple of years ago, I had a list of things that I wanted in a vehicle. It needed to have good gas mileage, have good safety features, maintain its value, had to be no more than $12,000, and had to have plenty of cargo room for my fly fishing adventures.

On the back of my car I have a couple of pieces of "flair". I have a round Euro style sticker that says "KN-Fly Fish the Kinnikinnick River". Above that another Euro style sticker that says "PPK-Pike's Peak" (where I proposed to my wife). I have a vinyl cutout of a trout leaping out of the water locate to the left of my license plate. A fish skeleton sticker on the right side of the right side of the rear window. Below that is a tribal nymph that subtly states http://www.flyfishingfilmtour.com/. On a side window, I have affixed the FFF (Federation of Fly Fishers) member decal. I had a TU (Trout Unlimited) one on my back bumper, but it fell off during a very cold winter day in Minnesota.

After reading all of this, you can imagine my excitement when I found out that North Carolina has a Save the Brookies license plate from Trout Unlimited. My bumper now displays the plate.

But, my Trout-mobile has so much more meaning than just a way to express my individualism and passion. Led Zepplin, Queen, Blue Man Group, Chasing Steel, and Gaelic Storm serenade me from the speakers as I travel to my destination. The DeLorme Gazateer, a TomTom GPS, and countless state park maps that litter the front seats and glove boxes, all steer me towards tranquil trout streams. Empty Pepsi & Cheerwine cans/bottles roll about under my seat. My trunk is littered with old leaders, packages of flies, and sand/mud from my wading boots. So you can see, my car is my companion on lonesome highways toward unknown adventures.

I recently revelled in the fact that I just turned 100,000 miles on my odometer. Especially since I was on my way to the stream. I even took a photo from my iPhone. As the odometer changed over (it's digital & I miss the dials of the old odometers) I suddenly felt a little poetical (is that even a word). I wondered what the future of the Trout-mobile will hold. I wondered what future adventures awaited me. I smiled and drove on.