When Cruisin' with Bench Seats was Groovy

Day 57


I was very tempted to write blah-blah-blah tonight. As I have mentioned before it's getting hard to come up with witty prose and imaginative stories. I can do it. Just not everyday. Maybe with time I will improve which is the purpose of this exorcise of writing a blog entry everyday for 365 days.

As I was taking my ride around Houghton Lake and surrounding area, I was reminded of a time when cars had AM radio, big engines that got 12 mpg (that was OK gas was 20 cents a gallon) and bench seats. Back when "cruisin' was groovy".

Friday night we would go to the drive-in to see a movie. The last movie I saw at the drive-in was Smokey and the Bandit. Debbie wasn't too thrilled by the title until she heard Burt Reynolds was starring with Sally Fields. All I cared about was the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. CB radios became all the rage after that and everybody had to have one. The airwaves have been filled with chatter ever since.

Saturday nights were for driving up and down Woodward Ave, checking out the other cars and listening to great music on the radio. Cruising with my arm around my girlfriend, her head on my shoulder. I was content in the moment, she was dreaming of our future. She was beautiful and I was so proud she was mine. Among our friends we were THE couple. Everyone just new our future would be great. Ah, the dreams of our youth.

In the 60's a small recording company started by a black business man in Detroit was breaking down racial barriers with a long string of hit songs. Motown filled the airwaves with timeless classics that can still can be heard playing on radio stations around the world.
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In the 70's it was an eccentric and colorful rocker from Great Britain named Elton John that did the unthinkable and released an album as a two record set. At the time double albums were almost unheard of because record companies didn't think fans would pay the higher price. That album was titled Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and became a top seller.

Back then only small expensive sports cars had bucket seats. Cars were considered six passenger, three in front and three in back. Now front bench seats are hard to find even in pickup trucks.

There is a nostalgic weekend once a year in the Detroit suburbs when car enthusiasts either drive Woodward Ave or line the sides of the 8 lanes highway to see the classic cars of days gone by. A chance to recapture the days when riding in the car with your favorite guy or girl by your side while listening to the radio was heaven.

And "groovin' was groovy".

Until tomorrow,

Ken