After daydreaming a bit about the good old days, I focused on the highway and prepared to climb the steepest grade of the trip. I mashed the gas of my extended cab as hard as I could. The old reliable 5.7L chugged up the grade at about 45 miles per hour lugging the C10 and the exceptionally heavy open car trailer. Around 6:30 p.m., I pulled into the hotel parking lot and met up with my good friends Mark Lindsey and Ron Knowles from Lubbock, Texas. I got checked in, unhooked the trailer, and we headed to the show where we hung out, had a few adult soda pops, and caught up with more old friends.
Saturday morning came early, and we headed to the show to unload the C10 and prepare for the day. As we reached the fairgrounds, I could feel the excitement level beginning to rise. After entering the show, Ron lent me a hand cleaning, and once the truck shone like a fine diamond, I was off to photograph the show and line up some feature trucks. This year's Resolutions event brought out some amazing trucks loaded with top-quality fabrication work. Once 4:00 p.m. rolled around, I rounded up my feature trucks and got busy photographing until the sunlight went into hiding. After finishing up my photo shoots for the evening, Ron and Mark helped me load up the truck, and we cruised back to the hotel to unhook the trailer and go to dinner. We hooked up with a group of enthusiasts from the show and talked trucks over some killer grub. Once our plates were empty and bellies full, it was off to the hotel parking lot to sit on the trailer and keep the rap going over some beers.
Sunday morning we all checked out of the hotel and headed to the show for the awards presentation. All the club and show participants gathered around the stage, and loud cheers served to awaken everyone as various enthusiasts walked up to receive their trophies. After the show ended, I headed to Boulder City, Nevada, to hang out with my folks at their home for a few days and to smog and register the C10. On the following Wednesday, the truck was successfully smogged, registered, and insured, and my Mom rode shotgun with me home. We struggled up the Baker grade before reaching Baker, California, off I-15 from Vegas, but the rest of the trip was a breeze. My old C1500 1/2-ton actually did pretty well lugging all that weight.
As I write these words, I sit at my desk after a trip filled with great road-trip and show-going memories, and I'm glad I chose to take that first trip to Resolutions in '94 because that event was one of the first steps in my custom truck journey. A journey filled with great people, amazing rides, and full-throttle memories. Until next month, keep hitting those switches, cranking good tunes (such as Sammy Hagar and DIO), and cruising until your heart's content.