To put things in perspective. Our ranch covered thousands of acres of private, Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service lands. With 4000 ewes and 600 cows we were always busy hauling water to our livestock since here was no standing or running water. . I started driving water trucks when I was 10 years old. I grew to a 100 pounds about the time I turned 14 years old. When I went to high school there was one other kid shorter than me and we called him Little Dave. Our private, BLM and USFS lands were all under one fence. There were hundreds of miles of dirt roads and they were open to the public. I drove all of those roads. I never considered that I wasn’t old enough to drive because I didn’t consider my self public. I was a Desert Rat who grew up on a ranch and tolerated the public.

One day I was at the middle well on the ranch loading a water truck. A big pickup pulling a small yacht stopped. The driver got out wearing some very spendy looking fishing clothing. He walked up to me and asked how the fishing was at Dry Lake. Folks, Dry Lake has been without water for hundreds of years. I explained to the man that there was not any water in Dry Lake. He next asked about Cabin Lake. Again a lake that has been dry for hundreds of years, but Cabin Lake had a well. I told the man Cabin Lake was like Dry Lake and had no water. I suggested he go to Prineville Reservoir or East and maybe Paulina Lake. Well he thoroughly cussed me out and said it was obvious I was protecting my fishing spots. Off he went. I didn’t laugh in his face because he was real mad and bigger than me. I wonder if he caught any of the imaginary pumice trout?

I was driving a truck in from Watkins Butte. The truck was empty and I cruising along at maybe 60 mph. It was a retired logging truck with 30 gears for forward and 6 for reverse. It weighed in at about 4 tons. I think I was probably 12 years old. I could shift by sliding off the seat and pushing in the clutch and then shifting. I got pretty good at that, and fast. The road was pretty wide and covered with red cinders. I went around a corner, sort of drifting. To my surprise there was a forest service pickup stopped in the middle of the road with the passenger and drivers doors being open. I started gearing down. It was apparent I was going to hit the pickup. The question was whether I should take the passenger door off, or the driver’s door. I chose the passenger door. Faster than a rabbit, a forest service employee ran onto the road, jumped into the pickup and moved it. I whistled past. You guessed it no brakes. I don’t think I drove many of our older trucks that had brakes.

Learning to shift up and down without using the brakes saved me when Mom took me into get my driver’s license. In the middle of the test the clutch went out. I completed the test by shifting with the engine. The test man told me I took one corner too wide and one corner too short. He passed me and said I did well considering the clutch had gone out. At least I had brakes. I had been driving for 11 years by then. The license was a necessary to do things legally. Like driving to town for groceries, or take broken trucks to the mechanic. Except to put gas in the car, it was the first time I had driven a car. I usually stuck to pickups and trucks.

Becky and I were dating. So we were 16 to 18 years old. We had five water trucks that were old and on this day they were all broken. We had a borrowed hay truck with a water tank strapped onto the bed. It made the truck top heavy, but I didn’t know that. It was also strange to drive because it had getty up go and brakes. Well I was driving my usual speed. Whatever the truck would do. We got to a corner and started around it, except the truck started lifting up on one side, you know like it was going to roll over and scratch its side. I straightened the wheel and drove through the brush. Becky’s comment was that if I had been raised in the timber I would have killed myself several times, and yes I did slow down with that truck because the danged thing was dangerous.

Another trip with water trucks we were each driving a truck. We were about 15 miles from the ranch house. I don’t know what happened, but Becky’s truck quit running. So I can’t remember if we got the water to the troughs, or just dumped a thousand gallons of water in the road. Well we had two trucks, so we decided I would tow Becky’s truck. Remember I did not have brakes in my truck. I told Becky that she was the brakes for the outfit and if she felt we were going too fast she just had to brake. I also told her that the hill by the house would require her to be the brakes. The chain we used left about 10 feet between the trucks. Did I mention that I had the 4 ton truck and she had the 2 and a half ton truck. Off we went at what I thought was a reasonable speed. What I didn’t account for was the dust. Looking back I don’t think Becky could even see my truck. She probably was braking the entire trip, but I never knew. Becky did an excellent job of being towed and we coasted to a stop in front of the house. Dad walked out and stood on the porch. Becky was furious. She stepped out of her truck to give me a talking to. Her clothing and face was covered in a very deep layer of dust. When she blinked there were actually puffs of dust flying off her eyelashes. She was very cute. Dad started laughing, and then we all laughed. I must say that was the last time I towed Becky.

Another time Becky and I were hauling water out past Fox Butte. Something didn’t feel right. I looked in the mirror and discovered the rear duels were walking out from under the truck. What could I do, but stop and dump the water. If I had kept driving the wheels would have come off and the truck would have rolled over and scratched its back. Then we started walking the 10-15 miles back to the ranch. About a mile or two into our walk a forest service rig pulled up and the driver was the district ranger. He visited a bit and then wished us well and said he had to get back to Bend. Now there was room in his rig for 5 and there was only two of them. I know the forest service frowns on giving people rides. However I got irritated. I strongly suggested he give us a ride to the ranch, or the next time he broke down on the desert we would not be giving him a ride. We got our ride.

In spite of my driving Becky still married me.