A Farewell to Vidalia

This is a sad day for Pickup Nation. As a founding father, it greatly saddens and embarrasses me to announce the recent ending of my relationship with someone very special to me - my one and only pickup truck, Vidalia. Although Jake and I have rarely mentioned our own trucks (boring and functional as they are...or were), I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate my memories with Vidalia.

I got Vidalia in the summer of 2009 and drove her 40,000 miles until last weekend, when I sold her. Vidalia helped at least two women to fall for me with her large bench seat, and she also saw them both out the door. I estimate that I fed her at least 2500 gallons of gasoline (strange to think that three years' worth of gasoline is worth most of what she is...not counting sentimental value).

Vidalia traveled to at least eleven states with me, and she got me only one speeding ticket (and only for ten over, thankfully), though we did get pulled over for running a stop sign and again for going the wrong way on a one way street (I was very sober and the road was very tricky). Her Dale Earnhardt memorabilia may have helped us out of those two tickets, but it was also probably responsible for the speeding ticket.

Vidalia pulled a trailer for nearly 10,000 miles one spring, which she did without complaining. She has managed to live her 112,000 mile life on only one transmission, which is no small feat for a Chevy of her era. Vidalia is a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500 Extended Cab pickup with a 5.3L engine and the Z71 offroad package. She will be sorely missed. Here are a few pictures:

Vidalia loved Dale Earnhardt because he was a hard-working man who drove like an asshole.

Vidalia once forced me to remove a piece of my new garage door in order to fit her in the garage.

She was known on rare occasions to sport a patriotic flag...

...or a tent.

 Her proudest moment was when she unexpectedly found a mob of happy, patriotic college students celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. She gladly played Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" very loudly for them.

Though Vidalia is gone, she is not gone forever. I sold her to my parents, the ones who gave her to me (I know, I'm a jerk, but at least I gave them a great deal!). She has many miles ahead of her, and I wish her the best. Long live Vidalia and all the great trucks of Pickup Nation!