My learning how to drive was a much laughed about debacle, between my confusing the brake and the gas pedal and the many times my mother gripped the arm rest in and yelled “Get on your side. GET ON YOUR SIDE!” to which I would reply “I am ON my side” immediately after, a car would appear and be driving head on towards me and I would realize that I was not in fact on my side of the road.

Tex lives in a place so north and so remote that there are only gravel roads. Until I moved here, I thought I understood how to drive on gravel roads however what I was used to were packed dirt roads with gravel on top. Driving on gravel roads is a bit like surfing.

This is sort of what it’s like.This wouldn’t be so bad.(Photo Credit: theguardian.com)

Only it’s more dangerous because you’re surfing with a car.

Ok, this is seeming like less of a good idea. Photo Credit : quora.com + the Great Unwashed’s amazing Microsoft Paint Skills

On pointy rocks, instead of soft wavy water

Who in goodness’ name thinks this is a good idea? Both the car surfing on rocks and The Great Unwashed using Microsoft Paint like it’s Adobe Photoshop.

A reluctant driver at the best of times, I wasn’t enthusiastic about driving on gravel however last week Tex and I bought a new car so Tex wanted me to try it out.

I got behind the wheel and Tex then commented “Oh, there’s a combine up ahead.” This didn’t worry me because I figured that combines are kind of like wild animals; if I don’t bother them, they won’t hurt me. So there we were plodding along at twenty kilometers per hour (about twelve miles an hour for my American friends). “You’re doing great” encouraged Tex. I increased my speed to thirty milometers an hour. “Look at you go” said Tex “I’m proud of you”. All the while the combine stayed ahead of us, making its equally slow way along the road. Then all of a sudden, it signaled that it was going to pull over. “It wants you to pass” observed Tex. As I carefully passed the combine I turned to Tex and asked “How mad are is the farmer going to be when he realizes that I’m slowing HIM down?”