Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback
Well, I survived the trip to Iowa and made it back home unscathed.
I'd always heard people describe driving across Nebraska as being one of the most boring experiences you can have. The reason they don't say the same about driving through Iowa is because the driving habits of the locals prevents you from ever falling asleep.
Someone needs to talk to the car manufacturers and find out why the vehicles sold in Iowa don't come with turn signals. I realize that the law allows the use of hand signals but the only ones I saw had nothing to do with turning.
I know that it's not unusual to see people talking on cell phones while driving nowadays. I've never liked the idea but I've accepted that it's become common practice. In Iowa I think it's become mandatory. I may have even spotted a few people using two at the same time.
One thing that usually annoys me is the glare of headlights in my rear view mirror when driving at night. It isn't much of an issue in Iowa. They tailgate so close that you can't see their lights. If my rear bumper wasn't fairly pristine I'd have shut the truck off and let myself be pushed across the state. - Think of the $$ I could have saved on gas!
Aside from the driving issues I must say that the folks in Iowa seemed fairly polite. When I stopped at a Home Depot to pick up a set of tie down straps I think the girl at the checkout counter even complimented me. She compared me to some famous celebrity. Just who is Jabba-the Hutt anyway?
The pinball machine was located way out in the boonies. (When someone from Nebraska describes it that way you know it's pretty far off the beaten path) I think I passed Hooterville on the way there. At times I've described the town I live in as 'the armpit' of the country. I think the place the pinball was at may have had an orifice. The GPS worked flawlessly.
The machine was in the guy's garage. When I entered I noticed that he had several more arcade games. Just for the heck of it I asked if he wanted to sell any others. I was directed towards an older pinball machine. It was built in 1962. Although it looked beat up it was fully functional. Teresa told me she remembered playing one similar to it when she was young. I tested it out and the gameplay was pretty lame. - Not a lot of targets, bells, or whistles. They'd had it for quite awhile and couldn't get anyone to buy it. They came down on price far enough that I decided to take it off their hands. Teresa should have slapped me on the side of the head and brought me to my senses. Oh well. What's done is done.