Our Volkswagen Bug

The VW Bug is such an interesting car with it’s engine in the trunk area and it’s storage under the front hood. Ours was a standard 1973 Light Blue Volkswagen Bug. We bought it used in the 70’s. It wasn’t like May Bug by Ganz or Herbie the Lovebug it was more like Freddie the fun bug! He was mischievous, loved road trips and kicked out of high gear frequently! What a brat! Six dollars would fill the gas tank so we could afford to cruise down the highways for hours. It wasn’t bad on gravel roads, but it was best on the highway. One day there were 4 of us travelling in our VW Bug down a country road, and we saw a vehicle coming towards us. Let it be known that I was driving. The two amusing characters in the back seat of our bug mooned the unsuspecting driver and passenger. They stared at this spectacle and almost went in the ditch! Even Freddie the fun bug was laughing! Good grief! I told them they were walking the rest of the journey if they tried that again. Everybody knew who had a blue Volkswagen bug around here so take a guess who they thought it was?!

Another adventure with Freddie was on Walterdale Hill road in Edmonton. I was going up the hill and had to stop for a red light at the top of the hill. (Who was the city planner who thought it wise to put a set of lights at the top of a steep hill?) In a line up of vehicles, I stalled in first gear and Freddie rolled ever so slightly backwards but as you know, city drivers tend to tailgate. Consequently, Freddie latched on to the pretty red Chevy with his bumper by sliding under Chevy’s bumper. It took two people jumping on the back of Freddie to free him so I could drive forward without pulling her up the hill with me. That’s the closest Freddie came to holding hands! He winked at her as we turned left to go towards Jasper Avenue. He thought she was a babe!

We commended Freddie on his attempt at navigating our nasty winter roads but after getting stuck one day, alas, we decided to trade him for a truck. Since Volkswagons have such a long life, Freddie’s probably still going.