Freeway of Love
Bigleaf maple, Moccasin, CA-89, Plumas County (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb
Black oak, CA-89, Crescent Mills (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb
There’s something about taking a long, slow weekend drive in a classic Cadillac, especially on a beautiful autumn day.
Roll down the windows and take in the sweet smells of autumn leaves as they tumble about you.
I recall drives like that in my mother’s two-toned mint/forest green ’56 Sedan de Ville with satin brocade seats.
Dad had gotten it for a song after it was returned to a dealership when its sale went bad. Suddenly, everyone thought we were rich and snooty. Neither was true, though mom liked to pretend that we had more than we really had.
Indian Creek, CA-89, Crescent MIlls, Plumas County (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb
To a kid, mom’s Cadillac was magical. The lights would dim automatically when cars approached. In other cars, the driver would stomp on a floorboard button to dim them. The gas cap was hidden under one of the tail lights. You pushed a reflector to open the fin-shaped dome. And, at 214.5 inches long, there was plenty of leg room for a kid, two kids, three kids, a whole Pack of Cub Scouts, and no seat belts.
In the ’60s, Cadillac was the automotive brand most mentioned in songs. I found a couple of dozen songs that mentioned or were about Caddys, before I gave up counting. Cadillac still holds the number three position for most songs ever written about a car, and they’re some of the best songs ever written. Sure, Brian Wilson wrote “Little Honda,” which is a great song, but it’s about a motorbike, not about a Civic.
So, what do my reminiscences about Cadillacs have to do with fall color? Only that Plumas County color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb is like me. He knows there’s little in life better than listening to old songs as you slow-drive an oldie-but-goodie down a country road past fall color. And, he did it along the backroads and byways of Plumas County in his classic Caddy, this weekend. 
Now, let’s roll down the window, let that warm/crisp autumn air blow our cares away and listen as Aretha sings …
“Oh, we got some places to see
I brought all the maps with me
So jump right in, it ain’t no sin
Take a ride in my machine … “— Aretha Franklin, Freeway of Love
- Indian Valley, Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Round Valley, Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Black oak, Round Valley Reservoir, Greenville, Plumas County (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb
