12 ATV WHEELS

Wordlock Black 4 Wheel Luggage Lock

When you're travelling, you have plenty to keep track of. The last thing you want on your mind is luggage security. From the bag check to the taxi, from the five-star hotel to the...um...one-star hotel, Wordlock has you covered. Just pick a four-letter word that's easy to remember and hit the road.

Our luggage locks are easy to read and easy to set. They're "Travel Sentry® Approved," so airport security won't use the bolt cutters to inspect your bags, and they're strong enough that you'll have nothing to worry about while out exploring new places. And they're also perfect for locking backpacks, office desks, briefcases and instrument cases.

Traci in front of my van in my backyard in Los Feliz. She had only recently retired from her infamous first career. I'm showing this photo of my van, and Traci, simply as an excuse to tell this story:



Behind the wheel of a loaded down '69 VW van, I moved to Los Angeles from North Carolina in the early '80s. A mere three hours outside of my hometown of Charlotte, the engine in my van blew. My west egg took a major blow, but the engine was repaired soon enough and we continued towards California. A friend was along for the ride, and for the ride only, in fact he flew back to NC immediately upon our arrival in LA.

We camped in the van as we crossed the US. One morning we awoke at some scrappy campground in west Texas. I had to pee so I got out of the van and walked out into the sagebrush to do it. While peeing I looked over, and there was a pair of cowboy boots, buried up to the ankles in the hard caked dirt, but perfectly upright like the person was lifted right out of them where he stood. They looked like they had been there for 80 years. I pulled them out of the ground, clunked them together to get the dirt off, and took them back to the van. The van had a recessed luggage rack on the roof and I threaded the dirty boots under the tines of the rack. Soon enough, we were back on the highway headed west again.

We pulled into Los Angeles in a torrential rain, but at a busy intersection somebody ran out into the street in the downpour pointing at my van and yelling, "Hey, you left your boots on the top!!" I thought, hey, this is a friendly town after all...

The boots stayed in their exact position on the roof for years, I never moved them. I forgot about them, for the most part...

As time went on I ended up working as a photo assistant for a lot of celebrity photographers. One guy I worked for, Greg Gorman, had a very swanky and moderne house/studio in the Hollywood Hills above the Sunset Strip. One day we were shooting Arnold Schwarzenegger for a movie poster. There was a large rooftop patio where we usually had lunch, and after eating I was leaning against the railing looking out over Hollywood. Arnold came up beside me and we both stood silently together taking in the view. Suddenly, and conspiratorially, he tapped my arm and spoke very softly, as if he'd just spotted a wild animal that he didn't want to scare off, and while pointing down at my van parked on the street below, said, "Look, sahmbody left zayr bootz on ze kahr..."

©2010 Jim Herrington

The fire-engine red Impala convertible, 1958-1972. Proof positive that God wanted man to be truly, truly happy. There's no way you could be driving this car down Route 66, the sun kissing your skin, that long red hood stretched out in front of you and acres of red and white vinyl upholstery caressing your backside, and not have a permanent grin when you stopped at that roadside cafe for a burger and fries.

Once upon a time (well within my memory), these were not antiques. People drove these in all 4 seasons. Kids rode (as I did) standing up on the floor of the back seat. In the winter, you threw a couple of snow tires out back, and kept on driving.

And there was no yammering about "safety", "child booster seats", "air bags", "ABS", "yaw control", "FWD", "AWD", "4WD" or all this other garbage people think will keep them from somersaulting off the road and killing themselves if they're stupid enough to go 70mph in a snowstorm. Or drive anywhere, any distance, in any season after "a couple of drinks". Hell, there's people who shouldn't get behind the wheel after drinking a glass of water with lemon squeezed into it.

No backup cameras then. If you thought your kid might be playing behind the car, you -- get this -- GOT OUT AND LOOKED BEHIND THE BLEEPING CAR! No tire-pressure sensors, either. You checked your tires (cold) with a tire gauge. If one was a little low, you filled it up. Slow leak? Get it repaired.

Will we ever get back to that level of personal responsibility, so that GM and other automakers can again build glamorous cars like this that the average man could afford? Will possession of a driver's license ever be considered a privilege again instead of an inalienable right for anyone with a body temperature, a pulse and fifteen bucks? Will we ever have 6-passenger convertibles that got 18-20mpg with a 283 V8 and had room for 6 people (8 in a pinch) and their luggage? Are we doomed to an existence of Aveos, Volts, Fiestas, Fiat 500's, Priuses, Leafs and and boiled-sweet-potato-shaped crossovers? I think you already know the answer to that one.

If your hobby or job involves hauling large or heavy equipment, you need Ruxxac's folding cart. Thousands of travelers, boaters, computer technicians, musicians, and salespeople have made their lives easier with a Ruxxac cart. Sturdy and simple to use, the cart unfolds in seconds and requires no assembly. The cart weighs only 10 pounds but has a capacity to carry up to 275 pounds. Better yet, the large 7-14-inch tires--set 19 inches apart--make it easy to maneuver the cart over curbs and up and down stairs. The clever tie-down system lets you secure awkward loads in seconds. The cart's platform is 9-1/2 inches deep, plenty of room for carrying boxes, bags, and suitcases. When unfolded, the cart stands 40 inches tall. The frame is made of long-lasting powder-coated steel; the platform is made of cast aluminum.