It followed me home, honest. I took my annual trip to the Spring Charlotte Auto Fair. I rent two vendor spots in the Red Field, one for my home built teardrop trailer and the other for my truck. I don't sell, just wander around for three days. buying the odd tool or gadget. My current projects are a couple of Willys flat fender Jeeps. I knew I was pretty safe because there is not much Jeep stuff there. My wife was comforted because I didn't drag an empty trailer and wasn't going with someone with a trailer. After all, how much could I buy and fit in the back of an F150. (That's another story) After watching the Trucks TV rebuild and shortening of a 66 C10 I had developed a fondness for the rig and the original turquoise and white paint job.
There it sat, within sight of my camping spot. A "barn find" 66 long bed, big window, C10, turquoise and white, one owner, untouched by anyone. The yellow pine bed floor was long gone and the paint was sun burned from the South Carolina sun. A little rust in the standard places on the cab but the bed was unblemished. I resisted until Saturday evening. He asked a fair price and with a few seconds of haggling it was mine. No trailer so he agreed to drag it back home, a few hours South of Columbia SC.
Actually this fellow knew the owners family and had been trying to buy it for a few years after the owner passed. Thee family kept it licensed for several years so they could keep it in their town, due to zoning restrictions. Then it was off to a garage or shed for several years until sold to the fellow who brought it to Charlotte. The next weekend it was a 670 mile one day road trip to bring it home. You know those tornadoes and fierce storms that swept through North and South Carolina a few Saturdays ago? Drove through them and back oblivious to the danger. Had not checked the weather reports and didn't listen to local radio. I thought it was windy at times and the heavy rain had me 25 MPH with 4 ways flashing on the I-77 between Charlotte and Columbia.