I'm baaaack! Robin and I went to Puerto Rico for our 5th anniversary and my 39th birthday. The original idea was to relax on a beach, but we're natural-born explorers, and we put nearly a thousand miles on a rented Kia Rio (no mean feat, as the island is only 100 miles long) as we explored the Puerto Rico's beautiful and unbelievably varied scenery.
Which doesn't explain the Volkswagen Thing in the picture.
Our vacation included a three-day side trip to Culebra, a tiny 7-by-3.5-mile island that is home to the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Uncrowded and largely unspoiled, Culebra is the jewel in Puerto Rico's beautiful crown.
Culebra is just big and hilly enough to make motorized transport a desirable option, and visitors can rent everything from a brand-new air-conditioned Jeep to a motor scooter. I had planned to rent from Jerry's Jeeps, which has a fleet of Suzuki Samurais and Sidekicks (remember those?), but then I heard about a gentleman who had a pair of battered Volkswagen Things he reportedly rented for cash and a handshake. Car geek that I am, how could I resist?
The Thing was noisy and rudimentary when it was new, and three and a half decades of island life had not improved matters. Our Thing was a masterpiece of backyard repair, with a rock-hard ride and steering that was about as accurate as the National Enquirer. Even so, I had a hell of a good time driving it. The Volkswagen air-cooled flat-four engine has a backstory that is great and terrible, designed as it was to provide simple, low-cost motoring for German citizens as well as the Nazi war machine. Car geek that I am, I was thrilled to be propelled around by this rattling, wheezing piece of automotive history. And lucky for me, my wife Robin was quite tolerant of the Thing -- in fact she told me she considered buying one, but chose a Jeep CJ-5 instead.
All in all, it was a wonderful vacation. We got a chance to do two of our favorite things -- relax and explore a new place. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to Jason Fogelson for running the show while I was away. Because I work on the Web, I rarely get away from my job; any time I have an Internet connection, I'm essentially in the office. This was the first time in years that I've completely unplugged, turned off, and stayed offline. Robin and I are grateful. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Welcome back Aaron!
A friend of mine had a Thing when we were teens. We used to take it down the Jersey shore all the time. It used to break down for one reason or another almost every trip but we loved that……”Thing”!
It was a combination tank, convertible and chick magnet. Everybody wanted to know what the heck it was. We had much fun with it and, luckily, we were mechanically inclined and could fix the issues it gave us.
A lot of great, and a few not so great, memories from that machine!
Welcome back.. you HAD to rent the Thing.. it adds to all the adventure!! I always wanted a VW Thing!! I wanted to get it all souped up and rename it ..”Thang”.
Welcome back Aaron.
Great choice for a vacation. I was stationed in P.R. for a couple of years and I fell in love with the place. Great weather, fabulous beaches, wonderful food. Back then some of the hotels had Las Vegas style shows with big name entertainers. Of course, back then we didn’t visit Culebra … it was a U.S. Navy bombing range. (That will tell you how long ago I was there.)
Ya know, I don’t give a flip about your personal life. Stick to what your job is, reporting on cars. The rest is all useless crap!
It’s a sin there are idiots like Ted out there who can’t appreciate people! You deserved a vacation because of all the hard work you do! Letting us know about it is just your way of sharing good times and adding in a car or two you got to drive along the way. Most people, with intelligence, can appreciate that! Chill Ted!
Aaron, Glad you had a great vacation and hopefully, it’s not too long ’til you take another one.
Also, Ted’s comment is probably some immature way to tell you he missed your articles.
Aaron does hard work? LOL Yeah, driving Mustangs, Corvettes, Infinitys is “Hard Work”? Now, driving some POS Chrysler product or that Malibu might be painful but not really hard.
C
Everyone (including Ted): Thanks.
Al: “Combination tank, convertible and chick magnet” may be the best description of a Thing I’ve ever read.
Chuck: Driving them is easy. Trying to write something entertaining is the hard part! But it’s the greatest job in the world and you won’t hear me complaining. Much.
Aaron
Ted you are simply an uncaring, self-absorbed little twit that thinks the world is all about Ted and everything and everyone should be there for his own self-aggrandizement.
Chuck is his usual uncaring, self absorbed little twit that thinks the world is all about Chuck and everything and everyone is there for his own self-aggrandizement.
Chuck, I want you meet Ted. You are both bound to become great friends!!!
Wonderful time… great!!! and glad to have you back!!!