Rodak’s Cadillac (Dear Dad 8/11/21)

Eldorado fins, whitewalls, and skirts
Rides just like a little bit of heaven here on earth
Well buddy when I die throw my body in the back
And drive me to the junkyard in my Cadillac

Cadillac Ranch by Bruce Springsteen

My favorite coffee roaster, grilling consultant, and automotive expert is Marvin Rodak. These days most know Marvin for the excellent coffee he roasts or the high-end ceramic grills he sells. For many years however his chief endeavor was as the owner/operator of an automotive repair shop. On my most recent stop to pick up the coffee he invited me into the back of his shop (his coffee and grill shop occupy the old garage). Parked in one of the auto repair stalls was a yellow 49-year-old Fleetwood Cadillac. The car had been left to him in the will of a former customer. Kept in a garage and not driven for many years and with not too much work from Marvin, it appeared ready for a road trip. Knowing so many songs with Cadillacs in the lyrics, there needs to be a song about riding in Rodak’s Cadillac in my opinion.

I think back on this era before so many European and Japanese luxury cars were manufactured or available. This was when driving a Cadillac was a sign that you had arrived at a higher station in life. And if you were a woman with silver hair and some means, you were likely to be driving a yellow Caddy. Quite a few used to trade cars every 2 years. Back in the day, I remember overhearing a gentleman in barbershop conversation remark that Mrs. So-in-So traded cars every time the ashtray got full. This was only a slight exaggeration.

As I am at a time in my life that long road trips have become a possibility, wonder if a Cadillac purchase is in order. Watching the world roll by from the window of a big cruiser has a great deal of appeal.

“A rule of the blue road: Be careful going in search of adventure — it’s ridiculously easy to find.”
― William Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways: A Journey into America

Back in the 1980s, I read this book. It is time to find it for another read. The backroads on the maps of the day were blue. He spent several months traveling around the country on these back roads. This might still be the very best way to make a road trip, get an old travel atlas, and throw the GPS out the window as you drive away.

On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again

On the Road Again by Willie Nelson

Making friends I may never see again (my own addtional lyric)