OK, I'm introducing myself. I'm Rick Dobbins. Grew up in Oceanside, CA. A MAGICAL place once. The beaches stretched out for a couple hundred yards to the water, I rode my Yamaha 80 all over the hills of Carlsbad, next door, and never saw anyone. The pier was the logest on the West Coast, and as you drove the 2-lane hiway into O'side, a big billboard greeted you with "Tan Your Hide In Oceanside!". My Dad had a very small construction co., and I started working for him at 10. I couldn't wait for a piece of equipment to break down so I could fix it!! When I couldn't, which was mostly the case, I took it apart and took it to DragMaster in Carlsbad. I remember the "sump": they dumped their old oil right into a ditch behind the shop. All within a stones throw from the beach. This was the 1960's. The biggest Marine Corps base on the West Coast is next door there, Camp Pendleton, and the Marines who had Hot Rods would race up and down Hill St., the main street. Carlsbad Raceway was eventually built; and 'Match Races' with some BIG NAMES showed up! All this was great for me. I was also into GUNS; and would walk, at 12 years old, down Oceanside Blvd. with mt .270 Win. Remington to the Police Range to shoot, and then walk home. I got a job after 2 failed years at SDSU at Weseloh Chevrolet as a used car wrench. Happiest time in my Life! And a GREAT training ground for a mechanic: the cars weren't owned by a customer, so you could throw parts at it until it was fixed. I eventually went "on the Line", which was completely intimidating! Now I made my paycheck as a commissioned wrench: don't fix the car fast, don't make any $. Don't fix the car/truck, as a matter of fact, YOU DIDN'T GET PAID!!! So I was forced to learn to be damn good. When I got off work from Chev., I'd go a mile to DragMaster and hang out. That's where I met Jim and Tom Nelson, and Doe Martin: MY HEROES!!! And made best friends for Life with people I met there and their friends. We had the GREATEST BEER DRINKING TIME, WORKING ON HOT RODS AND DREAMING OF BEING THE SHOE ON A TOP FUEL CAR!!! I capitalize that, cuz it was just the greatest time in my Life!!!! And now, Kalifornia SUCKS. It will NEVER be like it was, so I gave you a little glimpse of how GREAT it used to be here. Aftr I grew up, at about 28, it all went downhill!! lol Got married, got the great job, but now I'm older, and just want to relive those times through this web site, and enjoy all the yarns, BS, and rides!! Thanks for reading........Rick
The signature at the bottom of my posts are from Jim Nelson's only line from the 1964 movie "The Lively Set", where he plays a race car driver, and a hot babe walks by, and he says: "That's the only way to fly!" starring James Darren, Doug McClure, and racers Captain Max Schumacher, Dick Whittinghill, Mickey Thompson, Duane Carter, Billy Krause, and Ron Miller
Awesome intro! Hahaha.... What's cool is that I'm also from Oceanside, CA... I live in Washington state now, but still visit at least once a year. Beautiful city. Welcome, from a fellow FNG and Oceansider.
The Jalopy Journal
