Mabel
Mabel
“Mabel” is an illustrated, humorous tale of three unusual characters, in an eccentric old roadster, trying to survive the unexpected dangers they encounter as they explore the back roads of Western America, far from civilization. It started as a simple vacation trip but transforms into a life changing adventure that will take you to places you’ve never been before.
Meet Everett, he’s an Artist and a two hundred and twenty pound roly-poly package of fun and wit. He, with his two friends, the all too serious Engineer, Jon, and the wily, straight from the back woods mountain-man, Clark, are on a several thousand mile vacation trip to Canada and back. This unusual trio discover many unusual sights including, Ghost Towns, grand vistas and adventure on the twisty, two lane roads that wind through the hidden California forests, Oregon lakes, and Washington mountains.
However, they seriously tempt fate when they decide to use Clark’s motorcycle and Jon’s thirty year old, open English sports car to make the trip on those little used back roads.
Along the way they face many unexpected challenges, not least of which proves to be Mabel, the car that carries them from adventure to adventure. With a mind of her own, Mabel turns out to be the unexpected fourth, and very female, member of the party.
But suddenly they find themselves all alone, in the middle of one of the greatest raging forest fires to ever hit the mountains of Western America, the Firestorm of 1987. Miles from nowhere, they discover their lives depend on this temperamental old car with a personality.
But, will Mabel want to save them from one of the greatest firestorms in history?
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REVIEW BY : Kurt Jacobson, Editor of JagMag, published by Jaguar Drivers & Restorers Club of Northwest America“Mabel! is a vicarious 1987 road trip adventure that made me feel like I experienced it myself just last week. After a decade of driving a 1954 Jaguar roadster, similar to the book’s namesake, the pages triggered the sights, sounds and smells of open-air motoring, the highs of discovering new landscapes and destinations, and the lows of impending breakdowns. Because the book was written in draft form at the completion of the trip and was based on contemporaneous notes and clear short-term memories, the descriptions are vivid and make you feel you are experiencing the adventure yourself … right now.Mabel! is a documentary, complete with annotations with current historical and tourism information. But, like a good novel, it features strong personalities, close friendships, humor, a life-threatening enemy and an imperfect hero. Mabel! is informative, fun, fast and hard to put down.”