Thank You, Jake!

This month I’m changing course a little bit, and I hope that you will all bear with me while I reach out to a specific driver out there. Please allow me to tell you the back-story of where this endeavor originated. I run a steady route between Seattle, WA and the Bay Area of California every week. I tend to see a lot of the same friendly faces and familiar rigs on a regular basis, but some time ago, I began seeing a particularly-sharp white Peterbilt 379 crossing my path on occasion. I always seemed to catch it going the other direction after dark. It was a classy-looking long hood, with a polished aluminum flatbed in tow, but the standout feature that caught my eye was the insanely-bright yellow glass lights that lit up the horizon as that truck would slip on by. These lights were glowing like no other truck I had seen in recent memory. Now, I have always preferred the look of glass “watermelon” lenses, but with the trend of LED bulbs taking over the industry, it is getting difficult to find a modern bulb that glows like an incandescent bulb from behind those glass lenses. However, this elusive white Peterbilt had the look I was coveting for my own truck, but I never found the truck parked at the same place where I was parked. That is, until I attended the ATHS truck show in Brooks, Oregon last August (2018). While there, I saw that clean white truck parked in the dusty grass in the field across from me. I walked over and introduced myself to its friendly owner, Jake Bast. Many of you have probably seen Jake’s clean and classy white 379 with a stand-up 63” sleeper online or on social media, or perhaps you’ve seen it in person. Either way, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s quite a head-turner. So, I was standing there asking Jake about the secret to his ultra-bright lights, and he was gracious enough to reveal which bulbs he uses to achieve that winning look. During our conversation, I mentioned my brown 1981 cabover Freightliner and some of the plans I have for the interior. I mentioned wanting to use old-school glitter style switch extensions, on the dash, but I hadn’t been able to locate any. Jake replied by saying he had some of those at home. I immediately asked if he would sell them to me, and he said, “No, but if you give me your address, I’ll send them to you for free!” I was very excited and appreciative of the gesture, but I honestly figured it would be a forgotten one. Much to my surprise, a few weeks later, I received a box of amber, glitter switch extensions in the mail! Jake, if you’re reading this, I realize it’s been several months and I haven’t seen or spoken to you since then, but I wanted to show my appreciation and let you know I haven’t forgot your kindness. I looked up some pictures online and learned that you now have a beautiful black and blue 359 extended hood! So, I thought I’d do a little artwork and present it here, in 10-4. This painting is done in watercolor and colored pencil, and if you stare at it for a bit, you’ll see it says “JAKE BAST” with the truck confined in the letters. I had fun creating this piece of art, and I plan to bring the original to the ATHS National Convention in Reno at the end of May. Hopefully, I’ll see you there and offer you this token of my appreciation for your generosity.