'They came to Fallbrook to buy a gas cap'

Doug and Sharon Allen, his bride of 34 years whom he started dating when she was 15, never thought of Fallbrook as a place to buy a retirement home. They had looked at many properties in most of the western states.

Sharon had never heard of Fallbrook, and the only recollection Doug had of it was in the early 1980s when several engineers he worked with started retiring and buying land in Fallbrook to start avocado orchards.

What eventually caused Sharon and Doug to venture to Fallbrook? In 2006 Doug needed a unique, original and hard-to-find Ford gas cap for the 1965 Ranchero he was restoring. He found one for sale in Fallbrook. Having never been there, they jumped in the car to retrieve the gas cap in person.

They loved Fallbrook, so they purchased a house there and have never looked back. Waking up in the morning and looking out the window at the De Luz valley never ceases to immediately erase the tensions of the past workweek.

They both think Fallbrook is a place of magic. It reminded Sharon of living, as newlyweds in the 1970s, in UCR married student housing and having the large boulders of the Box Spring Mountain surrounding them. She always wanted to again live among boulder strewn hills.

Dan and Julie, their son and his wife, also bought a house and moved to Fallbrook. Their grandsons love visiting them at the house. Conner loves to run around the orchard and Caden loves to sit on the pinball game, watching the lights flash. Mostly, they like being spoiled by their grandparents.

Sharon and Doug really enjoy the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club (FVCC) because of the wonderful members, gatherings, activities and, of course, cars.

Truth be told, Doug is the one who really appreciates the vintage cars. Sharon really appreciates it when they drive somewhere without the vintage car breaking down.

She is constantly amazed at how people stop to marvel over their vintage vehicles, reminiscing with them about the cars they had in their youth. “It really makes us feel like ambassadors of fond memories to the community,” she said.

Doug didn’t start out collecting vintage Fords but now has three. The first is a 1926 Model T Touring car.

“It was fun driving it around the neighborhood and having neighbors ask for rides,” he said. “For some of them, a Model T was their first car.”

The second is a 1959 F100 and their third Ford is a 1965 Falcon Ranchero. It has special meaning to them because of the memories of courting in a 1965 Ford Falcon.

The FVCC is always open to guests and new members. To receive more information, send an e-mail to [email protected].

Meetings are held at the Fallbrook Woman’s Club, 238 West Mission Road, on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.