Goodbye Gwennie

Who is Gwennie?

My Ford Escape.

Or, my ex-Ford Escape.  I traded her in today for a Subaru Outback.

Gwennie (named after Gwen Stefani because of her song Sweet ESCAPE) has given me some trouble of late.  Nothing horrible - like last year's engine mishap above, but more along the lines of being in need of some upgrades.  And, her warranty is up in July. After said engine blow-up last year where the only thing that saved my butt was my warranty, I just won't own a car without one.

I was sad to see her go though.  I really did love her. 

She's carried a lot of things: Todd, Rigby, family, friends, in the above photo - a backend full of rocks for Molly's landscaping, and all of my possessions as I headed back West.

We've driven all around D.C., 'cross country with a U-Haul, around Vail, Colo., into Nebraska to visit Stacey and family and pick-up Rigby, into the mountains...she and I are kind of like that Johnny Cash song about being everywhere, man.

But to make our relationship work, I would have had to pump more into it in the form of tires, a windshield (cracked on a trip to Nebraska), and somehow figure out a way to cover her if she gets mad at me and blows a gasket - literally.

So, after months of research and weighing the pros and cons and expenses of keeping Gwennie as opposed to owning a different car, we decided to go the new route.

It wasn't what we set out to do yesterday, though.  We were on our way to test drive a totally different vehicle when we decided to pull into the Subaru dealership for just a peep.  After driving a few cars, comparing the Outback to the cars we thought we were interested in, and working a few numbers we ended up driving a Subaru home.

As Todd and I cleaned out ol' Gwen I was sad.  I just kept looking at her remembering all our good times, like...

...the feeling of being free after I dropped off the U-Haul...
...or, when Gwennie got her Colorado tags and then her Wyoming ones...
...or, how we rocked out to Poison's Unskinny Bop as we made our way up the mountain to the Eisenhower Tunnel when I moved from Vail to Laramie, Wyo.,...

She was a good lil' SUV.

Au revoir, Gwennie!  It's been fun!  I know you'll have a good new owner in no time!

(This photo is being super weird and won't upload in the horizontal direction.  You get the sentiment...)

On The Road - Here We Go Again

Well, I'm off again, packing all my crap into my car and driving off into the sunset.

I'm heading to Laramie to spend some time at Linds H.'s house. So, here are my thoughts as I drove from Vail to Laramie on Wednesday night...

- My car is packed to the roof - I can't see out - and I have mattresses strapped to my car. I look like Sanford & Son, or probably more like the Beverly Hillbillies.

- Around Frisco. The weather over the mountains is snowy looking. Oh, here it is. It's like...sleetballs. I'm sure there's a much more technical word for this. Or maybe I've just coined a new meteorological term. I'm on the phone with my sister Kelly and we're laughing about it.

- Kelly and I are also brainstorming the new name of the blog, since I won't be living in Colorado for the time being I need to change it. She suggests Westward Ho. Hmmm...would have been a good one for the move West. Home on the Range? Doesn't work either since I technically don't have a home...still thinking.

- My car Gwennie hates me. I keep forcing her up mountains lugging massive quantities of crap. I won't be one bit surprised if she decides to quit on me just out of spite.

- We're (Gwennie and I) rockin' out to Unskinny Bop by Poison. I hope the music motivates her up the mountain to the Eisenhower Tunnel.

- It's remarkably easy driving with the mattresses on top. I'm surprised.

- So...I have to live in Colorado. I just bought Colorado plates!!

- Something in my car smells like green onions.

- North of Denver: The wind is really picking up. This is the second time I will drive into Laramie with a vehicle situation where I could blow off the road.

- About 100 tumbleweeds have blown in front of me. I have the same reaction every time, like a rabbit or deer has popped out of the ditch at me.

- Wind is really bad now. And it's starting to rain some. I hope the mattresses don't get wet. The rope and straps are holding really well though!

- A gust of wind just about blew me off the road. Think I'll put two hands on the wheel.

- I can't WAIT to get to Cheyenne so I can get on 80 West! The wind will be mostly behind me then. Argh!

- Coming into town. Wind is better, but it's still raining. I'll just drop the mattresses at J and Jonna's tomorrow. I think they're fine.

It took five hours to drive to Laramie instead of the 3-3 1/2 it normally would. I pull in at 11:30 p.m., unload the food and some stuff to get me to bed and hit the hay.

Now to figure out what I'll do with myself...

On the Road - Day 5

Day 5 starts with me and my brother-in-law wrestling Planty back into the car and rearranging, well, essentially everything. Poor Planty...portions of him or not doing so well.


I throw on the pink striped shirt and throw out the "Colorado or Bust" sign (sorry girls, but I couldn't see), and head up to the hospital for one last visit with my sister and new nephew.


I decide I need a Starbucks to keep me going, but the parking lot is pretty tight and there is absolutely nowhere for me to park my "rig." My solution? Go through the drive up, of course. The guy at the window is really nice and funny and asks what I'm up to with that thing. I contemplate answering with, "Joyride," but instead politely tell him what I'm doing. He thinks it's cool. Now, thanks to the gift card from Jess E., I've got my caffeine and can hit the road.

Depart Omaha at about 1 p.m., inhaling an iced coffee and more of Jenn T.'s hummus.


MM 445 (80 west, NE): I say (out loud) to my car, "Come on, Gwennie. You can do it. After a nice rest and some fresh fuel we can beat this wind and hills!"


443: Do I worry more about explaining to my readers why I call my car Gwennie, or that I'm talking out loud to it?


440: There is a lot happening on the side of the road in Omaha - there are cones, cops, construction, broken down cars and blinking signs. Whew!


438: My iPod is playing REALLY good music right now!


433: Kim's Kar Karaoke starts, which I haven't been able to do this whole trip. I've been too congested. This is especially hard on me when a "real" karaoke song comes on my iPod.


431: It's much easier to drive (un)safely - writing, driving, drinking, eating, and hauling - in the rural, open spaces.

425: What's the Genius Bar fact from the Apple store? Something about being able to travel from coast to coast four times without hearing the same song twice if you have an 80 gig.

423.8: I love SFCD (that's sugar-free cinnamon dulce) syrup.

423.4: I fully expect to be working at Starbucks in a week. I'm even abbreviating like they do on the cups.

422.4: Can't hear John Denver's Thank God I'm a Country Boy without thinking of Pauly Shore in Son-in-Law.

420.4: Love the line from the song "cakes on the griddle."

419.8: I love the word griddle. And fiddle. That reminds me of Fiddlesticks the Clown, a.k.a. my old colleague in Old Town who comes from a long line of registered clowns. Crazy.

418.6: baby Judd is so cute! I wonder what babies dream about when they sleep.

413.2: Seriously, my iPod is playing the perfect random mix right now!

412.2: I love watertowers. They're so small town America.

410.8: I love iced coffees. Sad, I just finished mine.

409.6: SO wonderful to be on an interstate and to be able to drive it like one. No traffic, no inching forward. I can breathe and drive, and I do love to drive. It's therapeutic.

401.0: Simon and Garfunkle's Cecelia comes on. This is SO being broken down with Linds H. and Steph outside Wheatland, Wyo., and thinking we're going to be murdered by the tow truck guy.

396.0: Beatrice, Neb. Another name I'm glad isn't mine.

395.4: I really enjoy my own company. I can totally entertain myself. HA!

393.6: On a radio station, "When a man talks dirty to a woman it's sexual harrassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man it's $3.95 a minute. What everyone is listening to? Z92 Nebraska!"

392.8: Why are there so many teal cars in Nebraska?

388.0: Always wonder how towns are named. Makes sense if it's after a person or event, etc., but who ultimately decides? Is there a naming committee? Do the townsfolk take a vote?

384.8: Keep thinking about how cute Judd is.

374.0: I can't wait to get the D.C. parking stickers off my car.

369: The mile markers keep going from decimals to none. Make up your mind!

365: Really dislike being passed by every semi on the road.

363: When I see a town in one state that I know is also in another, I wonder which was first.

357: Next rest area 40 miles. I MUST get over.

At rest area: I pretty much hang up on Linds H. to get inside.

"Get ur dun" on a semi's mudflaps. Reminds me of Chris T.

353: I've learned to like the song Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. I hated it at first, but now it's funny. Jonna is reading this and is appalled.

334:U-Haul buddy!

332: Aurora, Neb., there's one in Colorado too.

320: I'm starting a teal car count.

270: Ahhh...western skies! I can see for miles. This is one reason I really liked D.C. It's built out and not up, lots of light and sky.

257: Josh Groban on. He always reminds me of Elly who melts like butter on a hot "griddle" over him.

256: Alabama's Dixie Land Delight is on. My favorite part is the tamborine "ching" after, "Got a little jingle."

255: Utah. Now THERE'S a license plate. Pretty, and represents the state. Missouri could learn something!

250: Beyonce is on and the car just became a party mobile. (Yes, I will document every time she comes on.)

232: My visor is now dangling in front of my face. I tried to pull it to the side to shield the sun and instead it fell right off. I rig it with safety pins at the next rest area.

At rest area: I love pulling in with the trucks.

228: A Penske moving truck.

218: My iPod likes the Cranberries lately. I've decided I like them again too.

216: S.O.S. by Rihanna. Erin used to be S.O. obsessed with this song!

214: The wind has eased up a bit. That'll be good for gas.

212: Sign for Lasso Espresso. This is really funny for some reason.

208: The first signs for Cheyenne and Denver!

201: I hate the strings on bananas. They totally gross me out.

196: A truck carrying a bunch of pop-up campers just passed. First, I like the word pop-up. Second, pop-ups are amazing. It's wild that an entire living area comes out of a squashed down box.

190: The wind is back.

181: Patty Loveless Nothing But the Wheel is on. I have always, always loved this song. Especially the part about driving at 3 a.m. with nothing but the trucks. That's my favorite time to drive. Just you and the sleeping world.

170: Southern Comfort by Buddy Jewell. This is Kara and I driving from Denver to Steamboat for Jenn T.'s wedding.

163: I'm concerned about Planty.

157: heading into the sunset. Sure wish my visor wasn't pinned to my ceiling.

152: U-Haul buddy going east!

130: In Da Club - so Chris T. and the movie my colleagues and I made for a work project. HA!

At Ogallala: Grey Goose Lodge. I could go for a Grey Goose martini about now.

125: I like the word Ogallala. Linds H. and I just discussed not liking writing it, but I've decided I kind of do.

121: I just ate what will be my last bite of Jenn T.'s hummus. I tried to make it stretch to Wyoming, but it's time to throw the last bit out.

115: The clouds are really streaky like a storm is brewing. What would I do if a tornado came out of them? I dream a lot about tornadoes. One recurring one in particular where I look at the skyline and there are hundreds of them coming out of the clouds. I wonder what that means.

111: A tumbleweed!

110: Tumbleweed 2.

110.5: Tumbleweed 3. I'm in a little winter squall right now with horizontal snow and am cracking up over the tumbleweeds!

84: It is SO open. The inky sky meeting the barely discernible land. I actually say out loud, "Look at it!" I am so excited! Now I'm misty-eyed.

85: Still have goosebumps and mist. (That's the third goose reference this leg of the trip.)

84: David Lee Murphy is on. He's from Herrin, Ill., where my dad grew up and Grandma still lives. The only thing I will be missing on this trip is my Grandma's 80th birthday celebration on Saturday.

75: I love truckers. I like the way they flash their lights to let me know it's alright to get back over. It's like, since I'm hauling something, I'm one of them. Sort of.

I want to ruin the Conoco in Sidney, Neb. (Linds C. - I figured out what Sidney, NE is for you!) There's a U-Haul buddy at the pump next to me where the station is trying to rip me off. I will not give them my money. Moving on.

38: I can see a bazillion stars! I love it! There's Orion, my favorite constellation. He's been my main celestial squeeze since 2nd grade when I learned about him.

29: I'm about to wet my pants because I refused to be in the Sidney Conoco a minute longer.

**Readers - Kimball gas is the way to go!**

After Pine Bluffs, Wyo.: I couldn't see the road at all outside Kimball. Blowing snow, 45 mph. Pretty bad.

358 (WY): Can't believe I'm not just visiting.

337: I can not WAIT to dump this trailer.

The rest is without mile markers and really not much thought because I hit more bad weather on the pass into Laramie and was totally focused on the road.

So excited to get into Laramie and see Linds H.!!

I pull in, after missing her road twice, and we unload Planty and some other stuff.

We finally hit the hay after much (needed) wine.

I'll be here until Sunday.

Total teal car count: 8

Makin' It Real

I just came in from putting my Wyoming license plates on my car. I've had them for a long while now, but just haven't gotten around to getting it done.

In the last seven months Gwennie, my car, has worn "Taxation Without Representation" D.C., plates, "Greenie" Colorado plates, and is now sporting some shiny county 2s.

So, it's official!

Or at least nearly.

On Friday I went to get my new Wyoming driver's license as well. THAT will be weird. But I won't have to worry about it for roughly three to four weeks, which is how long it will take for me to get it in the mail!

I forgot this about Wyoming. I assumed I'd walk out with a stunning new I.D. in hand, like you do in D.C., but nope. Instead I have a paper version and my old D.C., license to tide me over 'til the real thing arrives.

I do get to keep my D.C., license, which is nice. Since I'll very likely never live there again it'll be neat to have proof that I did.

If only the picture weren't so terrible and my weight was correct...

Remarkable

Three remarkable things have happened today...

1. I got my car back from the shop after it has been there since Memorial weekend.
2. I ate ice cream.
3. I got into a fight with a crazy man in the Dairy Queen parking lot.

#1:

My car's engine blew Memorial weekend as Molly and I were coming back to Cheyenne from Laramie. It just went ka-put, which it shouldn't do since it's only four years old. Since then, I've had three different loaners - also covered under my warranty. I wasn't really complaining about it not being done because I kept getting free cars from the dealership, but still, it's nice to have ol' Gwennie back.

#2:
I took my newly acquired car to Dairy Queen tonight for some ice cream. This is remarkable because I don't like ice cream. I know. I'm so unAmerican, or not human, or something. But I don't. It makes me unquenchably thirsty. And it's sweet and I'm not a big fan of sweets. The only exception to this rule is ice cream sandwiches. There is just something about those things that I don't mind. It doesn't really fall into the ice cream category in my head somehow. Don't ask, I can't explain.

So, how do I explain Dairy Queen? Again, I can't really. Except I've seen a commercial for Dairy Queen Blizzards the past couple of days and it occurred to me that I want one. Once I was there though I couldn't decide what I wanted. I tried for a kiddie cup, but they don't have one. I then pursued the frozen yogurt route (which I don't like any better), but they don't serve that. So, I succumbed to the strawberry cheesecake Blizzard.

Then, on my way out remarkable event #3 happened: I got into an argument with a guy in the DQ parking lot.

#3:
This is not a remarkable thing at all for most of the readers who know me.

But I'm saying it is because I haven't had this kind of road rage but once since leaving D.C.

I just couldn't take it tonight though, when the crazy man honked at me only moments after I got in my car because he wanted my parking spot, and then proceeded to shake his head and act like I was keeping him from his dying mother.

I got out.

Yep.

I just couldn't help but inquire what the race to get into the Dairy Queen was all about!

It didn't end well. There were several explitives and a screeching of my tires - and some choice words - as I left the parking lot.

I came home in my car and ate the whole Blizzard.