Bye Bye Saturn


In 1996 we purchased a new green 4 door SL2 Saturn. John hates the haggling over price that the dealers play so their one price system was a big plus for him. It was a great car. It even survived Mitchell learning to drive a manual and Gabe trying to learn (he gave up on it and learned later from a friend). It also survived Mitchell's teen years though it has a broken bumper to prove it. The skylight leaked and so the fabric inside on the roof decided to come loose, the frame was starting to rust, needed new shocks and new rear brakes and had 168,000 miles on it. It was a good car but obviously had seen better days.

We decided to donate it to Iowa Public Radio. I think this is a great program and since we listen to IPR almost everyday we felt it was the way to go. Last Monday a tow truck showed up at the apartment parking lot to take it away. I never thought I'd get nostalgic about a car but it was hard to watch it leave. It's like an era has passed and I can never get it back. Sometimes this getting old thing stinks but since I can't stop the progress of time, I wave goodbye and look ahead to the next adventure.

Comments

  1. Sue and DougApril 24, 2010 at 11:58 PM

    just found your blog through Bayfield Bunch ..congrats on just beginning your adventure..ours wont begin until 2014 but we continue to live vicariously through all the blogs!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sam&Donna WeibelApril 25, 2010 at 6:09 AM

    We too are in the process of selling the house and then we will leave in our 5th wheel, hopefully soon. Be safe out there, Sam & Donna.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Time for me to learn to drive this rig.

Image
Trail at Squaw Creek park Yesterday we moved back to Morgan Creek park (about a 15 mile drive) and I drove the rig! We have always said that I needed to start doing this but I never seem to do it. The first year I think John just felt he needed to get proficient at all the driving & parking things before he had me do it and then we just got lazy. It was just easier for him to do it. Recently friends of our that we met in Tucson, John and Terri had a very harrowing experience that reminded us why we both need to be able to drive this rig. John they think had a seizure while driving, luckily not towing but still it is amazing that they survived it. What this meant is that now Terri had to do the driving back to their former home town Sacramento and like me she had not done much driving. She did great and they are now coming off the road and starting a new phase of life. All of John's test look good so far and we wish him the best and hope that it was just a one time isolated...
Read more

Three plus years of full timing....what have we learned

Image
Zion National Park,  Utah, December 2010 Harris Hawk at Sonoran Desert Museum, Tuscon Feb. 2011 When we left Cedar Rapids it began our 4th year of living and traveling in our RV. The last three years have flown by and we are still not ready to go back to a sticks and bricks life. We have traveled a lot of the western US but even with time out there all three years there are so many places we have yet to discover. This year will be our first going south and east, all new places for me and many new ones for John. I think one of the things that I learn every time we find somewhere new is how beautiful this country is. If you slow down and take the time you will find amazing things everywhere. I think the thing I appreciate the most about this lifestyle is that freedom to take it slow. BLM land near Quartzite, AZ in January 2011 Putah Creek, Winters CA in Jan.2013 Crater Lake, Oregon, fall 2012 Diamond Lake, Oregon, fall 2012 When we first took off we w...
Read more

The Urban Life

Image
The view from our balcony I have been thinking about this post for awhile. When we are not traveling I find it hard to sit down and write but I have wanted to tell you about our new digs and what living downtown has been like for us. Another balcony view We moved into a one bedroom apartment on the west side of the river in the downtown Cedar Rapids area. This is a brand new building that actually they are still working on. The first floor is businesses, floors 2 and 3 are apartments and floors 4, 5, & 6 are condos. We love the building. Every apartment and condo has a balcony that looks out over the river and the McGrath Amphitheatre. Our little apartment in this building is 767 sq. which, after living in our 5th Wheel for 7 years, seems huge. We feel these apartments were well thought out. The kitchen is wonderful. It has a large island (all  solid countertops - quartz I think) with a large sink and plenty of seating room . We started by buying 3 barstools but f...
Read more