New Wheels & Face Book Friends

This is my Faithful 2008 Canyon pickup. I bought it with 2247 miles on it and a full factory warranty shortly before the 2008 Memorial Day weekend SLR Rendezvous. We had a great many good times together. It got me to work, took me to rendezvous, went camping with me at the IWLL and generally helped me travel through life. It has even helped me move my Urchin’s stuff a time or two.

It suffered through the heat of summer and the snowstorms of 2009 – 2010. A gutsy little truck with a solid manual trans, Line-X bed-liner, monogramed mud flaps and Hello Kitty floor mats.  It even had a snazzy after market radio with an iPod line-in.  Its only real flaw was a wimpy 2400 tow capacity, a side effect of its manual trans and engine size.   In 78400+ miles all it ever needed besides routine maintenance was a water pump.

So I wasn’t really looking to replace my Canyon when I went to the multi-dealer car sales fest at the John Paul Jones Arena.  Gypsy Jane and I went there Friday afternoon to look at trucks in general.  I wanted to compare extended cab midsize pickups with regular cab full size pickups and get a better idea of just what was out there and at what cost.   Which I did, with occasional moments of profound amusement.  Somehow I can’t see me with a DVD player so my guitar and clothes can watch “The Last of the Mohicans” while I drive to a rendezvous, or leather seats which adjust electrically every which way and have an air cushion to boot (wonder how much it costs to fix when it breaks), or even a built in tool box in the pickup bed (it wasn’t all that large).  Clearly Charlottesville was not the place for serious pickup comparison shopping.  

On a whim I decided to check out vans on my way out of the display lot – I figured vans would be way out of my price range unless they had seriously high mileage.  The first 2 vans I passed confirmed my cost assumptions, both were out of my price range even though they also had over 90,000 miles.

Then I saw this 2004 Chevy Express cargo van with 33,733 miles for less than I paid for my Canyon.   A cargo van with full windows and no racks.  A very clean cargo van with a 4.8 liter engine that can tow 6400 pounds.  I went home, I thought it over, I went back Saturday morning and traded my Canyon for an Express van.  I even got more for my Canyon in trade than I owed on it. 

So now I’ve got a vehicle I can camp in or pack for an event and have my gear in dry, lockable storage.  A vehicle that can tow a horse  or 2 motorcycle trailer easily.   There’s even enough clearance to carry a motorcycle in the van, although I’d need to install proper tie-downs and get a  loading ramp to actually do it.   To sum it up, I’m one very happy camper.  And I’m sure someone out there will be very happy with my Canyon. 

Of course a new camping vehicle  means one has to go camping.  So after the paperwork got done Saturday I loaded my modern camp into the van and drove to IWLL to stay with Gypsy Jane.  She had left my place for IWLL the evening before in part to greet a FB friend named Chopper who was due to arrive there around noon.  Well he got delayed but Chopper and his lady did finally find the campground.

Choppy &  Lady

We had a grand time, the weather was most accommodating and sleeping on an airbed in the van worked out just fine.  (I do plan on making curtains with magnets for the van over the winter.) 

Madison Street Fair–Labor Day Weekend

Usually I’m at Belle Grove Plantation with the Shenandoah Long Rifles over Labor Day Weekend for one of their rendezvous, but this year the finances said that a trip to the lower Valley just wasn’t in the cards.  The Canyon decided it needed a water pump and my check book said I couldn’t do a water pump and a ‘vous, s-o-o-o, no ‘vous for me.  But that meant Gypsy Jane & I could go to the Madison Street Fair, which I usually miss ‘cause I’m off ‘vousing.   The fair is mostly a craft fair with a vintage car show, live music and various other displays related to the history of the town & county. 

The local Civil War unit had their encampment set up and the Historical Society museum was open.

When I was in high school I wanted an MG like this but in British Racing Green.  They’re not exactly in by price range & ya need to marry a mechanic to keep it ready to roll, but it was a nice dream.

Ah yes, the ever popular Hill Billy Pickup.

I really really liked these baskets.

Gypsy Jane really really likes all the jewelry.

A serious thunderstorm moved through right about 2 PM but otherwise it was a fine day to wander around, get lunch from a street vendor and otherwise just enjoy the day. 

Since I wasn’t off in the Valley I got various projects done here at the house.  The project motorcycles have been moved onto the driveway so I can get at the trim on that side of the house to clean & paint it.  I’m going to need a scaffold for that project but at least the area is ready whenever I am.  

I also got the rest of the gravel put where on the strip of dirt outside the kitchen door.  The table & chairs are Gypsy Jane’s, they make for a very nice Bistro as long as the weather holds.  I also got the yard beat back into shape – all the rain had conspired with my work schedule to produce long shaggy grass that was a real job to mow.  The back soffit and eve painting is also done.