Made just for us

I have been meaning to post a couple of nice shots of our new set of wheels, yet updating my blog is on the bottom of my to do list with the summer projects in full swing. Traci and I are strong believers that manual transmission vehicles are for the elderly and disable, which is perhaps why the American youth are only capable of driving automatics. I'm not sure where I am going with that last sentence, however I do know that vehicles with manual transmission are becoming obsolete with each new year. Although our Civic was a great car, it only had two doors and placing Ben in the back seat is quite an adventure as he gets bigger. So our search began with the need for a four-door car. We enjoy driving manual transmission cars so that crossed out 85% percent of new vehicles and we also wanted an American made car so that didn't leave us with much choice. Our options came down to the following: Dodge Dart, Ford Fusion, Chevy Cruze, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass, Cadillac CTS-V WAGON and a 3/4 ton Ram Truck. One neat advantage to a Patriot or Compass is the versatility of carrying our Yakima Skybox and ability to get more cargo area by folding the rear seats. Personally, we think the Patriot looks better than the Compass so the decision was made.

So why did we factory order a car from a dealership in Montana? Well, dealership order cars that they believe will sell and they much rather sell a car they already have than to order you a car. The guys at Yellowstone Country Motors are low hassle and they don't mind ordering a car if it's not on their lot. Of course Patriots are everywhere to found at dealerships however a 4x4 manual transmission are actually quite rare, believe it or not. Since the decision was made to order a car, why not just personalize it to our pocket books extent. The few upgrades include: 17 inch Aluminum rims, front and rear tow hooks, air conditioner, rubber floor mats, power windows and engine block heater for when we traverse the Yukon.

A Memorial Weekend

This year for Memorial Day we headed to Montana to spend the weekend with Traci's folks. Traci took Friday off from work so we decided to not waste time and get on the road on Thursday evening. We enjoyed a wonderful sunset as we began our journey east and even got a chance to see the glow of Friday's sunrise over the Bridger Range. I was wasted by the time we arrived to Bozeman yet somehow after getting out of the car I was filled with energy despite being awake for 20 hours. After chatting for about an hour I marched myself to bed where I laid awake wondering how easy it was to fall asleep as a young kid and how difficult it is to shut my mind down as an adult. Regardless, after taking a much needed nap we got ready for the day and jumped into the Professor's 1971 Plymouth Duster to pick up our brand new Patriot. Back in the 70's people were not thinking baby seats so that meant that Ben's car seat couldn't fit on the back seat and barely fitted in the front. Since the Duster was not equipped with airbags, placing Ben on the front seat was not a problem in my books so Traci, Mrs. Starkebaum and I sat in the back row.

We arrived to Yellowstone Country Motors in Livingston, MT and after promising to go into debt, they handed over the keys to our factory-ordered Jeep Patriot Sport. I pulled the car forward and parked it in front of the dealership to document the moment then the car drove itself down the street to Dairy Queen with little assistance from yours truly. From there, Traci drove the car back to her folks house while I drove back in the Duster to snap a few photos of the Patriot on the highway. That evening we drove the Patriot to one of my favorite places near Bozeman, Hyalite Lake and enjoyed the scenery that Bennington Lake lacks. Since the sun in Montana is never overwhelming, on Saturday we enjoyed a picnic with the in-laws and the Patriot's liftgate provided shade for the head of the table. On Sunday I joined Traci's dad on his weekly tire kicking route and stumble upon a Corvette-only rally races. It was nice to see corvettes unleash their stored up energy and smoke rubber as they competed for the fastest time. Meanwhile at the Dodge dealership I found out that the 3/4 ton trucks have a four link suspension in the rear and a long arm suspension in the front. That's the suspension that many jeep fanatics have been fabricating in their garages for years for maximum articulation off road and on road performance. I know it's not that exciting except that it really is.

On our way back home we made a quick stop by Bonner, MT to see an old Milwaukee Railroad caboose parked alongside the highway. After taking a few photos we had lunch in Missoula and continued on our journey west. It has been our tradition to have a picnic on Memorial Day whether it rains or shines. This year was no different, so we enjoyed a picnic along Lake Coeur d'Alene beside Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge. Ben took on the role of entertainer during our meal with some help from his audience member to assist him walking along the bike path and climbing on top of the logs along the lake. I'm sure he will be walking on his own fairly soon and my gray hairs will start growing the following day. Anyhow, after feasting on hotdogs, chips and grapes we got back on the road and enjoyed our first sunset in our newly acquired Patriot.

Time to say Goodbye

A week ago we sold our 2002 Honda Civic EX Coupe. I'm not sure why I am sentimental about a vehicle that has no feelings or emotions, but I wish the car would have been a headache and perhaps saying goodbye would be easier. Traci acquired the car in 2005 from her mom who bought it new in 2002. The Civic was an extremely reliable car with little service required. It was a fun car to drive especially on windy roads and not needing to ever shift down going up mountain. We generally averaged about 40 mpg on the highway yet we were able to get 50 mpg on one occasion on a late trip back from Wallowa Lake. A few of the notable trips we made with the car were going to Tillamook for our first anniversary, visiting Montana on our 4th anniversary and seeing Salt Lake City and Moab in Utah. On one occasion we folded down the rear seats and spent the night under the stars.

Here are some specifications on the Civic, it was powered by a 1.7L inline 4 engine that produced 127 hp @6300 rpm and 114 ft-lbs of torque at 4800 rpm. It was a front wheel drive featuring a 5 speed manual transmission and 13.2 gallons fuel capacity allowing us to travel about 550 miles on a full tank. A few of the convenience were: cruise control, front and rear cupholders, front door pockets, remote trunk release, power steering tilt-adjustable steering wheel and cruise controls on the steering wheel. It had power windows, split folding rear seatback, front bucket seats, power glass sunroof, steel wheels and air conditioning. The interior was black cloth and exterior paint was Titanium Metallic.

On Wednesday we sold the Civic and on May 8 (the following day), our 2014 Jeep Patriot Sport rolled off the assembly line in Belvidere, Illinois. In the meantime we are borrowing Traci's mom magnum that produces 340 hp @ 5000 rpm and 390 ft-lbs of torque @ 4000 rpm, which translate to plenty of power just waiting to be unleashed. Our patriot produces 158 hp @ 6400 rpm and 141 ft-lbs. of torque @ 5000 rpm, which translate to stepping on a plum.

I'm going to miss this.

A couple of weekends ago we visited Traci's parents for Alumni Weekend at Mt. Ellis Academy. This year marks 14 years since Traci graduated from the academy and the last year before her dad retires. Since we left on Thursday evening, I made it a priority to sit through US History and watch Traci's dad teach a class. The lecture covered the period leading up to WWII and how the German currency was so worthless that people used it for insulation on their homes... I wish I would have placed more attention in school. Anyhow, after church on Saturday we visited the small town of Ringling that was home to a depot for the Milwaukee Railroad. One of the doors was open so we ventured inside and took a peek around the old structure that hasn't seen a train for over 34 years. The floors creaked as we walked across the dusty old floorboards, half opened electrical boxes hung from the walls yet despite the years of abandonment, there were no broken windows to be seen. Outside the departure room window a church can be seen sitting on hill awaiting it's next owners as the small community dwindles as the years pass.

During our visit we also had a chance to order a 2014 Jeep Patriot from the factory through the guys at Yellowstone Country Motors. It turns out the vehicle has been assigned a vin number and is currently somewhere on the assembly line. It's exciting to know that in Belvidere, Illinois there is a vehicle being made just for us. More on that later, moving on. We returned on Monday and enjoyed a mostly sunny drive as well as a nice sunset on the lake front of Coeur d'Alene lake. Ben mostly slept on the last stretch from Spokane yet was eager to bounce and play as we arrived to our house... which brings me to my next point. The hardest part of being a parent for myself.

We headed straight to bed as soon as we arrived back to our house yet Ben had different plans and was eager to share them. Both Traci and I were exhausted from the drive and neither of us had the energy to help Ben release his wiggles. Since he is becoming efficient in his mobility we decided to place Ben in bed with us and we would act as walls to stop him from falling off while he released his stored energy. I turned my back to him as I laid in bed in the hopes that he would entertain himself but he quickly notified me of his discovery of my earlobe. Any attempt to ignore him were useless as he repeated "Bah bah bah," and occasionally bump his head with mine. He held firmly to my earlobe with one hand while slapping the side of my face with the other, he was excited to finally spend time with his dad after sitting in that car seat for 9 hours. I turned my face towards him to see the biggest grin I've ever seen, yet meanwhile my weariness slowly turned into frustration. "Ben, I wish you could understand how hard this is for us." I said. It was at that moment I realized the hardest task as a father for myself is keeping up with his energy. The agenda for each awake hour of the day is "Fun" and nothing else will do. Of course Ben doesn't understand me yet, so he continued to gently slap my nose, mouth and eyes as I now was facing up. I had the ipad nearby so I searched for the song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins. It immediately placed a new perspective and for a while I wished this moment would never end.

The second part of images were taken at my mom's house with a few other taken earlier this month.