41,000 miles???

 The C4S turned 41,000 miles yesterday!

41,000 on the dot!

It happened when I was taking Enzo to taekwondo, right as we were climbing the bridge over the tollroad, southbound on Grape Avenue.

I'm really enjoying the car, and am accumulating miles pretty quickly these days.  It won't be long before the C4S overtakes the Boxster mileage-wise.  When it's nice out and there's no sign of rain, I take Enzo to school and head to work in the 964.  If there's a threat of inclement weather, I take the C4S.

I've been enjoying the stereo quite a bit.  The Bose system does sound really good, and we've been listening to a lot of "How to Train Your Dragon" music, savoring the horns and the other instruments.  It's really good music, and it sounds great in the C4S.

41,000 miles!

 The Boxster turned 41,000 miles this week!

41,000 + 25

I'm pretty sure it happened when Allison was on her way to get a massage after a high-intensity pie breakfast weekend.  I'm so happy that she's enjoying the car!

Houston, Tranquillity base here.

 The Eagle has landed.

239,000 + 282 miles!!

From what I can tell, the distance from Earth to the Apollo 11 landing sight is between 238,900 and 240,000 miles.  The van faithfully spun through 239,000 last month.  Where did it get past 238,900?  I'm not sure.  Olivia went to Champaign this past weekend, so perhaps it happened on the way there?

Either way, the grey van is my first vehicle to accumulate moon miles.  It's taken about $27,500 in maintenance (not including gas) to get there.  So I suppose it's one of those things.  If you want something to last, well, you have to take care of it.  Wash and wax it.  Treat it with care.  Change the oil, and when they wear out, suspension components.

What's next?  How about Artemis II?  That'd be 252,756 miles, which seems like a reasonable goal.

Onwards!

49,000 miles

 The GLI hit 49,000 miles on a gorgeous, sunny fall day.

49,000 miles!

Allison, Luca, Enzo, and I had taken a trip up to Grand Rapids to see The Odyssey in 70mm IMAX.  It was completely worth the drive!  The massive screen is immersive, the closeup shots of the actors provides great detail, and as the camera panned down to the ocean shots, it really gives you a feeling of being on the ocean.  It's such a cool technology.

People have come from all over!

Pretty cool to be within driving distance!

600 pounds, 1l miles long!

One of the coolest things about the trip was seeing the projection room.  The mechanics of the machine were fascinating.  It was a great thing for Enzo to see, the physicality of the film.  We talked to the projectionist for a while, and watching him handle the film after the movie was over made it obvious that routine and a mental checklist were at play.  It got me thinking about shipping and distribution of a 600 pound film.  How many physical copies of the movie are there?  How are they produced and shipped?  How long do they last?  Where do they go after the movie is done with its run?  

The car rolled 49K on the way home.  It was a football Saturday, and Luca experienced a first - listening to a Notre Dame game on an AM radio station.  Even though he's been driving it a fair bit, he'd never tuned the AM radio in the GLI before.  Which makes sense, since he's plugged in, CarPlay streaming whatever he likes to listen to.

Naturally, I can't let this post go without a bit of commentary on the GLI.  6 years later, it continues to be a phenomenal machine.  Potent, quiet, and comfortable, the car simple devours miles.  It's an effortless, efficient highway hauler, with plenty of torque in 6th gear to propel the car into triple digits with a partial prod of the throttle.  Its steering is fluid and precise, and it just feels good to drive.  What a machine!  Its goodness reinforces itself every time I get some seat time, I really, really, really like this car!

70,000 miles

 The CR-V hit 70,000 miles sometime in the past couple of weeks.

70,000 + 159 miles

I'm sure this happened when Madeline was out driving around.  Possibly to school, or possibly to the gym, or possibly on the way home.  Who really knows?  She might, but that's not very likely.

One thing I absolutely love about Madeline is that she really enjoys driving and opening up the sunroof.  She frequently text me pictures like this:

That's my girl!

I love that she enjoys driving around with an open roof.  As we like to say, "No DNA test needed."  That's my girl!

48,000 miles

 The GLI turned 48,000 miles towards the end of last month.

48,000 + 77

Luca has been driving it pretty exclusively for a month or so.  It's really such a phenomenal car, and I'm glad he's enjoying it.  Maybe he was on his way to class, or on his way home, or who knows.  But, he was certainly behind the wheel, probably oblivious to the milestone.

40,000 miles

 The C4S rolled 40,000 miles taking Enzo to school this week:

40,000 miles

It was a gorgeous, cool, sunny morning.  We had the sunroof cranked back and were just putting along, in no particular hurry, just enjoying spending some time in the car on the way to school.  This was one of those times when I knew exactly on which drive the odometer would spin, because when I parked the night before, I saw:

991!

I get a little thrill every time whenever a car-related number happens to find its way into my life.  When I parked and saw 991, that just made me happy.  When Madeline and I were rolling home earlier this year, the fact that it was 9:11 made me happy.  It makes me happy that I'm going to hit publish on this post at 3:56.  Yes, numbers are important!

Of course, since I knew 40,000 was coming, I also captured:

997!

I am a total car nerd.  

But more important than being a car nerd is getting to savor time together in a car.  I feel very, very lucky indeed that I get to drive Enzo to school every day.  It's just so delightful to get some alone time for 20-30 minutes.  Impossible to value.

964ing to school

991ing to school