46,000 miles

 The GLI rolled 46,000 this past Tuesday:

Missed it by 5 miles!

When I was on my way to work, I knew I'd hit 46K miles that day.  However, I went out to lunch with a friend.  Our conversation ranged from elder care to travel north of the Arctic Circle to compelling automotive choices.  It was raining heavily, and I was engrossed in conversation when I dropped him off.

It wasn't until I was on my way home that I checked mileage and saw 46,005.  Subtracting out the five miles, we must've rolled 46K together on the way to the restaurant.

I recently swapped out the winter tires on both vans and the GLI.  The tires really do transform the car, as I'm able to carry so much more cornering speed.  The Michelins have great steering feel, are direct, have respectable grip in the wet, and are a worthy match to the tuned engine.  I'm so happy they're back on the car!

234,000 miles

 The grey van continues to get closer to the moon:

Only 126 miles late!

Again, I'm not really sure when this happened.  I'll pretend it happened when Olivia was on her way to volunteer at the hospital.

So, the moon is about 238,855 miles from Earth.  While it's most likely the van will reach the moon this year, we certainly won't beat the Artemis II mission!

67,000 miles

 The CRV turned 67,000 miles at some point last month:

Missed the shot by 319 miles...

I'm hoping Madeline was driving along, sunroof open, enjoying some spring air.

45,000 miles

 The GLI turned 45,000 miles on March 6:

Just missed 45,000

Luca and I were heading to Chicago to take in a Blackhawks game.  It was a beautiful, chilly evening.  We had just merged onto I-80 and were a bit over ten miles into our Chicago-bound journey when I remembered that 45,000 was approaching quickly.  By the time I queted up the odometer, it was 45,001, and by the time I got my phone up to take a picture, it was 45,002.  Curses!  Oh well, these are the things to be worried about.

Now, you know I love the GLI.  It's a wonderful car, and I get tremendous joy from operating it.  The odometer is one of those minor irritations with the GLI, and modern cars in general.  I think it should always be visible.  At no point am I uninterested in the total mileage on a vehicle.  But on the GLI, the mileage is hidden if you use cruise control or if you get a little close to the car in front of you and get the "too close" warning on the dashboard.  With so much digital real estate available, why is the overall odometer not omnipresent?

So, my list of minor GLI gripes include:

• No omnipresent odometer
• Speedometer increments by 20, and then at the end, 40
• Trunk hinges instead of struts

That's pretty much it.  It's really a lovely, lovely car to drive.  I also really like the ability to close the sunshade while keeping the sunroof open.  I really do like the fresh air.  Even as I write this, it's about 35 degrees outside.  I was just driving around, sunroof open, seat heater on, happy as a clam:

I love an open sunroof!

Of course, my list of likes about the GLI is long:

• Sunroof/sunshade independence
• Power
• Fuel efficiency
• Shifter feel
• Torque
• Handling
• Front differential
• Size/space
• Seat heating/cooling
• How the cockpit is angled towards the driver
• Interior lighting
• Aesthetics
• Pretty much everything

101,000 miles!

 The blue van rolled 101,000 on Valentine's Day!

101K

Allison, Olivia, Madeline, Enzo, and I were coming back from a lovely day in Chicago.  We started on the late side with a late breakfast at Medici, followed by a day at the Museum of Science and Industry and dinner in Chinatown.

We rolled through 101K right after going through the tollbooth after we exited at 77, just ten minutes from home.  I love it when that kind of thing happens!

44,000 miles

On February 7 at 8:51 pm ET, about 80 miles south of Indianapolis on I-65, the GLI rolled uneventfully through 44,000 miles.

44,000 miles!

It was a beautiful, cold evening, with the temperature hovering around 18 degrees.  I was driving along with my dear friend Tom.  We had been down in the Nashville area for the funeral of our friend Dave's father.  Despite the context, it is always good to be together:

Tom, Dave, and me

Not long after passing through 44K, Tom and I stopped in Columbus, Indiana at the Black Sheep:

Baaaa!

The place looked really cool, but as we had 3+ hours of driving left to do, we ended up devouring the pizza in the car:

Delicious pizza!

After fueling up, we headed for home and thanks to some loping, parked on the driveway at 12:34 am on the 8th.

12:34 :)

Apart from a low tire pressure warning in Kentucky, the GLI performed like its typical competent, efficient, powerful self.  Over 31 mpg at speed in cold weather?  I'll take it.

One detail about the VW that never fails to delight is the animation on the odometer.  Instead of just blinking to the next digit, it rolls up to mimic the rolling of the barrels of a mechanical odometer.  It's a tiny detail, but one that tells me that whoever made that happen loves cars.  What a lovely, delightful detail!

43000 miles!

 The GLI turned 43,000 miles on January 30, 2026!

I missed the 43K shot by 8 miles

I was hoping to roll 43K miles on the way to Chicago with Allison.  Looking at the week, that's how I thought it was going to happen.  However, I went to visit Mom in the memory care facility and wash the car, was was caught up in C4S-obsessed thoughts, that I totally missed the 43K milestone just driving around lost in thought.

It was a lovely, sunny, 16 degree day.  The snow was abundant, the main roads were clearing, and our neighborhood remains snow-packed.

Happy January!