Yes, the old Mae is gone. After serving us faithfully for the past six years and 135,000 miles, the little red HHR has been put out to pasture. It was not due to neglect on my part, as I have maintained her fanatically with all factory recommendations, even changing the oil before it was needed. In fact, she was still running fine when we bade her goodbye. It's just that she had developed an engine control issue that more or less stranded us three times lately, and the repairs by three different Chevrolet dealers' service departments failed to fix the problem permanently. The repairs were not cheap, but that was not so much a consideration as the erosion in our confidence regarding her reliability. We just find ourselves traveling in remote areas too often to be wondering if we will get back to civilization.
Bidding Mae goodbye for the last time was a little sad, but especially so for Sandy, who gets terribly attached to certain inanimate things that have been around for a long time and that have served us well. I'm not sure what will happen if we ever trade Phannie for another coach after her having been our home for this long. I don't think it will be pretty.
But we must keep moving forward, mustn't we? Meet the new Mae:
Yes, we kept the old name for the sake of continuity in the title of this blog. It is a 2014 Honda CR/V--the last model year these cars could be towed four wheels down. Having been impressed by the rabid recommendations of so many RVers who owned them, we found this used one that had been driven only 2,700 miles; it is about as new as a 'new to us' car can get! We're very happy with it, and the towing modifications will be installed next week in Elkhart.
In the meantime, we're enjoying the beauty and the slower lifestyle here in Amish country. A few days ago, we had the good fortune to meet up with club friends Hank and Shirleen, who joined us at the Essenhaus Restaurant in Middlebury for lunch. We really enjoyed our time with these fine people:
We've been quite busy getting the car shuffle done, but we'll be back soon with some of our adventures here in Indiana.
Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I don't appreciate it enough each day.
Thin you will enjoy the Honda and will get many trouble free miles from it, time to move on. Have fun in Amish Country.
ReplyDeleteThanks, George. We had a nice dinner cooked on our Weber Q of marinated chicken breast that we bought from Yoder's Meat and Cheese here in Shipshewana. We thought of you as we cooked it on the grill mat as we have seen you do so many times. It was so good that we're going back to Yoder's and stock up on these for the freezer. Cheers!
DeleteSounds like a great deal on the Honda and will last a long time. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill; we have high hopes for the car, based on its popularity as a toad.
DeleteWhat a lovely picture of the new Mae and oh the one of you both is great too. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Patsy! It's great to meet up with friends on the road, isn't it? Thanks for your kind comment.
DeleteNice...... very nice.
ReplyDeleteWe're pretty happy with it so far, and we hope it will serve us well.
DeleteMike and Sandy, May Mae R.I.P. It is difficult to lose a vehicle that has served us well. We hope you enjoy your "new" car as much as we are loving our "new" truck. She should have many more years of service for you.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your time in Indiana.
Susan and Bob
Thanks, Susan. We know how you feel--especially having your truck ripped off like you did. We're looking forward to many more adventures in the new Mae!
DeleteGood find on a tow-able CRV with such low mileage. You will like it and it is very dependable for a lot of years/miles. One of the best accessories that I got for mine is a cargo area liner. Here's the type that I got......
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-OEM-Honda-08U45-TBA-100-Trunk-Tray-for-2016-2017-Civic-Sedan-4-door/112056494747?_trksid=p2385738.c100677.m4598&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908110712%26meid%3D840570b1edc84ff6a3cd35e1349d1a86%26pid%3D100677%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D17%26sd%3D112438378640
It has saved the original carpet covering from wet and dirty things that I have had to put in there. If you do a search, you buy better looking ones, but this vinyl one is very functional and has held up well.
Safe travels,
Richard
Thanks, Richard for the link; I like this! Didn't know they existed until now. I think that will be an accessory of mine for sure!
Deletewe bought a new 2008 CRV to tow behind our motorhome. Was one of the few that could be towed without disconnecting anything. Other consideration was the car's weight which met the requirements of our class C RV. Only drawback is that the odometer keeps going when towed.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I didn't know that about the odometer. However, since we tend to keep our toads for a long time, I'm thinking that may not be much of an issue. At least I hope so. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteMike how long are you up there near Elkhart? We are headed to Mich next week from southern Indiana.
ReplyDeleteHi, Norm; Arrgh! We are heading west toward the Rocky Mountains on Saturday. What a shame; we really enjoy meeting readers as we travel around. Maybe next time; happy travels!
DeleteOK was a long shot, maybe later.
DeleteHi guys!!!! Just got caught up on your blogs! So sorry to hear about Mae....keep your chin up Sandy, I'm sorry for your loss! Love the picture of the new spunky Mae ( big shoes to fill)! Wish we could have caught up to you😍 Would love to see you both! We're getting ready to head out for the Adiorndacks and shores of Lake Champlain! What a wonderful life we are so blessed to endure!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jackie! You guys are just showing out, roaming all over the east coast as you are. It's a shame we couldn't have shared some of that, but maybe next time. We are indeed blessed, aren't we? Safe travels, you two!
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