Meet Virginia

A car has always represented freedom and adventure to me.  Ever since I was a little girl I loved a road trip! If you follow my blog you might remember I really wanted to be an O-T-R driver when I was little, seriously.  I'm a pretty practical girl and so my cars have mostly been practical too. I had my green 1999 Subaru Forester for six years. Not very long.  Several months back  I noticed oil disappearing from Scoobie.  Huh? How is it that one day she is full of oil and three days later empty?  I do drive a lot, and up and down canyons and in the mountains often. So, I took her in to the Subaru repair only to find out she needed a lot of work!  In addition to $1,100.00 worth of various fixings, she needed a rebuilt or new engine $3600.- $5200.  Needless to say, we said good-bye to her last weekend, limping on her last leg.

When I started school last month in Fort Collins,  120 miles round trip, I was a bit concerned about the mechanical reliability and gas usage of Scoobie.  She always did fantastic in the snow so I knew that wasn't a concern.  Alex's Mom, Melinda, was even more concerned than us and generously offered to gift us with a newer, safer, more reliable car. And so last Saturday the three of us set out to find me a new vehicle.  We found a fantastic 2007 Rav4 Sport.  Melinda even equipped her with new studded snows that day during a snow storm!
Is it possible to love a car without really knowing what she is capable of? Because I absolutely love her.  I named her Virginia for a couple reasons:  1) That's where she made her journey to CO from. 2) She is white. 3) Although I didn't know my Grandma for very long, she was Virginia. 4) My favorite art teacher is Virginia. Seemed perfect.  She is smooth, stable and handles perfectly in the snow! I feel like such an adult having this ride.

I won't forget my Scoobie, as ridiculous as it sounds I had tears in my eyes as I said my good-byes.  I am grateful for the memories and the numerous road trips and adventures we made together to Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and all over the mountains of Colorado.