First Vacation in 30 Years

At least, it’s my first paid vacation. When I wrote and edited freelance and worked for myself, it was a case of “If I have the money I don’t have the time, and if I have the time I don’t have the money.”
Now that I’m gainfully employed writing about technical subjects for the U.S.P.S., I’m faced with the dilemma of dealing with a paid vacation. Such a problem.
I toyed for a while with getting my old ’86 Chevy van ready for a 2,000 mile trip. I bought a new battery, and haunted the various van websites such as vannin.com, or the Vandwellers group on Yahoo.com. A fellow from the chevyvan site on Yahoo also offered advice on sealing rust.
Then the Other Shoe dropped. (Actually, it hit the floor and did a wonderful imitation of the Irresistible Force plunking down on the Movable Object.) When I took the van in to an auto electric garage to find out about the fan blower, I was told I also needed a new starter…and by the way, they could patch up that wobbly steering column as well. Total for those two fixes, and a new blower motor? $501 and change.
When I bought my Honda CR-V in 2001, I offered to trade in the van. The Honda dealer’s paltry offer of $500 was to laugh at, so I did: “Ha,” I laughed. Now, why would I spend $501 and change today for a vehicle only worth $500 six years ago?
Soooooooo… no van camping on our trip to Montana. Instead, we’ll pitch a tent and drive the CR-V. We’ll head across from Minneapolis on Hwy. 212 without computer, blackberry, huckleberry…not even books. Get away from this communications arena for a few days (I’ll die; I know I’ll die).
We have a pup tent and some other oddments of camping gear, a Coleman stove, sleeping bags, and an open road. Custer National Park, free campgrounds and Bozeman, Montana at the end of the windy road. (Pronounced whine-dy, not win-dy.)