You Guys Are Crazy

So here is our adventure vehicle.

It's a 2010 Wolfsburg Edition Volkswagen Jetta.  
I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking it too.  
You're thinking, "What kind of adventure vehicle is that?"

I actually wanted a VW Vanagon.

Now this looks like an adventuremobile.  
It has a place to sleep and a place to pee,
and plenty of cubbies to store all that stuff we don't need that we're probably going to bring anyway.

But Gary said no.
He said Vanagons are old and tired and have way too many miles.
He said it wouldn't make it up over the mountains without a mechanic.
He said we are not mechanics.
And then he laughed at my cubby-filled dream.

Honda Elements are pretty cool too.

When I googled "adventure vehicles" it kept popping up. I found lots of pictures of Elements filled with all kinds of equipment, and happy smiling adventuring people. People just like us. Only with bigger smiles. And probably better adventures.

But somehow we ended up with a Jetta. Gary has always liked Jettas. Once we decided to put it on the short list he went into his typical uber research mode. We eventually convinced ourselves it would be the perfect vehicle to roam the country in. But it couldn't be just any Jetta. There were only certain model years that were acceptable. It had to have a certain size engine and TURBO power. To make it up over those mountains. It had to have less than 50,000 miles. Because we are not mechanics.

A quick internet search turned up very few matching vehicles in Hawaii or on the west coast. There was only one in L.A. that seemed to fit the criteria. The urgency we felt was real. Because what if we flew to L.A. to start the adventure and there were no perfect Jettas to buy? What if we had to settle for something that had not been properly vetted? So we flew in on Monday, bought the car on Tuesday, drove it up the coast on Wednesday, left it in San Francisco with Gary's sister on Thursday, and flew back to Oahu on Friday.

While we were staying with our son in L.A. he kept shaking his head and saying, "You guys are crazy." My dad just laughed when we told him over the phone. Loudly. And not nicely.

So now we have a Jetta. It's waiting for us in San Francisco. Here are some things I know about it: 
- It gets at least 30 mpg highway. Which is better than a Vanagon OR an Element.
- It has the largest trunk of any car in its class. But no cubbies.
- It "only" has 40,500 miles. We are gambling that mountain mechanics will not be required.
- It has a five star safety rating. Which is better than a four. And way better than a three.
- It's sort of a "blend in" kind of car, so maybe no one will suspect we are on a grand adventure and try to steal all our stuff when we aren't looking. Because who would go on a grand adventure in a Jetta.

Here are some questions I have:
- Are we going to have adventure vehicle envy?
- Can all that stuff we don't need that we're probably going to bring anyway really fit in the trunk?
- If the trunk is full of all that stuff we don't need that we're probably going to bring anyway, where will the sleeping bags and tent and camping gear go? If we end up buying sleeping bags and a tent and camping gear?
- Is it possible to have a really most excellent adventure in such a serious and sober sedan?
- With no cubbies?

Maybe one day, after we figure out what we're doing, the Jetta will morph into an Element. Or a Vanagon. Okay probably not a Vanagon. Maybe something like a Vanagon. Only younger. And less mechanically challenged. The other day we walked past an Element in a parking lot. Gary studied it for a minute and then looked at me and said, "Maybe we should have gotten one of those."