A 200,000 Mile Journey

Do you see this?? 


This is how many miles I've put on my 4Runner. Almost 200,000 (now at 199,457).  I bought her new in September 2006, which means I've driven an average of 1,936 miles per month for the past 103 months. Kinda crazy when you think about it. I'd like to take a few moments to show my appreciation for this vehicle, which has driven me safely around the East Coast for the past 8 1/2 years. 


When I bought her she was just transporting me, my DH, and our 110 lb dog, Duke.  When it was time for my Jeep Grand Cherokee to go into retirement, we decided we needed more space for our big furry baby. A few years later we added a car seat in the back for Ainsley, and a few years after that we added another car seat for Parker. Dixie, being half the size of Duke, has all sorts of room to stretch out in the back. 

Do you know what makes this car great?  This.


Everything in this picture came out of my center console. I've posted before about how my family of four could survive in the wilderness for eighteen days on the food that I can fit in my console. I don't know what I kept in there before I had kids, but even 7-11 doesn't have this kind of inventory. 

You know what else? I fit 37 straws, about 250 napkins, and drugs for every type of ailment in my glove box. That's right, folks. If the apocalypse comes, you definitely want to be in MY car. 

What other amazingly useful things do I keep cleverly concealed in the pockets and compartments of my 4Runner?   Bug spray, three kinds of sunscreen, a first aid kit, a day's supply of diapers and wipes, plastic bags, waterproof bags (for things like wet bathing suits), seven kinds of chap-stick, four bottles of lotion (in various scents, and unscented for my DH), a hair brush, hair bands, three car chargers (which work with all our phones, two kinds of iPads, plus one that will run a regular power cord), two different kinds of ice scrapers, a set of screwdrivers, electrical tape, jumper cables, bungee cords, leather work gloves (both mens and womens sizes), four umbrellas, an extra makeup bag, two quilts, three flashlights, and six pair of sunglasses (for men, women, and children).  In addition to this I also have two bags with the kid's entertainment accessories - headphones, coloring books, crayons, trucks, airplanes, trains, puzzles, and books. 

She is weighed down with all of this (plus two adults, two kids, and a dog) and yet she has never broken down. Aside from regular oil changes and yearly maintenance, we've never taken her in for anything. Sure, she has a few scrapes from turning too close to trees or backing too close to concrete pillars, but what car could survive almost nine years without any cosmetic damage?!  Just the occasional ice storm...


We have transported lumber, Christmas trees, baby gear, plants and flowers, freezers, and too-many-to-name home improvement products in her trunk. She has provided a warm and safe place for many afternoon naps. 


She has driven us up and down the East Coast and to Kentucky and Tennessee to visit family, trips to the lake and the beach and the ski slopes, pushing through streams and up muddy hillsides to the hunting cabin, and even hauling a military-style air conditioner around the mountain for my mother-in-law's outdoor birthday party. 


My dear 4Runner will be leaving me tonight. I hope she finds a good home and is able to get someone else where they need to go. But I must pause and give her thanks for seeing us safely through so many milestones over the past eight years and [almost] 200,000 miles. 

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