Today was an up and down kind of day. We started off ok, but took a while getting out of the campsite. No biggie, no problem, just a little later than I had hoped. We don’t have a specific agenda during these next few days beyond making steady progress toward Ohio. We had a rough route planned out that included taking a ferry across Lake Champlain. It wasn’t going to be a huge day, but it wasn’t nothing either so I think we both wanted to get moving.
Eventually, we ran into map issues because we tried to stop at a rest stop that apparently does not exist. Spending time trying to get back on the highway, we both got a little grouchy. As we sort of processed this and worked out strategies to deal with travel stress, we got a sign from The Universe.
I knew all along that I’d need to get Bruce’s oil changed at some point on this trip and I’ve been watching the “Oil Life” message steadily descend from 100% to 20%. I wasn’t sure when or how this would happen and in the back of my mind, I definitely preferred the idea of having it done at an Acura place. But it’s not like those just appear on the side of the road.
Until today.
We both gasped loudly when we passed the big Acura logo and I did a full turn around to get back to it. Bruce got a full service and tire rotation and they washed him to boot. If we hadn’t gotten stressed with each other, we would have taken a different route (that’s a long story but the short version has to do with whether to listen to Google Maps or the car navigation system). But because we happened to be on this street, we found “the only Acura dealership in Vermont” (according to the guy there, I’m not going to verify because it makes a better story if that’s true). And we also had lunch in Dory while we waited which gave Richard the chance to verify that, yes, when parked in full sun, the solar panels work fine.
So the day went 100% the way it needed to go, travel stress and all.
After that, we easily made it down to the ferry and Dory and Bruce got to be on the water again. Nice scenic roads all the way to our KOA site near Lake Placid. We chatted with a nice couple about the Alto and we have functional wifi here. We are now sitting with a computer each, happily enjoying the front “dinette” area. I took a few shots of interior things that have been working well organizationally.
Total miles: 173.8; Total Engine Time: 5 hours, 1 minute; 16.0 mpg
