The biggest purchase we've ever made and now the fourth vehicle in the AOW household's "fleet":
Mr. AOW has more information about the van, as well as an anecdote about our maiden voyage last week.
My back injury, the result of a car accident in 2005, has gotten worse; and no further medical intervention is possible. What's more, Mr. AOW and I are determined not to be such shut-ins. In the summer of 2014, are hoping to take a road trip to Monument Valley. Meanwhile, we now will have a much easier time going to car cruise-ins, going out to dinner, and the like.
Next up: wrestling with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Navigating all the ins and outs of the tax rate on a vehicle with handicapped equipment is a Herculean task. We may need to get a verification of medical necessity from one of Mr. AOW's doctors.
Congrats to the both of you and best wishes for your upcoming happy trails!
ReplyDeleteMonument Valley, here we come!
DeleteI am very glad you took this step, AOW.
ReplyDeleteI hope it proves as liberating for both of you as you hope it will be.
It's a fine looking vehicle. May you enjoy many happy outings, but for Mercy's sake, PLEASE take it EASY goin' 'round dem CORNERS. {c;)
FT,
DeleteI couldn't continue on as things were. Lifting that scooter into and out of the Crown Vic's trunk is doable a few times a day. But more than three times? Forget it! My leg and foot are numb for days if I overdo.
Drives like a bat out of hell? Good on ya, AOW!
ReplyDeleteI like to check out just how much a vehicle has.
DeleteI take after my grandmother, who rode racing stallions.
Pretty snappy. Wishing you both many happy trips... especially ones where poor Mr. AOW doesn't get tossed around like a bowl of lettuce ;-)
ReplyDeleteBTW we have a four vehicle fleet ourselves. My husband gave our eldest daughter his Dodge Ram truck when he bought his new one and I gave our youngest my X-Terra when I bought my new one. You should see our insurance bills.
Cube,
DeleteI'm not sure how much insurance on the van will be. The insurance on the older vehicles we have isn't too bad. I have a spotless driving record.
Fourth vehicle? Time to unload the one on blocks,
ReplyDeleteTrying to Rule the World again with Truth and Grace while Making the Nations Prove the Glory of your Righteousness and the Wonder of Your Love again, are you?
DeleteRemember what happened the last time you tried that. Tut tut!
Do you REALLY want to go through THAT again?
Hey, Duck!
DeleteNone are on blocks. All are inspected and tagged -- and run like the wind. Well, except for the Hyundai, which has only 80 horses.
FROM Z AT WORK:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Mr and Mrs AOW! I'm hoping you find it easy to find parking spots for that side-ramp into the van. Let me know how that works because it's difficult to find the wider handicapped spots in CA and even they're not wide enough...my friend with MS investigated getting a van she could drive and the ramp problem was a tough one.
Ducky, do you realize how elitist you are?
FT..that's funny! :-)
Thanks, Z! It came in a flash and just seemed to fit the moment.
DeleteWe do need our chuckles now and then, don't we?
Our fine feathered friend does love to imagine himself high above The Common Crowd, doesn't he? ;-)
Z,
DeleteThe ramp, the fold-out type, will adjust so as to lower to a curb. Not that I parallel park much.
Around here, we have lots of the wide handicapped spaces specifically designed with vans in mind.
When I have to park in a space too narrow, I take up two spaces and hand the handicapped placard from the mirror.
We will likely get handicapped license plates for the van. Indeed, I believe that the DMV here requires such license plates so as to qualify for the sales-tax break.
z, your sense of humor is as impaired as FT's.
DeleteAOW's and Mr. AOW's are pretty good, however.
In the south something on blocks is a house, after they remove the wheels. Those elitist northerners wouldn't understand because they are so far above the masses.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and great travels.
Congratulations. Nice vehicle. :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks great. You still have to push the wheel chair up the ramp? You need one of those with a power lift of some kind, but I'm betting those things cost a ton more.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the government making things easy on you.
I know you both are very proud of this. Have a great time planning your trip, that is half the fun.
Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
Debbie,
DeleteThose power lifts are very expensive.
The ramp has an easy slope. Besides, Mr. AOW has a scooter. Great device, I tell ya!
Pushing a wheelchair is difficult for those of us caregivers who have back problems. Transport chairs are even worse!
I saw a vehicle like yours today in Walgreens parking lot and on the ramp AOW they had something like you would move up on a treadmill - I don't know how to describe but it can best be said like an escalator but no stairs, flat like the one in the picture. It was automatic so that all the caregiver did was push the wheelchair unto the ramp and the ramp slid it up into the van. It was really cool and it sure would help your back!
DeleteTry to get to The Grand Tetons, if you can. I went there with my parents at age ten, and I have never forgotten the sight. It really WAS awe- inspiring. Yellowstone too, and Estes Park, The Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge and Bryce Canyon. I imagine it's all still there and much the same even after the passage of 62 years.
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
FT,
DeleteThanks for the tip.
We'll be making plans in the spring.
AOW,
ReplyDeleteTell me, please, is that vehicle really GREEN? It looks more like a subtle shade of GRAY to me in that picture. Very handsome, of course.
I sure do wish you the best of luck with it.
I think that the official color is magnesium jade. A strange color -- a combination of jade green and gray.
DeleteThe van itself is wonderful so far. However, the people at the dealership can screw up paperwork like you wouldn't believe! Maybe that's a sign that they are real mechanics!
Tomorrow evening, off we go on another van trip -- this time to get our flu shots. Last year, we made the same trip, and it was very difficult for me because of all the lifting involved. The back pain precluded our eating out after getting our flu shots. Not this time!
HURRAH!
DeleteThumbs up!
ReplyDeleteBTW - I use to live in Colorado. Gorgeous country, but in the south it can be bleakly dry. West of the Great plains is often almost empty of people. So have fun and put a few more test miles on that new vehicle BEFORE you get out there.
ReplyDeleteMesa Verde National Park is near where you are going, and my family thought it quite fascinating. Unfortunately, the Anasazi were trying to avoid visitors. So before visiting you may wish to find out how much is accessible.
If you do get up to the Grand Tetons (long drive from Monument Valley), you may as well visit Yellowstone. There you will find plenty to see. Beautiful place, and they rent lodging within the park. To avoid excessive driving, I suggest trying to stay at a different spot every night.
Many happy trips!
Tom,
DeleteAccessibility is a major issue for Mr. AOW, of course. Especially for bathrooming! We found out on our Williamsburg trip last August that many places advertise accessibility -- only to discover upon arrival that there are steps involved.
I'm hoping that AAA will have information to help us make workable plans. I've never used the AAA Travel Agency, but, as a member, I certainly can do so.
We won't be making any long trips until my the homeschool classes that I teach conclude in May. Well, unless we go somewhere during the Easter break.
Congratulations! Stylish!
ReplyDeleteMark,
DeleteI actually enjoy driving the van. It guzzles more gas that I was hoping, but the ride is so very comfortable.
So happy for you and Mr. AOW!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you experience some healing in your back, now that you won't be doing such heavy lifting. Were you lifting a motorized scooter in and out of your trunk??
Thanks for visiting today. I was just thinking about you.
Jen,
DeleteI found time to visit your site today because, at the moment, my paper grading for classes is all caught up. I have a lull for a few weeks. Yeehaw!
The motorized scooter that Mr. AOW has comes apart in 4 pieces, the heaviest 2 pieces weighing about 28 pounds. Getting the pieces into the trunk wasn't too bad. But getting them out was terrible because the Crown Vic's trunk is so deep.
Since my car accident of 2005 (rear ended by an illegal immigrant with low insurance coverage and no assets), I've been on a lift limit of 10 pounds. Obviously, I have violated that limit for several years.
Last June, my neurologist gave me strict orders about my lifting limit because my back problems have gotten worse: I'm having quite a bit of trouble getting my left leg to "calm down" (ache, pins and needles).
Neurological and orthopedic medicine can do nothing more for me. I may give Chinese Traditional Medicine a try -- when I can afford it, that is. I do know of a Chinese doctor who can work "miracles" after all other interventions have been tried.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAcupuncture can work!
ReplyDeleteJen,
DeleteHe uses methods other than acupuncture. Something about herbs -- that's all I know so far.