This is sort of fishing related, in that it’s about the vehicle that takes us fishing. After 16 years of faithful service, my 1999 Chevy Malibu blew its engine two days ago. I got the bad news this morning: even a second hand engine (installed) would cost more than the Blue Book value of the car. And have no warranty. It was a good run, but it’s over. Didn’t seem sensible to pour thousands into an elderly car where something else could fall apart at any minute. So I spent the day buying a 2014 Jeep Compass. It’s kind of a girly Jeep (not sexism – the Compass is expressly marketed to females; its manlier counterpart is the Patriot, which is the same vehicle marketed to males). And it’s sniffed at in real Jeep circles. But it’s a 4WD and has some clearance, so it’ll be a huge upgrade for hiking and fishing in the mountain west (and on some level B service roads in northeastern Iowa). And it’s what I could afford. It already feels weird driving a vehicle where the signal lights shut off automatically after you turn and the gas gauge works. It was a difficult moment saying goodbye to the Malibu. It’s bound for “recycling”.
