All good things must come to an end...

9/18:

Well, I've made it home ("home" now being the Colorado Springs area).

The drive from Mesa Verde to Florissant was, of course, lovely. When I was last in this area summer was in full swing. Now fall is creeping up, and the aspens are starting to turn.

I'll admit that I took this drive slow. I don't know how many drives like this one I'll be able to get in with Jane before the snow sets in. And I really just didn't want it to end. Nevertheless, eventually I found myself crossing the beautiful plains near Hartsel - one of my favorite places for driving near where I live.

And then it was on through Wilkerson Pass and a straight shot for home. On the other side of the pass they were doing an oil seal - where they crunch up a bunch of gravel, put down oil, and pack it down to make a new road surface. The gravel ended up being bad news for me. On this whole trip I have avoided rock chips entirely, with the exception of some little dings on the valance that were mostly from hitting bugs at 80mph. Well, I was driving really slowly down this pass to avoid more gravel chips but that didn't stop a big jacked up truck from flying past me in the other direction, buckshotting the entire side of my car with gravel. Fortunately for me, Chas put  an incredible paint job on this car so I got away with two tiny chips right on the door and a small chip on the hood. Still a bummer though to have made it 10,000 miles and to have that happen in the last 15 miles. But I've got my touchup paint and I will put it to good use I'm sure.

Here's Jane, finally home:

Looks a little tired...

Now the fun part was unpacking. You all will get a real kick out of this. I took everything (except the spare tire and jack and tire iron) out of the car and lined it up in front. The resulting pile of stuff was even huger than I thought it would have been. I have no idea how this all fit in my pony car. But it did, so wizardry was probably involved!

How..????

The pile of stuff is actually bigger than the car, I think

So here's a list of everything that was in the car, in order from left to right in the stack of stuff:
- 2 fender grippers (used to cover luggage on the back seat to cut down on glare in the rear view mirror)
- 1 jug 50/50 coolant
- 2 quarts oil
- 1 quart power steering fluid
- 1 spare fuel pump
- 1 rear sway bar (previously on car; removed and put inside car once it started destroying fuel lines)
- 1 box of spare parts (Pertronix, ICVR, little stuff like that)
- 4 bags of bags (I'm a bag hoarder)
- 1 pair work gloves
- 2 radiator hoses (one upper, one lower)
- 1 set jump cables
- 2 small wheel chocks
- 1 bag cleaning/detailing (microfibers, Meguiar's, Chadwick's, tire compound, etc.)
- 1 giant tool bag with far too many tools in it
- 1 Kawasaki cigarette lighter-powered impact
- 1 fire extinguisher
- 1 can bear mace (for bears and people)
- 1 gallon water
- 1 25-qt cooler
- 1 large tupperware full of food
- 1 small tupperware full of cooking utensils and dinnerware
- 1 camp stove
- 1 box camping pots/pans
- 1 cylinder propane
- 1 bread bag, full of lanterns and lights (don't ask why they're in a bread bag as I have no idea)
- 1 hiking pack with lunchbox, medical kit, water bladder, and rain jacket
- 5 coffee mugs (which is far too many, but I needed them for my move to Colorado)
- 1 bag of Christmas ornaments (approximately 25 ornaments inside)
- 1 green pack with spare jeans and hoodie (for easy access in the car if cold or suddenly wet)
- 1 absurdly heavy backpack containing all of Jane's receipts, photos, and parts lists for the last 4 years (could not be trusted to be shipped)
- 2 duffel bags of spare / winter clothes
- 1 duffel bag with 15 days worth of clothes inside, plus toiletries
- 1 drawstring bag with writing / blog stuff in it
- 2 pairs hiking boots
- 1 pair running shoes
- 1 pair shower shoes
- 1 pair Batman converses
- 1 bag containing original shop manual and binder detailing Jane's repair after the wreck
- 1 bag containing a jillion AAA state tour books
- 1 small container laundry detergent
- a large blanket, plus bunches of towels for Jane (and showers)
- a box of snacks and a hoodie
- 2 camp chairs
- 1 sleeping bag
- 2 sleeping pads
- 1 tent plus tarp
- 1 pillow
- 1 grillstand
- 2 boxes of fish fossils
- 2 large slabs of rock containing fish fossils

So, just in case anyone is looking for a post-apocalyptic touring vehicle, a 1966 Mustang fastback might be for you!

I can't say enough good things about this car. I know, I'm obsessed. But really, after you all have followed me on this journey, can you blame me? Anything that I throw at Jane she has taken on head-on. No matter where I've been, she's been there at my back - to carry my stuff, to carry me, to help me make friends, to bring joy to everyone around her, and to pursue adventures whole-heartedly. There have been days when I've gotten in the car, cranked the engine, and said, "Bring me that horizon..." and she has. And there is nothing more valuable to me than that. To further mimic Pirates of the Caribbean, Jane's not just a motor and some metal and some tires on the road. What Jane really is is freedom. And that is everything.

So where do we go from here? Well, I'm going to really clean Jane up and give her the care she deserves. I'll put together another couple of posts - one to summarize the trip and one to provide some stats about costs, mileage, etc. And then this blog will be done... until next time. Oh, and there will be a next time. Many next times, in fact. Maybe this year, maybe not. But absolutely next year. I've got a lot of country left to see and I've got THE car to see it in. And there is nothing that could keep me away.

Kelly signing out.