SUV's (was: Re: [geeks] new lists? 8-))

[John Duksta]

At 04:51 PM 12/13/2001 -0600, Amy wrote:

>i'd honestly be afraid if bill ever took the kia offroading. i think the
>white mice under the hood would go on strike if he ever did more than jump
>a curb ;)

Been there, done that...

Two summers ago, I went out to Cali to visit a friend.
We were scheduled to go up to Mt. Shasta for a big campout
up there in this really cool remote spot. Thing is this
remote spot requires a 4x4 to get to.

Now, my friend is a big fan of little sports cars and he
had just recently had an accident where a guy in a big ole'
pickup rearended him and drove *up* on the the back of his
little sports car. My friend and his girlfriend at the time
were about 6 inches away from being decapitated. This all
had left him a bit wary of big truck-like things.

So, we go to the rental place to pick up a 4x4 to head up
to the mountains in. My friend is asking for a Volvo Cross
Country, which, thankfully, they didn't have any. The rental
agency wants to give us a standard SUV (Jeep Cherokee or some
such). My friend is a leary of driving such a thing, and asks
for something smaller. So... we end up with the Kia Sportage.

To make a long story short. I ended up cramped up in the back
seat of the Sportage for the 6 hour drive from San Fran up to
Mt. Shasta. Once we got to the mountain, we did actually make
it up 95% of the way. The only part we had to bow out on was
the last 100 yards up to the campsite where there was about a
foot in difference between the elevation of each side of the
path.

In the end, I really wished he had gotten the Cherokee they
offered. At least I would have had some leg room.

-john