(The title of this thread is based on Norman Maclean’s novel “A River Runs Through It”, which is set in western Montana in the 1920’s.)
Last year, my dad realized he could no longer drive (he’s 83), so he asked if I wanted his 2010 EX-L. I thought about it for a few months then decided to take it. I was driving a 2007 Honda Accord SE with the same 4-cylinder engine; it had about 190,000 miles on it at the time. It was in great shape (still is), and I had no payments on it except for the insurance. And, I liked it, so there was no real reason to find another car.
But it was Dad’s, and I got the impression he wanted me to be driving it, not someone else he didn’t know. So, in late 2019 I said I’d take it.
I was supposed to fly back to the Buffalo NY area (where I grew up & where mom and dad still live) and drive the car back on April 5th. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I could have gone even though both MT & NY were under shelter-in-place orders at the time, and really wanted to, but when I saw in the last few days of March that Rhode Island was stopping all cars with NY plates and forcing them into self-quarantine for two weeks, I decided to hold off. Of course, I don’t drive through RI but what if Pennsylvania, Ohio or Illinois got that idea? At the time, I had started the process to get a Montana title and registration but didn’t have them in hand yet.
Then I bought a ticket to fly back in early May, and the airline cancelled the flight!
During this time I got the car registered in MT and got plates for it, then later on got insurance for it.
I waited until one week before my new planned date to buy a ticket, this time on a different airline. Friday 5/29 came and went with me ending up in Buffalo, finally! Today I put my Montana plates on the car, and all was well with the world.
I’ll be starting the two-day drive from western New York to Montana on Monday. Yes, two days. About 1,100 miles/15 hours per day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all behind the wheel. Stay tuned...
Last year, my dad realized he could no longer drive (he’s 83), so he asked if I wanted his 2010 EX-L. I thought about it for a few months then decided to take it. I was driving a 2007 Honda Accord SE with the same 4-cylinder engine; it had about 190,000 miles on it at the time. It was in great shape (still is), and I had no payments on it except for the insurance. And, I liked it, so there was no real reason to find another car.
But it was Dad’s, and I got the impression he wanted me to be driving it, not someone else he didn’t know. So, in late 2019 I said I’d take it.
I was supposed to fly back to the Buffalo NY area (where I grew up & where mom and dad still live) and drive the car back on April 5th. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I could have gone even though both MT & NY were under shelter-in-place orders at the time, and really wanted to, but when I saw in the last few days of March that Rhode Island was stopping all cars with NY plates and forcing them into self-quarantine for two weeks, I decided to hold off. Of course, I don’t drive through RI but what if Pennsylvania, Ohio or Illinois got that idea? At the time, I had started the process to get a Montana title and registration but didn’t have them in hand yet.
Then I bought a ticket to fly back in early May, and the airline cancelled the flight!
During this time I got the car registered in MT and got plates for it, then later on got insurance for it.
I waited until one week before my new planned date to buy a ticket, this time on a different airline. Friday 5/29 came and went with me ending up in Buffalo, finally! Today I put my Montana plates on the car, and all was well with the world.
I’ll be starting the two-day drive from western New York to Montana on Monday. Yes, two days. About 1,100 miles/15 hours per day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all behind the wheel. Stay tuned...