Day: November 28, 2012

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I Love My Ford Ranger

I’ve had my Ford Ranger for almost six months now (already!) and, despite a few little speedbumps, Moya and I have been the proverbial match made in heaven. I love my Ford Ranger!

There is just so much to love in my little green truck. In fact, the only thing I really don’t like is the gas consumption, but that’s practically a non-issue here in the land of cheap gas. I also miss having power doors and windows, but that’s it. Both of those issues were carefully considered trade offs.

Now, what do I love about my truck? Sitting high up is a definite plus. I’ve noticed this at night especially. I’ve always avoided driving in the dark because I would get blinded. Not so with Moya! I’m above most headlights, so my night vision doesn’t get all of whack. I’ve been out a bunch of times at night with her and only realised after I got home that the drive wasn’t a big deal.

My Ford Ranger drives beautifully and shifts smoothly from gear to gear. I love that my truck is so comfortable to drive. I’m not sore when I get out of Moya after a long drive. Also, my truck is a little big in some parking lots, but not unmanoeuvrable, the perfect compromise between a car and big pick-up truck.

Being able to sleep in my truck is another plus. I wouldn’t want to do it in the current nightly temperatures or under a baking sun, but in average temps I have the option of sleeping in a parking lot instead of paying for a motel if a day trip runs a little long.

When I was shopping for a truck, I didn’t want a Super Cab because of the extra length, but I’m now glad that my truck has those two doors in the back that give me a place other than the truck bed to store cargo, especially shopping bags.

Finally, my truck is very easy to tow behind my motorhome. I was so concerned that I would have a huge unwieldy rig, but nope. I can still get into regular gas station and mall parking lots without any problems.

Because this is an older truck that I don’t know very well, I decided to pick up a repair manual for it.

 

I’m hoping that reading this manual will help me to know Moya a little better so that I can make informed decisions about maintenance and repair. She still has fewer than 200,000KM on her odo and I hope that a little knowledge and love will keep her rolling for a good long while.

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I’ve Been Missing Out!

I don’t get much into the Christmas spirit and I don’t care much for Christmas movies. Neither does my friend, so I was puzzled that she really wanted to see the original 1947 version of ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ at the cinema today. But we have common tastes, so I agreed to keep an open mind and tag along for the 2PM matinee.

Well, I can’t believe I’ve never seen this hilarious and thoughtful movie! It was so good! They really knew how to make movies back then. We’re both looking forward to seeing ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (Jimmy Stewart, *swoon*) on the big screen on December 19th!

We went to Cracker Barrel for an early dinner after. I stepped out of my comfort zone and ordered their cider pork roast with Gala apples, cranberries, and pecans (mac & cheese and broccoli as my sides). WOW. I didn’t realise that Cracker Barrel makes fancy meals like that! This was really good, with the pork being fork tender and the apples still having a bit of bite to them. This meal really changed my opinion of Cracker Barrel and makes me feel less guilty about enjoying their food so much!