cazalea[Seiko Moderator]
17108
A White Van Man Finds Signs in the Wilderness, Part 1
Apr 06, 2016,16:45 PM
A UNPLANNED EXCURSION
Last year we got a Fiat 500 electric, as I've written about before. One of the benefits of the lease is a $500 credit each year to hire a larger, longer-distance-capable car. As our first year is rapidly coming to an end, we decided to use up our credit on a fun new car and take a road trip.
A Mustang convertible, perhaps? Alas, when I got to the airport rental car center, they only had one convertible - black on black on black. Which is NOT much fun in the desert where we planned to travel. So I went home for a sulk, and a change of plans.
Mrs Cazalea and I are taking a "short" vacation and not driving more than 1000 miles from home. I know for most folks that's a LONG vacation, but we live in the Southwest USA where roads stretch to infinity. As we are near mountains and deserts, we need a versatile vehicle. So what should we rent? As most rental cars are terminally boring, and our free plan precluded any LUXURY EXOTICs, I decided to indulge a fantasy -- I would become a White Van Man.
According to Wikipedia, "White van man" is a stereotype used in the United Kingdom for the driver of a small-sized commercial van, perceived as selfish, inconsiderate, working class and aggressive.The "white van man" tends to be an independent tradesperson, such as a plumber or locksmith (watch collector?); self-employed, or running a small enterprise; for whom driving a commercial vehicle is not the main line of business.
Perfect. We grabbed an Fiat/Chrysler RAM Promaster City Van (44% Turkish-origin) in anonymous white. One of the great things about a van like this is you can park anywhere for a short period of time, no questions asked. Although it is just crying out for some magnetic signs on the side ...
We filled the inside with comfortable, culturally-appropriate padding, filled a cooler with beverages, a basket with salty unhealthy snacks, and set out on a trial one-day staycation.
We drove to the Mission Trails Regional Park, home of the San Diego Mission Dam, and easily found ourselves a shady parking spot ... although we seemed to attract angry glances from all the Birkenstock-clad hikers...
Do you remember the movie called "The Land That Time Forgot"? As we left the van, we discovered we had landed in "The Land of Signs Say NOT".
I guess I just got off the bed on the wrong side this morning, because all these signs aggravated me. So we hopped back in the van and headed for the other end of the park.
Please stay tuned for part 2.
Cazalea
Do you want to know about this monster? Keep reading the various episodes ...
This message has been edited by cazalea on 2016-04-09 16:57:03