I'm back in Sacramento and I final have a vehicle. On the way back I stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge. Its funny how different places strike you with different types of amazement. I was awed by the natural beauty of Hwy 1. The Golden Gate Bridge is fantastic. It is an incredible achievement don't get me wrong and spectacular, but there is something a little less about it. It is definitely worth the visit. Had I had more time I would have loved to visit the Forts around the bridge, but I had to find a car.
The last couple of days I've looked at several different cars. All of which has good things about them. I wanted to find another Westfalia to bring back east with me but it just wasn't in the cards for this trip. So I went back to my initial criteria for vehicle selection. Had to be under my price point, maintained well enough to make it across the United States, can sleep in it, and have enough stuff for camera gear.
After narrowing down the list between likes and dislikes along with looking several friends for a the Great American Road Trip Adventure that I'm on, my options where a 2006 Lexus GX470, 2006 Toyota Tundra, 2008 Toyota Sienna or a 2003 Honda Element. I test drove the Tundra and I liked it. It drove, well like a truck and what is there not to like about a truck? It had a Camper shell on the back which would be great for sleeping in and storage of equipment. It was comfortable enough and the important thing is that it had cruise control. The Honda Element's cruise control didn't work unfortunately and the GX 470 was extremely comfortable but just a little bit small for what I was thinking. Which leaves us with the most practical vehicle on the planet, the Mini-Van, the Toyota Sienna. All around it looked great. Heated leather seats, sunroof, stow and go seats in the rear to make a wide area for sleeping in, decent fuel economy, working AC and cruise control. It was also this lovely shade of green that reminded me of older 70’s style bathroom tile. Nice.
So here is the vehicle I decided on a 1999 Toyota Landcruiser in Blue. It's perfect in that it meets almost none of my criteria, but it is perfect. Well perfect for this trip anyway. After being owed by a loving family for years it was time to downsize. It has been well kept and well loved over the years and I'm excited to embark on my literal Cruise of the Land with it. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all ends up. I could spin off into automotive history right now on how Landcruisers are everywhere, but I won't. Needless to say that since there has been a Landcruiser on every continent, in every possible environment, it should easily be able to handle a small excursion across the US. I'll take suggestions for names too.