Driving to Maine

This weekend we had a hockey tournament up in Maine, and on a number of levels I wasn't too thrilled about going. First off, we just lost in the state championship, so why were heading to a regional tournament? Secondly, it meant more money for hotel and food, but one of the biggest reasons was that it meant more miles on the Mighty Fit, which is getting up there in mileage. Let us also not forget to mention the wear on our snow tires, which are on their second year. The crazy thing about snow tires is that they are expensive and only give you about 2 years of life, 3 if you're lucky. It doesn't help making these long road trips. Plus, all this driving brings me closer to the next oil change.

Okay, enough of my whining. If there's any car better fit (no pun intended) to do road trips than the Mighty Fit, I'd like to know what it is, because this car was made to travel. It drives well, gets great gas mileage, and has enough space to hold all your stuff, including hockey gear, which for the record takes up a lot of space.

As usual, the Might Fit handled it all beautifully. We took the scenic route up to St. Johnsbury and across 3 states (VT/NH/ME), avoiding the monotony and hell of highway driving. It took a bit longer, not much (about 15 minutes), but it was actually a shorter distance, and we were on paved roads the entire way. It was way more interesting and that sort of driving suits the Mighty Fit just fine. I think going between 45-65 mph works well. I tend to shy away from going 80+, though it could handle it. When you're on the interstate, everyone is going that fast and I'm not a big fan. Plus, the Mighty Fit is mighty, but not when you're boxed in between two 18-wheelers, which happens a lot on the interstate.

All in all the drive wasn't half bad. I found that I wasn't dreading it like I do when I take the highway, and we could have definitely made it there and back on one tank of gas. You gotta love that. Plus, it was fun driving, the kind the Mighty Fit handles well.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ernie Smith for the pic.

In The Land Of Giants

In a testament to the spunk of the Mighty Fit, it's worth mentioning that we live in the land of big trucks and SUVs. When we first moved here I naturally assumed that it would be a matter of time before we got a 4-wheel drive car, but 10 years into our tenure here, we've gotten by just fine without it. In fact, I think the Mighty Fit does a great job in the snow, but that's a story for another time.

One thing you do notice is that when you're on the roads is the prevalence of trucks. Not just trucks, but big, bad, American made trucks. The bigger the better, though Toyota gives them a run for their money with the Tundra. Often when I'm driving on the highway the big trucks will pass us by and it is clear that our Mighty Fit is a bit diminutive compared to these real-man cars. While I wouldn't want to bump fenders with them, I'm betting that we get upwards of 3-4 times the gas mileage. It makes it a lot less painful doing all the driving that we do.

I have still have truck envy and am well aware of their utility, especially when it comes to hauling firewood or moving heavy equipment, which is something I do all the time... yeah right. For virtually all of our needs, however, I think the Mighty Fit suits us just fine. The question is, will we be doing the farmer's market this year? (I sure hope not)

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to andy for the pic.

The Driving Life

Why the Mighty Fit you might ask? The answer is simple, we, or rather I, drive all the time, and we love doing it in our Mighty Fit. We live in a fairly rural area so getting anywhere requires hopping in the car and hitting the road. We like to take road trips as a family, and the kids both play hockey, which in Vermont means that we are traversing the entire state, sometimes going from one end to the other in a single day. Factor in long and lonely country roads, winter driving conditions, and mountain passes and it can take a toll on your car, not to mention with the price of gas, your pocket book. My job with the college also requires that I drive all over the area.

With this in mind, I think our Mighty Fit is a pretty amazing car. It gets great gas mileage, drives beautifully, and feels good on the road. When we were shopping for cars, reliability was the number one consideration, but let's face it, there are a lot of reliable cars out there. We did a lot of research and considered several of them. In the end, we kept coming back to the Fit. Truth be told, when I was growing up, Honda was the gold standard of quality and reliability, and 40 years later, it's still the case. You can find good quality and reliability in a cheaper car (though not a lot cheaper) but something about a Honda just resonated with us. I know after driving several cars in the same economical class (i.e., Matrix, Fiesta, Mazda 3, Accent) the Fit just felt better: more solid, sporty, and responsive. It 

Plus, it looks good and is very roomy. With all of these positives, we ended up buying another one and are now a two-Fit family. The reason I started this blog is because I wanted to chart all the experiences we have on the road now that we've passed 100,000 miles. My hope is that this is just the beginning of more beautiful adventures, but we shall see. Stay tuned for more.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Olivia + Noah Wong for the pic.

Adventures in our Mighty Fit

Our Honda Fit never ceases to amaze me and I want to chronicle this fact in this blog. Whether it's driving to hockey or hauling gear to the farmer's market, it always comes through for us and as a family you just can't put a price on that sort of reliability. When our car is not on my mind it's definitely doing it's job. I originally wanted to write this blog when we hit 100K miles, but I'm a little late on that one (122K). That's okay, better late than never, right?

May the adventures continue with our Mighty Fit, and thanks to elena pardini for the pic.