Ponyville Episode 1: Yes, Toto, We Were in Kansas

Today was a hallmark occasion for Steve and me.  Why?  Well, we embarked upon an adventure.  Maybe not the adventure of a lifetime, but definitely an adventure.  You see, today, we traveled out to the Midwest to purchase a car.  And not just any car.  It really all began three weeks ago when we determined that we were ready to purchase the car that would replace the aging Miata we have.

We were very particular about the car.  It had to be a Ford Mustang convertible.  Screaming yellow in color.  With a manual shift.  Oh, and it had to be a V6.  With that particular formula in mind, we knew it would be no easy task to find one.  Matter of fact, we knew we might have to travel to get it.  So when we were ready to buy, I went onto www.autotrader.com and put in the appropriate criteria.  One popped up for Augusta Ford.  Yes! I thought.  August, Georgia is only about six hours from Raleigh.  We could make an easy long weekend of it.  Then I looked at the state.  Not Augusta, Georgia, but Augusta, Kansas!  Whew!  What a switch.  But, hey.  Steve and I are never ones to shy away from adventure.  Why not go out to Kansas to buy a car.  But in the middle of February???  Still, we weren’t dissuaded at all from our proposed adventure.

Fast-forward through all of the back and forth with the dealer and haggling associated with the price.  We bravely boarded a 7:15 AM flight from our home airport to Kansas City.  If you’ve been following my Facebook postings, then it’s clear that the Kansas City Airport felt like something straight out of the seventies.  But hey, that was okay.  Soon, we were on our way.  And once we crossed from Missouri into Kansas, it was like we were thrust into the countryside.  There was nothing to see but some trees for miles around.  Other observations included over ten hawks sitting either in said trees or on fence posts as they waited for small prey to catch, the stink of at least four skunks, and probably fifteen windmills.  We drove through a section of Kansas called the Flint Hills.  Essentially, when we entered this area, the somewhat tree cover transformed to virtually no tree cover.  Then, when we left the Flint Hills, the land flattened into prairie dotted periodically with small oil wells, some active and some not.  Overall, the road we drove had a whole bunch of nothing.

The deal went smoothly, although I’ve come to realize that with auto dealers, never plan on being in and out.  It just never works that way.  But we rolled away with The Pony.  It’s an awesome machine.  Solid, that’s for sure.  And what they said it was with no hidden surprises.  And it’s a great car to drive, especially after I got used to a manual transmission again.

Once we returned to Kansas City, we had supper with a friend we hadn’t seen in awhile.  Awesome pizza.  Great company.  It was good to catch up.  Now, we’re both dog-tired and ready to climb into bed.  Tomorrow, we head to Memphis.  Stay tuned for another post from Ponyville.

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