We upped our footprint

I didn´t really think we would do it. I was really enjoying the good feelings and enviro-karmic rewards of not owning a car, not contributing to CO2 emissions, utilizing public transportation, leaving a tiny carbon footprint....all that hippy B.S. that we probably ought to start paying attention too.

But it just isn´t practical for us, I´m going stir-crazy in this city, I need to get out. For a climber, a car is a necessity. We´ll still ride the bus to school, use the big busses for long trips, we don´t heat or cool our house, 90% of our food is produced locally, and let´s not forget, we´re still not a two car family! But for the weekends, to get to remote areas around Quito, we simply had to buy the Landcruiser. Now, how come I still feel guilty?

The car? 1986 FJ70, never available in the states. By the 80´s we were demanding more refined vehicles. It has an inline 6 cylinder engine, and in four low, if I close my eyes, I can imagine I´m actually driving my Dad´s tractor. It´s beefy, no coil springs, just leaf springs for suspension. No carpet, vinyl all the way. There´s a video on youtube of one of these suckers pulling a stuck hummer out of the sand somewhere in the middle east! It was expensive, not much cheaper than what I sold my 2000 Tacoma for, but as long as nothing huge goes wrong with it, we should be able to sell if for about the same price as we bought it for. This is what I call, an investment in my sanity. Stock market sucks right now anyways, right?



Oh, and I found the youtube video...