Amused by Rick

American cars are back!

• Cadillac CTS, loved it!   Easily a 5 series contender, this coming from an owner of a 5 series.  I’m gonna stroll into a Caddy dealer next time around, something I would never have done before.
• Saturn Sky 100, Pontiac Solstice 0.  I would consider the Sky over the Miata.  The Solstice felt like the entire Pontiac brand, cheap.
• The GMC Acadia is our next car.  The X5 is a close second, but the additional $20k is hard to justify.  The Tahoe/Yukon just doesn’t match the refinement in this crowded segment.  Luxo brands each have something seriously wrong with them: GL is big but feels small inside, LX is too small, GX is too cramped, Toureg is too girly, etc.
• BMW’s lineup is getting tired.  Toyota is as exciting as a piece of toast.  Lexus is a substitute for Melatonin.
• The Range Rover Sport is awesome, I’d pick it in it’s price category.
• Thin crowds midweek, priceless.

It was great. We love it so much we plan on going back to the same spot, year after year.

Rather than bore you with pictures of stunning sunsets, spectacularly good-looking kids and heavenly points of interest, I’ll summarize the more exceptional highlights:

• I’m walking away with $900 in airline credit vouchers, see previous post.
• Sofie took her first steps in Maui, officially becoming a toddler.
• Quote of the trip, from the guy I rented a surfboard from, If you find a good break and don’t see anyone out there surfin’, keep your feet up, tiger sharks are matin’ right now.
• Surfing was great, but a little windy. My leash got caught in the reef and I thought it was a shark biting, I almost crapped my shorts.
  
• Met some new friends from Bend, Oregon. We plan on meeting up again next year. Their son, ironically named Oliver, hit it off great with Sam.
• Having no inhibitions about door dings for two weeks was liberating. As a matter of fact, my Trailblazer was even keyed on the passenger-side door (unprovoked, really!).
• Did you go golfing? No. It was going to cost upwards of $200 with green fees, cart rental, club rental, lunch .. so I decided to take that money back to the mainland and spend it on more lessons.
• I nearly finished the Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for DS. Unheard of, especially since I’m not 12. Zelda is supposed to take months to finish. I have to say it’s the best RP video game I’ve ever played, hands down.
• The road up to Haleakala was narrow and kinda scary. Violently jerking the wheel in jest to make my mother-in-law scream, priceless.

The flight back was uneventful.

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I forgot to add, I came back 3 or 4lbs lighter.  Odd considering I ate practically whatever I wanted.