Introducing "Griselda"

Iam going to try this direct posting thing once again tonight in the interest of time. There may be a few more grammatical and other errors but hey this is not Ms Voelkers high school English class. Today was a great culmination to months of preparation, failures and disappointments.

I started the morning early checking heifers and giving a bit of feed to them and the fall calvers. I did not have the camera with me but the sunrise was absolutely stunning today and with it Dad and I had a good chat even if it was only us that know we chatted. I know how stupid this may seem to many but I swear Festus moves a bit closer to the middle of the front pickup seat to make room when Dad is riding along and shootin' the shit with me in my mind. I fed the yearlings and then headed home for a quick shower.

I had mentioned awhile back that I have been pickup shopping. I know many people enjoy shopping and dealing on vehicles but that is really not the case for me. I somewhat enjoy the shopping aspect as long as it is online and I don't have to actually deal with a salesperson or spend any money. The only problem with this is you never seem to have a newer rig and you spend the bulk of the next day praising your old vehicle and pretending it does not have some electrical issues and that the door does not really close that badly.

For me it is not really even a problem with spending the money as much as dealing with salespeople and making them understand that I know what I want, I am not very flexible as to what I want, I am reasonable about the price but I wont way over pay just to complete the deal and much to their amazement I can not only tell them "NO" but I somewhat enjoy telling some of them to "go f*c7 themselves" if they bother me too much. I just want to point out that when you ask third graders what they want to be they never say "car salesperson" and there is a reason for that. When your mind is still that pure and uncorrupted and free of slime it just makes sense. I know I am painting in broad strokes but it amazes me that any human thinks that I absolutely cannot get through tomorrow using the same pickup I have used for the last 4700 odd days and desperately need the one they are trying to sell me.

I have been very happy with my 1998 Dodge pickup that was the first and actually the ONLY vehicle I have ever purchased "brand new". It has been an excellent product and the reliability, toughness and longevity is legendary. My first odometer went to 160,000 and stopped. After some work and inability by the local Dodge dealer it was reset to 0000000 (zero). It again turned to 204,0dd thousand then stopped once again. That was about Valentines day 2008. My best guess it is around a half million in the mileage department and the engine is still fairly strong and untouched.

As I started shopping for a newer rig I did a lot of research just to try and temper the disappointment I would likely have with a newer rig compared to the satisfaction my 1998 has given me. From what I learned I wanted to stay with a 5.9 liter Cummins turbo diesel but that added a bit of an issue. Dodge changed to a different 6.7 liter diesel engine in mid 2007. From what I have researched the engine is fine and another solid Cummins product but the connected emission/EPA mandated/save the world bullshit has made a legendary product a virtual castrated and unreliable version of its once former glorious self. "New" is just a term and I could give a damn less if it is not reliable and has some longevity. I was already pretty committed to finding something mid 2007 or older but low mileage. Oh oh.

Used three quarter and one ton pickups and low mileage are like saying "intelligent vegetarian". Things like this very rarely exist. I had a few other basic items that I really had no room for compromise. It had to be a longbed to better accept the stock trailer, it had to be a manual transmission for the same reason and it had to be a 2007 or older with a 5.9 Cummins diesel and hopefully with "low" miles. 100K or lower and hopefully 80K or lower. This was actually more difficult than finding an intelligent vegetarian. It was like finding an intelligent vegetarian that hated salads. I was undaunted though and searched almost daily and over most of this country. When I found a rare specimen it was either already gone, obnoxiously priced, had more miles than what I already owned or there was some "misprint" in the add and was not what it seemed.

I did find a few pickups I really wanted but it seemed I was always just a few hours late and someone else had beat me to the punch. I was really becoming cynical and feeling like I would just have to settle for something less than I wanted. When I returned home on Saturday night I did a quick Craigslist check around the northwest and found what I felt was a miracle but I had no faith that it may still be available. The add was from Friday and I almost did not even call because I was sure the truck would be long gone. I took a flyer Sunday morning and to make a long story a bit shorter today I finally drove home a "new to me" pickup. Dodge, longbed, manual transmission, 5.9 liter Cummins, year 2005 but ONE owner Carfax and ONLY 42,000 miles! I still feel there is going to be some catch at some point but right now I feel I found the proverbial "only driven to church on Sundays" pickup. Over the next many years I will let you know if I am as blessed as I feel tonight.

My daughter Samantha rode with me today to Redmond Oregon 270 miles away so I could pick up what I have named "Griselda". I do not really know why but the dark gray color and something about it looks to me like it is a tough old female of a pickup. I need to give a shout out to a great saleslady named Cheryl at Jim Somlich Motors in Redmond. I had an excellent buying experience and she was helpful, patient and best of all non pushy and did not try and sell me something I did not want. Samantha and I enjoyed a great dinner tonight in Terrebonne, Oregon at the Pump House bar and Grill and I highly recommend it to those traveling in the area. I also have to thank my mother who helped in many ways to make this short notice purchase a possibility.

This "short" post is rambling on so I will close. I will have to tell you about our trip home and how poor Samantha who was so helpful today seemed to be a favorite of every police force in the state or Oregon. Thank you for going today Sam, I really did enjoy the day and I miss getting to spend time with you on a regular basis and love you very much.

Today's real environmentalist species died because of emissions from a 2005 Dodge diesel motor without the proper EPA equipment! Just kidding, the species of the day found on the ranch is the Western Juniper aka Juniperus occidentalis.

Today's picture is 3 views of Griselda as a non ranch exposed, clean, dent free pickup! This too will come to pass!