new 'used hhr" owner - trips, pics and more
06-29-2017, 10:12 PM
#31
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
So I am in Tulsa for 2 more days then off to Kansas City and over to St Louis. lots of fun kinda, I visited route 66 stuff a bit today. everyone online said it was so rough and hookers and methheads but I saw only one dude who looked fried to hell, but thats it. 1. Not so bad. I saw a mural spot for a picture, I may try to grab a pic there before i go.
TONIGHT is supposed to be thunderstorms and oh btw a tornado they say is most likely. WTF. so I've scouted out covered spots in case we get their avg Baseball sized Hail they had over in OKC just a few weeks ago. my obsession with no door dings and then to get hail dents would drive me over the edge. ha ha.
I have to watch my cash some as its getting a little iffy if I'm to eat the rest of the year, but maybe that's a good thing! I need to lose some weight anyways. Its not that close but I know some of you with real jobs and family would freak to live on say just 800 mo aug to dec before I get my next estate check. I knew this going in and do not regret it. Its been interesting traveling some of the same country to see the changes, land people I met before, and not all has been good.
I also found that my HHR loves altitude driving for some reason, I though hate it and seem to really get sick over 4000 ft.
I was driving thru MOAB mem day weekend and it was super crazy. Some kids in a scrambler dumped their tool box right in the road in front of me and I road over a floor jack. ( we were at speed I couldn't miss it as my head was getting foggy, my fault) so next day I wake up and yup, sher is flat there cleetus... Deal is I had bought a set from Discount Tire (plug) with full road hazard stuff and had there BEEN one in the town I'd be ok but no, of course not.
SO I ended up buying a used POS tire from a shop and limped it up to salt lake city and got it swapped out for a new one at DTire. They honored the warranty and upgraded the tire type too. Good company, Midas too for that matter of fact.
ran around the upper pacific west coast for a few weeks and now I am here in a paki run motel with a tornado. fun stuff. The internet isnt to bad but it must be like a yard sprinkler. it works in waves... off on off on. lol.
no cop problems, don't kid yourself though the thing can scoot if its level land or downhill. I use WAZE app for maps as it also has cop and construction and stuff alerts and the cop alerts worked really good on the interstate. HI mr cop, I wave as I go by, "its just little ole me grandpa in a slow ass hrr , mind not me!" and they don't. :P
so... yeah. Im on the road for about 5 more days. Then its a wait till next year unless someone wants to finance me hah ha ha.. there's not much I haven't seen, Id need to go to Maine or Alaska.. I have been to Florida like 20 times in my life but my HHR hasnt. My friend back in Pasco has located a 30K mile 2.2 ecotec engine for me and has it set aside for when I need it. IF I want to go that route.
So much can change in life, like my motel - old me would have been mad as hell about not being able to cancel and throw some fit of stupid, but old me now, I just go meh, yeah it sucks but **** happens. I have friends now in 4 states and I can stay at any of them for as long as I want if I want.
I may choose option vegas for this winter. maybe.... I do not want to winter in Michigan again, ever. Did I say ever? yes I DID!. its horrible. Might be better if I had a garage and a snowmobile but I don't. so meh. I just have to suck it up and deal with it. And he smiles.... later gators.
TONIGHT is supposed to be thunderstorms and oh btw a tornado they say is most likely. WTF. so I've scouted out covered spots in case we get their avg Baseball sized Hail they had over in OKC just a few weeks ago. my obsession with no door dings and then to get hail dents would drive me over the edge. ha ha.
I have to watch my cash some as its getting a little iffy if I'm to eat the rest of the year, but maybe that's a good thing! I need to lose some weight anyways. Its not that close but I know some of you with real jobs and family would freak to live on say just 800 mo aug to dec before I get my next estate check. I knew this going in and do not regret it. Its been interesting traveling some of the same country to see the changes, land people I met before, and not all has been good.
I also found that my HHR loves altitude driving for some reason, I though hate it and seem to really get sick over 4000 ft.
I was driving thru MOAB mem day weekend and it was super crazy. Some kids in a scrambler dumped their tool box right in the road in front of me and I road over a floor jack. ( we were at speed I couldn't miss it as my head was getting foggy, my fault) so next day I wake up and yup, sher is flat there cleetus... Deal is I had bought a set from Discount Tire (plug) with full road hazard stuff and had there BEEN one in the town I'd be ok but no, of course not.
SO I ended up buying a used POS tire from a shop and limped it up to salt lake city and got it swapped out for a new one at DTire. They honored the warranty and upgraded the tire type too. Good company, Midas too for that matter of fact.
ran around the upper pacific west coast for a few weeks and now I am here in a paki run motel with a tornado. fun stuff. The internet isnt to bad but it must be like a yard sprinkler. it works in waves... off on off on. lol.
no cop problems, don't kid yourself though the thing can scoot if its level land or downhill. I use WAZE app for maps as it also has cop and construction and stuff alerts and the cop alerts worked really good on the interstate. HI mr cop, I wave as I go by, "its just little ole me grandpa in a slow ass hrr , mind not me!" and they don't. :P
so... yeah. Im on the road for about 5 more days. Then its a wait till next year unless someone wants to finance me hah ha ha.. there's not much I haven't seen, Id need to go to Maine or Alaska.. I have been to Florida like 20 times in my life but my HHR hasnt. My friend back in Pasco has located a 30K mile 2.2 ecotec engine for me and has it set aside for when I need it. IF I want to go that route.
So much can change in life, like my motel - old me would have been mad as hell about not being able to cancel and throw some fit of stupid, but old me now, I just go meh, yeah it sucks but **** happens. I have friends now in 4 states and I can stay at any of them for as long as I want if I want.
I may choose option vegas for this winter. maybe.... I do not want to winter in Michigan again, ever. Did I say ever? yes I DID!. its horrible. Might be better if I had a garage and a snowmobile but I don't. so meh. I just have to suck it up and deal with it. And he smiles.... later gators.
07-01-2017, 10:40 AM
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: 12-17-2016
Location: Silverhill, AL
Posts: 555
Like others, I envy the freewheeling lifestyle a bit too. 
As to financing your "trip through life," you might consider setting up a GoFundMe account for that.
People with disposable income love to throw that money somewhere, you just need to make it interesting for them.
As long as you are taking pictures, take more ... lots more. You have a good eye from the ones I have seen so far, so just expand on your subjects.
Websites and Facebook are free so you can publish online over free Wi-Fi when you have something good to put up.
Maybe even try your hand at writing more and re-writing what you have already written with an eye towards making it appeal to other people.
I have a newspaper journalism background and have published internationally in print magazines short stories and articles as well as Kindle Books.
It is really easy to turn your pictures and words into a sellable book on Amazon's Kindle Store! Lots of articles about "how-to" if you look.
(BTW, love ME some cheap Chinese wheel covers too!)
As to financing your "trip through life," you might consider setting up a GoFundMe account for that.
People with disposable income love to throw that money somewhere, you just need to make it interesting for them.
As long as you are taking pictures, take more ... lots more. You have a good eye from the ones I have seen so far, so just expand on your subjects.
Websites and Facebook are free so you can publish online over free Wi-Fi when you have something good to put up.
Maybe even try your hand at writing more and re-writing what you have already written with an eye towards making it appeal to other people.
I have a newspaper journalism background and have published internationally in print magazines short stories and articles as well as Kindle Books.
It is really easy to turn your pictures and words into a sellable book on Amazon's Kindle Store! Lots of articles about "how-to" if you look.
(BTW, love ME some cheap Chinese wheel covers too!)
07-01-2017, 03:16 PM
#33
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
Look who got new headlights!, well not new, 96K mile headlights that I bit the bullet on and bought a walmart kit to remove the yellow crap starting to grow on my stockers, (I'd love a set of those black amazon headlights but I don't want to disassemble my car in a parking lot.) kit was called "NEW WIPE" and since I had my sisters walmart discount card, it cost me like 8 bucks....
the whole deal start to finish took me like15 minutes tops. How they will look tomorrow I do not know but right ow I love them!
the whole deal start to finish took me like15 minutes tops. How they will look tomorrow I do not know but right ow I love them!
07-01-2017, 03:27 PM
#35
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
my pictures are just my samsung gal7, I used to shoot professionally like 25 years ago but the digital revolution pretty much killed that field. I used to shoot weddings too and omg, not worth it in pressure and time spent.
I have been shooting pics for years and years but lost many of them when my RV up and disappeared one day a few years back. poof, gone, never found. it was business lot parked and one day; there, one day, not. I Lost a lot of my lifes items but other than tools nothing that cannot be replaced except my photo boxes and a 45 year old bottle of scotch I was saving. (I don't drink but I was saving that one packard decanter for the day I beame a grandpa, but that too has never happened, so meh)
But thats in the past and partly my fault for not checking in every few months on it. It wasnt insured at the moment it went missing because I was off around the country and it hadnt moved in 3 years as it was. meh. Oh well you can't take it with you. You learn that really means something the older you get. Your "****" isnt that important to anyone unless its a big ticket item.
thats it for today, Im stuck here in the tulsa area till after the 4th. then its to st louis and then MI home.
now if I could just fix that back bumper so it doesnt look "odd"
I have been shooting pics for years and years but lost many of them when my RV up and disappeared one day a few years back. poof, gone, never found. it was business lot parked and one day; there, one day, not. I Lost a lot of my lifes items but other than tools nothing that cannot be replaced except my photo boxes and a 45 year old bottle of scotch I was saving. (I don't drink but I was saving that one packard decanter for the day I beame a grandpa, but that too has never happened, so meh)
But thats in the past and partly my fault for not checking in every few months on it. It wasnt insured at the moment it went missing because I was off around the country and it hadnt moved in 3 years as it was. meh. Oh well you can't take it with you. You learn that really means something the older you get. Your "****" isnt that important to anyone unless its a big ticket item.
thats it for today, Im stuck here in the tulsa area till after the 4th. then its to st louis and then MI home.
now if I could just fix that back bumper so it doesnt look "odd"
07-01-2017, 04:05 PM
#36
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
I do have a gripe though, toll roads that have swapped to JUST DRIVE ON THRU YA ALL! WE WILL MAIL YOU THE BILL.... arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I had a toll from the golden gate bridge waiting for me when I got to the seattle area. You see, the HHR is registered in WASH St. I live much of my time in Michigan at the moment and vegas and san antonio. My mail goes to the washington address, I'm licensed there for tax reasons and more, but problem is, the people who go to the mailbox never do, They get the mail out whenever the mailman drags it to their house because the box is full ( they pay everything by phone and, after the fact, when stuff stops- kid u not )
anyways, I guess this toll from cali had been sitting for 7 months. aka last summers trip. and a one time bill for 3.10 had grown to 119 bucks. PLUS it had been sent to court and a failure to appear had been ordered. OH JOY JOY! So I had them 'phone pic' me the ticket stub and I called CallToll direct.
Golden gate tolls was very helpful and after about 3 people and phone transfers I had my bill paid in full and the failure to appear erased. Yeah me! right? r-right? but no... I get to washington state in person a few weeks ago and they decide to check the mail again and guess what?? TEXAS wanted to have a talk with me.. texas.. I had just been to texas so I thought this wont be to bad. the toll was 7.40ish (i swear i have no idea where that happened or how because i was very careful to avoid any toll roads now)
The bill had been 7.40ish so I called them. "Oh no sir you got a much bigger bill than that." huh " sir your bill is 77.90 at this moment and due to go to collections next week if you don't pay." I'm like what? I was JUST there not 4-5 weeks ago how could it be going to collections and HOW did it grow to nearly 78 bucks?
"sir I dun know why, it went to court, you never showed up its 77.90 will that be visa or masrtercard...?"
so another 80 bucks gone. meh. Roll with it, roll with it, I tell myself.
every city seems to have its own toll system, fine not a real problem unless YOU are a passer thru type. There needs to be a all in one 50 state tag system i guess. But then again most people live in one spot. haha.
I had a toll from the golden gate bridge waiting for me when I got to the seattle area. You see, the HHR is registered in WASH St. I live much of my time in Michigan at the moment and vegas and san antonio. My mail goes to the washington address, I'm licensed there for tax reasons and more, but problem is, the people who go to the mailbox never do, They get the mail out whenever the mailman drags it to their house because the box is full ( they pay everything by phone and, after the fact, when stuff stops- kid u not )
anyways, I guess this toll from cali had been sitting for 7 months. aka last summers trip. and a one time bill for 3.10 had grown to 119 bucks. PLUS it had been sent to court and a failure to appear had been ordered. OH JOY JOY! So I had them 'phone pic' me the ticket stub and I called CallToll direct.
Golden gate tolls was very helpful and after about 3 people and phone transfers I had my bill paid in full and the failure to appear erased. Yeah me! right? r-right? but no... I get to washington state in person a few weeks ago and they decide to check the mail again and guess what?? TEXAS wanted to have a talk with me.. texas.. I had just been to texas so I thought this wont be to bad. the toll was 7.40ish (i swear i have no idea where that happened or how because i was very careful to avoid any toll roads now)
The bill had been 7.40ish so I called them. "Oh no sir you got a much bigger bill than that." huh " sir your bill is 77.90 at this moment and due to go to collections next week if you don't pay." I'm like what? I was JUST there not 4-5 weeks ago how could it be going to collections and HOW did it grow to nearly 78 bucks?
"sir I dun know why, it went to court, you never showed up its 77.90 will that be visa or masrtercard...?"
so another 80 bucks gone. meh. Roll with it, roll with it, I tell myself.
every city seems to have its own toll system, fine not a real problem unless YOU are a passer thru type. There needs to be a all in one 50 state tag system i guess. But then again most people live in one spot. haha.
07-01-2017, 04:24 PM
#37
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
just a side note: since this is the open internet here and if some neer-do-well type decides to stalk me to rob me, I wish to point out that I do not travel alone. Mr Glock or sometimes Sir Ruger travel along for the sights as well. (you think I go to the middle of the desert just to LOOK at it?)
I am an ex U.S. defense contractor, I know how to use my friends very well. I shot skeet semi pro growing up, I don't miss much.
so JUST DON'T
I have a shovel too but my HHR might get dirty. Ha!
I hate a dirty car.
I am an ex U.S. defense contractor, I know how to use my friends very well. I shot skeet semi pro growing up, I don't miss much.
so JUST DON'T
I have a shovel too but my HHR might get dirty. Ha!
I hate a dirty car.
07-01-2017, 08:00 PM
#38
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
went next door since I am not supposed to drive it, get it wet or smash bugs into the headlights for 20ish hrs I kept to a close location. hardly a photoshoot and people were driving by nonstop so I was rushed. anyways.
07-07-2017, 06:04 AM
#39
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
Out and about in Tulsa brought me to Hard Rock Casino to look around ( I dont gamble) and I happened upon not one but 5 hhrs in the same part of the parking lot, So I picked one to sit next too and they proceeded to have a show down. Poor blues owner obviously didn't care for him much because even though he had some mag wheels he was in bad bad shape. That is not a reflection on blues hood, that's oxidized paint peeling off in huge swaths. It matched the hundred door dings it had as well as broken trim and glass. Poor thing.
07-07-2017, 06:14 AM
#40
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 11-10-2016
Location: wash st
Posts: 34
I was bored today in Springfield Illinois so I decided to fix something thats been annoying me bad. I taped off the step part of my bumper and sprayed it with that removable flat black paint. ( so I can strip it off later easy) It wasn't all dry here yet but I liked it so much I took a pic before the sun went down. I had gotten a free estimate to paint my bumper correctly at a body shop but they wanted a freaking 560 bucks to just respray it, I said thanks but no thanks. maybe some nyc cabby corner bumper? idk. or I'll just ignore it. (can't) I know a piece of rubber goes there on later models, but online it sells for like 65 70 bucks alone, so pass again. I found one in a salvage yard and they wouldn't let me peel it off the bumper of a wrecked HHR, ditto for a HHR SS liftgate rear spoiler I found (attached to the lift gate in my color even, but the yard again wouldn't let me remove just the spoiler.
