Sunday, July 08, 2007

Wife Shopping Avoidance Trailer


Now you may think this is a Honda Element towing a tiny micro machine trailer, but it's more than that. It is actually a shopping protector. We load up the canoe on it and take off to discover some new lake or river. Usually these exploits don't result in the boat actually getting wet. Either we can't find said lake, or it's too big, or it's too windy, or perhaps there are big boats on it. This Saturday after a beautiful scenic drive through the Smokies we found Lake Glenville. The lake was a little big but the wind had that calmness which only exists prior to a rainfall. I was surprised that there seemed to be no size limit on motorboats. There were some huge party barges and a lot of 24 foot ski boats. We managed to paddle well even with the occasional 2 foot wake from a power boat. The serenity of the afternoon was punctuated by one group of wake boarders that felt the need to share their music with the whole valley. We returned to the boat ramp amidst a flotilla of powerboats reminiscent of Dunkirk. The ramp was very unique in that it was slanted at a very flat angle (it looked about 10 degrees). There was this Toyota Sequoia launching a boat and it was almost underwater. The rear bumper was under water and the exhaust was bubbling out from the tail pipe. I didn't say anything but I wonder if the rear differential needed to be drained after this kind of launch. Being the middle aged white guy who knows everything I thought I would have spared the car and used a little more winch. It was always fun to go to Deep Creek Lake in Md. and watch the couples launch their boats. It gave one great insights into what makes a marriage work.

But I digress from my subject. The scenic drive through the little quaint touristy towns of Cashiers, Toxaway, and Sapphire is home to many little shops. There are antique shops, gift shops, art galleries, boutiques, craft shops and specialty food stores with cute inviting names such as "The Jelly Jar", "Granny's Pies" etc. That is when the shopping avoidance trailer comes into its own. I can't stop at these little shops because I have a trailer. Where would I park it? The money that this CB saves pays for the trailer and tags in no time! I have discovered my magic trailer works even when I have no intention of canoeing. I now hook it up even on rainy days when the urge to stop and impulse shop is strongest.

In my next post I will tell how to avoid those costly restaurants while traveling.

Babba

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1 comment:

Aunt Dot said...

I agree: "spare the car, and use a little more winch..." makes for a great marriage....