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RIP Hubermobile

Today I got a sad call from my mom, the van had died.  My Dad's White 1994 Dodge 15 Passenger Van has been left in Pendleton, OR.  They are safely traveling in a rental car back to Everett.

There are so many memories attached to this van.  My dad bought it in 1996 to replace his white 1972 Dodge 15 passenger van.  The best part other than being newish was it had A/C.

One of the many trips we took in it was our yearly camping trip to Lake Chelan.  From 1996 to 2000 we would pack up the van to the gills and drive 3 hours to the Lake.  It was so nice to finally have A/C for this trip.

Some other memorable trips include our 3 week excursion to Nebraska and back.  There was the trip to San Francisco, the one to Kelowna, BC, and Calgary, AB.  My sister and her dance team in high school had multiple trips to Yakima and other dance competitions.  These girls named it the Hubermobile.

While it could seat 15, often it only had seating for 8.  That meant one bench for me and one for Annemarie.  There was the Summer configuration and the Winter configurations.  In Summer the two benches were in the front so the bikes and Cash's crate could be in the back.  In Winter the benches were in the middle so there was plenty of room to change in to ski clothes and back.

While I started driving in the '72 van, I spent more time learning to drive in the '94.

There was the time I locked the keys in at the City Park in Chelan.  I had driven a bunch of my friends for youth night.   I was 16 or 17 and fortunately someone had a hanger and we were able to get back inside.  When we got back to the campground the Pastor mentioned to my dad that I had something to tell him.  My dad never asked and years later somehow the story came out, my dad just had a good laugh.

The most recent trip where I drove was 3 or 4 Christmas' ago to Seattle to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra preform.  It was a fun adventure since it started snowing on the way down and then again on the way back.  But that van made the trip and I even found parking near Key Arena.

So now the van is gone and all I've got left is some amazing memories.

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