Hi all, new Prius v owner

Just wanted to update that all is well with the 2012 v (wagon). Steering seems to be better now after the suspension rehab project ( see above ), etc...

The car has around 150K miles on it now and doesn't noticeably burn oil (yet). EGR swap and all related crap is scheduled to be done this upcoming spring. Yes, I know...I'm pushing it as far as the EGR goes but I won't do it during the winter. That's my hibernation time!

I'll have to say that the 2019 e-AWD Prius look pretty neat...must resist!

 

I can't justify a Model 3....Plus, I want to see what competitors will do in the next few years. The E-AWD Prius looks like a great, win-win proposition for around here...virtually no MPG loss! My beef with Subaru has always been the inherent MPG loss with their AWD implementation. Subies are taking over around here though. They have a great thing going...justified or not. Whoever did the marketing for them should win multiple awards.

Believe it or not, it has been unseasonably 'warm' up here..actually got into the 40s for a couple days! Also note that we are in the far southeast part of MN. MN is a big state south to north...and location really does make a difference as to the severity of the cold. Plus, some say it is an 'El Nino' year ( plus global warming...haha ).

I'm longing for another road trip!

Just got back | PriusChat

BTW - My son and I may be doing a mini road trip during his spring break ( 1st week in April ). Thinking about flying into Vegas and going from there. Thinking about doing Death Valley, Joshua Tree, etc...anything else that is a must see while in the area? Note that we want to go *west* of Vegas since we have done Grand Canyon, etc...on prior road trips. I was thinking Yosemite, Kings Cayon, etc... too but that might be a stretch. Plus, it is still early in the year and I'm not sure what the weather is like there in early April?

 

I'm partial to northern CA as well...much more my style ( I think anyway ). I *hate* Vegas...but it is a good, very cheap, place to fly into.

My son will only be 17. He loves the desert areas of Utah, etc.. more then any other place we have been - even Yellowstone! Go figure. We were originally thinking of going back to the Moab area to see what it is like when the temperatures are actually tolerable. We have been there three times during our summer road trips and did lots of hiking...but the temps were nearly unbearable ( for me anyways ). I later decided on a Vegas fly in because driving all the way to Moab might be a bit much for a spring break week.

So for me this will be a 'check it off the list' trip but he will really enjoy it. I hope to do northern CA wit my wife at some point soon.

Any yep, our park pass is still good. It would be around a 6 day trip, and we usually reserve these trips for day hiking and such...

 

We went thru Sedona on our 2018 road trip. The place is stunning....but it was also 108 degrees out that day! Kind of put a damper on our hiking just a tad. Hope to get back there at a more reasonable time of year.

However, The Sedona area seems to be getting somewhat 'overcrowded'. I'd almost call it a 'suburban hiking area' in places...which surprised me a bit and was rather disappointing. I like things more remote.

BTW - We really like SE Utah. Here is a good map I found somewhere of SE Utah trip ideas :
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nY59cXa2RYAit--VB1wKdI-E-sGnYguq&usp=sharing

And our 2016 trip map. This was a great route!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CNQcPazvrNZLkDJndQHu4er2sYM&usp=sharing

 

Sounds good! I think the fly-in to Vegas and then Joshua Tree and Death Valley sounds like a good plan. Also looks like a couple interesting things to do at the Mojave National Preserve.

I'll post a google mymaps trip map plan if I get around to making one.

 

I added Palm Springs to the list. Looks like a neat area to stay overnight.

 

Looks like we have some hiking enthusiasts here.

If you are interested, here are all of my trips that I have planned on Google Mymaps. My son and I do a 'guy trip' every year that consists of visiting national parks and other areas ( the more remote the better ). Mymaps is a fantastic tool..once you get the hang of it. I put an lot of planning time into each one. We were able to do a lot in a short amount of time due to having a rough plan.

Also note that you can download google maps to your phone for offline use...AND it also downloads any locations you have ' starred', etc... Makes it extremely simple when on the road. I used to use a Garmin and this is far, far better ( for me anyways ).

2015 - Yellowstone and places on the way : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pNVDWKBw-Uht2Ax0mRasJA4onWI&usp=sharing
2016 - SE Utah and places on the way : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CNQcPazvrNZLkDJndQHu4er2sYM&usp=sharing
2017 - SW USA - places we missed in 2016 : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xHF9v2dpDqkYzE939LNQDA07UR0&usp=sharing
2018 - Western USA - an even bigger loop! : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SZ1qRjr6NLZs-YSY9lb_cbTyxNUFAbYr&usp=sharing

2018 was pretty insane...given the time we had. It was doable though...we were travelling most of the day but usually had multiple hiking stops each day.

Anyway...as you can see...I really recommend Google MyMaps.