Off on a Great Adventure...then not!

So the last few weeks have been a frantic mess, to say the least.  However, it has all been hopefully resolved. 

THE BUILDUP
The last few months I have been planning a super awesome adventure that was prompted last winter while snowboarding with my partner, Catalina.  We rediscovered that we love skiing and snowboarding and, even more, we discovered that we loved doing these activities with each other.  So we set out to find the best season pass to maximize mountain time without killing our wallets.  After weighing some options and looking at blackout dates other passes had, we decided on the MAX Pass.  It allows us 5 days each at 44 different mountains across United States and Canada, with no blackout dates.  Our favorite local mountains were on it (Sugarloaf and Sunday River), along with some noteworthy mountains in Colorado, and glorious Big Sky in Montana.  If we wanted to have a great snow season and maximize the pass, we were going to go out west.

A PLAN TAKES SHAPE
So we are going to ski bum it for a few weeks?  Do nothing besides ski, drive, and camp out of a van?  And do it cheaply?  We started researching and looking into different camper van rental companies out west and soon found out how expensive this trip might actually become.  At some point we realized that it would be cheaper just to buy a used van, rather than renting one for a few weeks.  So that's what I did.  I BOUGHT A VAN!

THE DETAILS
Alright, so we are doing the thing! But, when?  We figured it out:  I would drive out with the van and the gear and Catalina would fly out to meet me in Salt Lake City (considerably cheaper than flying into Bozeman).  Catalina put her time off request in for 2 weeks and I confirmed with my job that talking off all of January was alright with them.
*Shoutout to Fleet Feet Sports Maine Running Company for supporting my ambitions and goals!!!*

I called some friends and sorted out some running and meetup dates:
Monday January 1-Run with the store and drive to Troy, NY and meet up with Kenny
Tuesday January 2-Morning Run, Snowboard, drive to Pittsburgh and meet up with Katie
Wednesday January 3-Morning Run, Snowboard, Drive to St. Louis and meet up with Adam
Thursday January 4-Long Run in Forest Park
Friday January 5- Run Downtown STL and drive to Minneapolis and meet up with Ethan
Saturday January 6- Work an event for The Seatery (www.theSeaterymn.com) with Ethan
Sunday January 7-Snowboard,???
Jan 8- jan 15 ???????????
Tuesday January 16-Catalina flies into Salt Lake City
Jan 17- Jan 28- Snowboard, Run, Appreciate
Monday January 29- Catalina flies out of Denver

THE DEPARTURE
The van is loaded with all my gear and a futon.  I have everything I need for snowboarding, running, cooking, and staying warm.  I am ready and excited.  The van has already been to a couple of mountains already, so I know it is road ready.  I give Catalina a goodbye and I'm off and running.
Two hours go by with no problem.
And then it happened.
My car starts accelerating like crazy.  I apply the brakes, but the engine is still revving.  I realize how bad this situation can become real quick.  I have a runaway car.  Some quick thinking allowed me throw it into neutral, apply the brakes, come to a stop, and turn the car off.  At this point I'm experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions: "Shit, my trip is over." "This could've ended poorly." "I'm so glad I'm safe."  "How am I going to get out west?" "What do I do tonight?"

I call my insurance and they send a tow truck.  Catalina suggests I contact our neighbor who was driving back from Connecticut to Portland.  He had just left Connecticut and would be driving right past where I broke down.  What a great coincidence!  So my car broke down, but I get a warm ride home with my neighbor and a DOGGO! Given the circumstances, it wasn't all bad.

January 2nd
I had planned on snowboarding in New York, but obviously that wasn't going to happen.  I was still hellbent on getting on my board that day.  I drove to the repair shop and they told me they would look at it later that day.  I spent the rest of the day at Wachusett Mountain with only a few other people on the mountain and it was glorious.  I had time to clear my head and think about all the possibilities for the trip.  Ideally, its a quick and cheap fix and I get back on the road.  If my car is ruined, I take out a loan and buy a Nissan NV200.  That put me at ease.  Upon returning to Portland that night, I got a call from the shop saying my van is good to go.  All they had to do was clean up the throttle body.  I'll be picking it up and trying again on the night of the third.

To be continued...