Wednesday, June 3, 2009

99,999 MILES


Monday evening we went for a bicycle ride out at Hannah Park where Wanda ran into a tree got a black eye and multiple bruises a few weeks back. No, she didn't get on the bike trail, but Alex and I rode one of the trails without incident. It was a refreshing break to get away and enjoy the beach, biking, and fresh air.

As we got into the car to leave the park, I noticed my car odometer was about to turn over 99,999 miles. It intrigued me and I got my camera out to photo journal the speedometer recording nothing by 9's. How many times have you watched your car's speedometer with nothing but the same numeral all across the odometer? Have you ever watched it turn 100,000 miles?
















I love to get the most out of my cars and have driven two of them, both Mercury's, well over 200,000 miles. One of them made it over 250,000 miles. The bodies of those cars looked great and the mechanical parts were still running well too. I hate to make car payments, and a new car isn't new once you drive it off the car lot, hence I usually have at least one car with a ton of miles on it.

Most of all I am grateful that in all of those hundreds of thousands of miles I have not had an accident and have never been hurt. 

Once, I was traveling south on I-75 and watched a car in front of me roll twice as I looked at the undercarriage two times as it rolled passed by me on my right. I thought for sure someone was going to come flying out of that car and I would hit them. Thankfully it didn't happen. I braced myself for a bad accident. That car had just passed me with a guy in the back seat lying down with his feet hanging out the window. He didn't have seat-belt's on for sure so I just knew he would be thrown out in one of those rolls and I would hit him. 

Monday evening as the odometer turned 100,000 miles I thanked the Lord for all my safe travels. I often pray before taking a trip and give thanks to God when I return home. Thank you Lord for 100,000 safe traveling miles and many hundreds of thousands of safe miles on other vehicles. 

I am grateful.


3 comments:

  1. I have been following your story for a while. I have never commented before, but I just wanted to say Thank You for sharing your story, I have been truly blessed by it! And what a blessing to have a car last that long!

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  2. Milton, I can't wait to show this entry to my husband! He doesn't read blogs, but up to this day, I thought for sure he was the only person with photos of his car's odometer.

    We were traveling down I79 just north of Pittsburgh when he suddenly slowed down, called one of the kids and instructed me to get out the camera. The Honda Civic was turning over 200,000 miles!

    Like you, the Lord has blessed us with many miles of safe travel.

    God is good.
    Jan in Pennsylvania

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  3. Milton,
    I can appreciate keeping cars till they have high milage on them.

    The first car that turned to all 9's for me was a 1975 Plymouth Sport Fury. I stopped and took a picture of the 9's all the way across. That car went well over 200,000 miles.

    With my job, I've turned several odometers over the 100,000 mark and some over the 200,000 mark.

    Like you, God has been with me every one of those miles, (I'm sure over a million by now), including recently when I totaled my 2004 Chevy Silverado (140,000), without a scratch on me.

    God is faithful!

    Donn C.

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