Driving & Gramick Monique Fantastique – August 21st – 24th

Although we intended to split the drive to Boise evenly over two days, we were on a roll and Bernie was doing great so we pressed on to Riggins, Idaho the first day. Well, I shouldn’t say Bernie was doing great, in truth Bernard showed his ugly head for a brief time when the engine started cutting out while driving again. We pulled over, jiggled some connections, and prayed to the Vanagon gods before getting back on the road. The problem never returned (probably due to the return of the fairy mechanic). We ended up staying on BLM land that night before going the rest of the way to Gramick’s house on the 22^nd (My mom’s birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!). To explain: Gramick is my Grandma who lived in France before immigrating to the US when my mom was young. When I was a kid I rhymed her name (Monique) with a bunch of made up words – Gramick, Fantastique, Unique (not actually made up), Magnifique (French for magnificent), etc. hence the nickname was born.

In Boise, we enjoyed Gramick’s company, helped steam clean the basement carpet, and identified a mystery water leak. Despite our best efforts, the source of the water remains a mystery. We also enjoyed some great food and got valuable information from some of Gramick’s friends from India. On the 24^th we said our goodbye’s and headed towards Denver on the final stretch of the Bernie portion of the trip.