In March we had a Changing of the Guard. What does that mean? Well, let me tell you.
Back in 2002 Mama Nomad, Noah and Baby Ethan went to a Ford Dealer in Republic, Missouri. After a rather long and completely exhausting day, we traded our vehicle in and drove away in Ebony. She was a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4×4. Ebony had room for 7 because we had a third row seat. She had no problems ever climbing or towing anything because she was equipped with a towing package. And, to top it off, our sound system was premium with both a cassette and CD player built in. We were completely stoked!
As many of you know, Ebony treated us very, very well. When we got her, she was nearly brand new with around 20,000 miles on her. From there, we traveled the entire Eastern Half of the United States and put around 200,000 miles on her. This included dragging our 5′ x 8′ trailer (which we call the Mule) up and down mountains, without any issues.
We loved Ebony. When we went Nomadic, she was the only constant that we had. We relied upon her to get us from one home base to the next and to ensure that we were able to explore on our adventures for days on end. We had to replace a few minor parts and pieces. But, nothing major. C’mon…you have a couple hundred thousand miles on you and I bet you need your brakes replaced also. That’s right…a couple hundred thousand miles without having to replace the brakes!
Although Ebony was literally the best vehicle we ever had (as a family), we were, sadly, outgrowing her. When we got her, Noah was 4, Ethan was 1 and Trevor was not even born. Sufficed to say, we had plenty of room in a vehicle that would fit 7 people. Fast forward to 2016 and Noah is 18, Ethan is 15 and Trevor is 11. 2 out of the 3 are as big as grown men and the third is closing the gap rapidly. There simply was not enough room in Ebony.
So, Mama Nomad and I began looking for her replacement. We needed a vehicle to keep our family safe, was reliable and gave us the room we needed. Well, in the month of March (2016), we officially had a changing of the guard. Mama Nomad and I found a vehicle located in Leavenworth, Kansas. It was at a dealership called Zeck Ford. We worked with the sales rep and pinned down which vehicle we wanted. The dealership was about 3 and a half hours away from Mama Nomad’s parents’ house.
We drove up to Leavenworth, Kansas to meet with out sales rep and buy the replacement vehicle. When, low and behold, it was already sold. Zeck Ford sells about 400 cars a month and the sales reps do not make a commission. So, our sales rep showed us a few more vehicles. The kind of vehicle we wanted was beyond what we secured financing for from Ford Credit. But, not to worry, our sales rep (Jeffrey Bowlin) worked with their finance department (Jeremiah Bland) and got us easily approved for the vehicle we chose as Ebony’s replacement.
That evening we drive away with a 2015 Ford Expedition XLT EL 4×4. This was the extended edition Expedition that could easily sit 8 comfortably. It had a complete towing package that included automatic adjusting in the transmission for towing as well as a connection for a trailer braking system. We can switch from automatic transmission to manual with the touch of a button. This vehicle has a surround sound entertainment system and a voice activated computer system. On top of that, each of our boys…as well as Mama Nomad and me, can stretch our legs and have plenty of room.
Ebony was a noble vehicle that was top of the line when we got her. So, we had to replace her with an equal vehicle of note. Of that, we succeeded. And, we named her Ebony II. In our posts, we will simply call her Ebony. But for those of you who followed from the beginning, you will know that a II belongs after the name.
We had a changing of the guard and the new guard is a fantastic next iteration of the original Nomad Mobile Ebony I. We plan on putting many miles, through tough and varied terrain on Ebony II. We think she is up for the task. Safe Travels.
