An Old Boondocker Goes Out in a Blaze of Glory

One of the sadder chapters in a traveler's career is when they announce that it is time to 'turn in the keys.' Sometimes an outsider can see them sneak into it before they can: for instance, they buy a lot at one of the Yoostabees RV Club parks (aka, the Escapees). Then they stop kidding themselves and backslide completely into bourgeois normalcy, that is, sticks and bricks, a Sears Kenmore riding lawnmower, a Lazy Boy recliner, and discussions of window treatments. The luckier ones get to -- or choose to -- go out in a 'blaze of glory.'

I finally saw on the street today what I knew was coming...

That's right, it is the long-promised Jeep pickup truck. Is it even worth reading any of the usual automobile review websites to learn about this model? The only such website I like is ericpetersautos.com, and it has been blacklisted by the Higher Powers at Google. Besides, he hasn't reviewed the Jeep "Gladiator" yet.

It took a small miracle, but I found one review that talks about how the Gladiator performs -- instead of looks. 

But who am I kidding? Even brutally utilitarian consumers will admit that image has a lot to do with the Gladiator's appeal. What follows is pure porn...

What's going on here? Am I becoming like the aging corporate accountant who grows a little grey ponytail and buys a Harley?

But one part of me wants to face the bitter truth: that buying the Gladiator would be the first 'cool' thing I've ever done in my life, and it is likely to be the last.