My most recent rental car - a Kia Rondo

A Kia Rondo, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

Unlike the Nissan Versa I had back in the fall (and positively hated it), my most recent trip involved this Kia Rondo.

At first I was like - great another cheap small car. But it pleasantly surprised me. It had a 3rd row (which got used during lunch breaks) that folded down easily for carrying luggage. And it didn't feel underpowered (I could accelerate onto the highway just fine). My only complaints were that the windows weren't tinted, and there was no cover for the back (w/ the 3rd row folded down), so I had to make sure my stuff was secure when I parked the car.

Surprise upgrade

Upgrade to a large SUV, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

When I travel on business - usually one of the first questions my daughter asks me when I am on the phone with her is "What kind of car do you have?"

So I started taking pictures of my rental car with my Blackberry so she can see them.

Last month - even though I reserved an Intermediate (read that small/mid-size car), when I got to the counter the clerk asked if I wanted a mini-van or SUV. Since it was just me - and I normally drive a SUV, I took the SUV, and got this Jeep Commander.

[basically - it sounded like the car rental company had already rented out all of the cars that size, and didn't have a lot of demand from families - for the large SUV.]

Smooth highway ride w/ power when you need it. A 3rd row for extra people - which folded down easy to carry luggage. But it was the interior that really turned me off. It was plain black plastic. It felt cheap.

If someone gave me one, I wouldn't turn it down - but I don't think I would buy one myself.

Most Viewed Pictures for January 2010

Most Viewed Pictures for January 2010, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

I did the Mosaic as 5x5 this month instead of 4x4 (w/ one large image in the center) because there were fewer repeats this month. Usually I get one or two images that constantly get a large number of views - but this month the Top daily views were spread across pictures old and new.

Almost stopped

Almost stopped, originally uploaded by rob-the-org.

The New River channel still has water in it - but there isn't much left to come downstream.

(this was taken just about a week and a half after the major storm came through)

We are due for more rain later this week, but I expect that it won't be enough to get the river flowing again.