Since they are both rather tall for their age, the extended cab's seat was getting a bit cramped. When we asked if they wanted to go to Myrtle Beach over Christmas, they said yes, but not in the truck.

 

So we went looking for a new tow vehicle and got a very nice deal on a 1997 Chevy Astro Van. It had about 46K on it and was loaded, including the towing package. We were happy with it and the ride to Myrtle Beach was great. In February, we purchased a brand new 2002 Coleman Utah.  The van was working out really well until two days after getting the Utah. Blaise ended up getting hit, head on, in an accident on an icy road. He walked away without a scratch, just ringing ears from the air bags.

 

The insurance company (other driver's- the other guy was at fault), gave us enough to pay off the Astro and let us keep the wreck. We found a 1997 GMC Safari at a good price and purchased that. It has the same exact interior, so we swaped out the front captain's seats (the Astro had arm rests and back pockets), the tires, the trannie cooler and the luggage rack. We're still deciding on whether to keep the Astro engine, since it has low miles on it (53K as of the accident).

 

All in all, a big pain in the rump, but it could have been so much worse, since Blaise walked away with no injuries. We're looking forward to getting out in the Coleman Utah this spring/summer/fall and we'll have pics of our trips on the site.