One of the minor challenges of embarking on a road trip in pandemic times is that my car needs an oil change. I prepaid the first few service visits/oil changes when I bought it and would have been at the designated mileage for the first service under “normal” circumstances. As it is, I still have half the tank of gas I purchased on March 22, and as of Saturday the car was ~360 miles short of the required mileage.
So we have begun taking driving adventures. On Saturday (after a quick bike ride) we drove to Beulah and then up a winding dirt road to Wetmore, visiting Custer County briefly, before coming home on Highway 96 alongside Lake Pueblo State Park.
Today we decided to venture out before dinner. We took US 50 East as far as Fowler (in Otero County) then turned north into Crowley County before heading back to Pueblo, again on Highway 96, this time east of town.
In addition to getting us to the mileage goal, these driving adventures are getting all three of us warmed up for the road trip. Rebbe did not like the slow pace of the mountain road on Saturday. Tonight, he was thrilled to get in the car and hang out with us for an hour (even though we didn’t technically “go” anywhere). My legs, feet, and posterior are not really up for much driving yet. I’m out of practice since I haven’t driven to a school (the ones I work with are 45-135 minutes, one-way, from my house) in more than two months. Apparently one gets out of “driving shape.”
My other topic today—miller moths. This is apparently a generic term for any moth that is abundant in or around homes (see extension article). The Colorado miller is the adult stage of the army cutworm. Right now, there are thousands and thousands in our neighborhood. According to the experts, this is a typical year for their migration from the Eastern plains to the mountains. It seems atypical because the last four years have been extremely light. Joy. I am not a miller moth fan. So no pictures either. For the record, they don’t eat wool or cause similar damage, they are just annoying.
Finally, LEGO. Box 20 is a young snowboarder.
If I were a snowboarder, I would find this slightly sad, as ski areas have been closed since March, when COVID-19 made its first Colorado appearance in the mountains. As of now, only Arapahoe Basin is holding out hope for potential reopening.
joycyclingchicks 
First, even mileage requirements or months requirement are all suggested , by someone? 300 miles is a small window to hit.
Just so you don’t forget that you were supposed to change oil this year (or this decade). Of course when you are still under warranty, you want to make sure that you have records that show you did all the required oil changes. But you know all this stuff and just wanted to take a drive.
Generally true, except when you have a new car with a service contract that requires those (prepaid) services to be done within 1000 miles of the target mileage. I would exceed 1000 over target post-road trip, so I need to hit 1000 under in order to get that (again, prepaid) service done pre-road trip. I asked, the 1000 miles is the leeway, no further fudging is allowed.