At some point in your life, you are bound to find yourself in a situation that makes you think, "If I make one wrong move, it is game over, done, gone, period."

On Saturday, well above New England, strapped into my snowboard on the edge of a 50 degree slope, with rocks and hecklers below, it was this thought that dominated my tired brain. I am not ashamed to say, I was scared.

This is Tuckerman Ravine.

The summer of 2003 broke all temperature records in England and I spent it working in that little metal box pictured below. We were rebuilding a power plant just outside of London, putting in 14-16 hour days, 7 days a week. It was a truly miserable experience, save for one ritualistic part of each day.

At the conclusion of the shift, we would all congregate in our rental cars and proceed to rally to the hotel. During these rips through suburban England, my rental Focus opened my eyes to the potential, quality, and performance of a Ford vehicle. I have finally had the same experience on US soil.

This is the 1000 mile review of the Ford Fiesta

“When’s the last time some noise the car was making could be fixed with a 3-dollar bottle of fluid? This is awesome.”

I am merging onto the highway in Burlington, Vermont in our “new” 1999 Nissan Altima, which we’ve had for a couple of months, and talking to my girlfriend Natalie about the automotive miracle that has just occurred.

Full review tonight when I finally get back to Vermont.

1. Fun. Exudes it from every nook and cranny. (I just worked cranny into a review)

2. Light on its feet, snaps in and out of traffic. Words like nimble, agile, darting, and quick come to mind.

3. Locked to the road, I have only broke the rubber loose a couple of times and not for lack of trying. Richard Gere may not say it is on rails but this is a really solid stock suspension.

4. Surprisingly spacious, I will be attempting three snowboarders and gear this weekend and then family of three voyage to DC next week.

5. Stands out in a sea of blah designs and colors, the difference is striking. I did not alter the below image.

I am only home for 6 hours or so, need some sleep. Rest assured a full post on first impressions will be up tomorrow night. Check the slideshow on the "On The Road" page.