Wish me luck -
I'm about to hit the road for another trip to the east coast and back in my Caddy. I don't really have a route picked this year but I'm shooting for more secondary roads and I have 3ish weeks vs. the 2 weeks I did it in last year.
The goal tonight is to make it to Flagstaff by early AM, then on to Taos via the Navajo Nation by tomorrow evening. From there I'll make a generally diagonal shot toward Des Moines for a baptism on Sunday. Then diagonally opposite to Charlotte to see family. The final leg is a mad dash for I-10 in Alabama, across to El Paso, then up to I-40 in Albuquerque and home from there.
Chris
Staying below the mason dixon line the entire time. I could help you with back ways in Ohio, but nothing down there.
No stoppin up 'ere in Canader, eh?
A photo journal would be sweet! Safe trip!
In Iowa for a few days...
Mileage jumped from 42 to 48+ then 47+. Staying off the interstate and enjoying the scenery sure helps with economy.
Only issues so far have been running over a screw and catching a rock chip in the windshield, both in New Mexico.
Chris
I've been home for a week now, I guess I could post some data:
6950 miles... And I just changed the oil! Starting in CA, I drove across AZ, NM, OK, KS, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH, WV, PA, MD, WV, VA, NC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ and back to CA....
I lost one low beam in TX so I replaced both bulbs in San Angelo. Wipers were shot to hell, those got replaced in a nasty hailstorm in Raton, NM. Picked up a screw in one tire somewhere around Chama, NM and had a tire valve split as I was coming up on the beach near Panacea, FL. No issues otherwise. I camped out in AZ, NM, KS, IN, WV, FL and a few more times in NM. Hotel'd it twice, in Thibodeaux, LA and Llano, TX because of the heat (Traveling the gulf coast in summer with no AC is ill-advised). Stayed with friends & family in Polk City, IA and Charlotte, NC. It's gonna take just about another year for me to forget all the nasties of traveling long distance, alone, in a Rabbit pickup before I decide a third trip sounds like a great idea. Probably the best thing I did for the trip was remove the rear window so the cab felt a little more roomy and the dog could hop between the front seat and the bed (with camper shell). Lastly, there isn't enough good programming on AM radio these days.
I burned 152.906 gallons of diesel for an average of 45.45 mpg. I paid anywhere from $3.589/gallon in Pascagoula, MS to $4.299/gallon here in Costa Mesa (it was actually ten cents more when I left but I'm not figuring that tank into the trip).
Chris
That's Great Chris, the great road trip was part of why I bought by Caddy. I thought I could save money by sleeping in the back. I thought it would be cool to go see the Pikes Peak Hill Climb some Day. Keeps getting put on the back burner. I'm running out of back burners.
Maybe next trip you can upgrade the radio.
Cheere,
-Jeff