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Road Trip!

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  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    Perry Monument on Presque Isle in Erie:



    A goose near the monument that my daughter photographed (this is not zoomed.... she was within a foot of the poor thing, and it was seriously contemplating diving off that concrete edge!):




    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited May 2016
    Pardon my snark "Commodore Perry" but Verizon built a cell tower just like that in our neighborhood. :)
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    edited May 2016
    One of the few pictures I took from our trip to Interlochen MI over the long weekend.

    The weather got better after this picture. Not sure if this is Duck Lake or Green Lake.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    Took my wife's 2016 MKC on the trip to Interlochen MI and back.
    Really happy with how it ran. We did drive on I-90 across NY, which is flatter than I-80 across PA.
    It's rated @26 on the highway and according to the computer, we did a little better than that.
    Power is there too, I only remember it downshifting a couple of times. It has the second generation 2.3 ecoboost.
    Still coming to terms with the seats and the nav could be single minded once you chose a destination.
    My wife's sister with an SRX was jealous, although she tried not to show it. :)
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    I did the math on the fuel mileage and it worked out to 27.5 mpg average. This is way better than the computer calculated.
    My SIL with the SRX was jealous, she mentioned looking for something else after her lease is up.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Me-beep? Anyone on the road? This guy passed through a few minutes ago.


  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    that bowling alley reminds me of the 2-lane manual bowling alley in the basement of Helen Newman Hall at Cornell U around 1980.... Evidently it's been improved into a 16-lane bowling alley since then.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    elias said:

    that bowling alley reminds me of the 2-lane manual bowling alley in the basement of Helen Newman Hall at Cornell U around 1980.... Evidently it's been improved into a 16-lane bowling alley since then.

    That's quite an improvement! I would have thought the opposite (e.g., alleys being converted to other uses) given the decline in popularity of the sport since that era. The Stone Church alley was truly tiny. I doubt the ceiling was more than 7' high, and the pins were quite miniature (maybe 12"?). In the upper right of the photo, you can see the folding chair for the person that resets the pins.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Just got back from a trip to SW WA for a few days. Nice weather most of the time, and an indicated 47 mpg on the way home were nice perks. A few clips:

    Traffic was like this on too much of the trip down:

    https://youtu.be/i66BrBDurLQ

    Small town, almost no traffic, affordable houses, but not enough jobs to pay the mortgage:

    https://youtu.be/1XrdHEGkxCo

    This morning a fire in the median slowed SB I-5 traffic a bit:

    https://youtu.be/KOtEhkYcxSc

    Beautiful skies, easy traffic:

    https://youtu.be/cEu9NHW1wWo

    You can see Mt. Rainier at right - bright skies made it difficult to see in other shots:

    https://youtu.be/NYKJMjo_j58
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Nice - glad to see someone getting out of town.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 262,251
    @fintail - I see you have your dash cam calibrated for km/h. Like to pretend you're in Europe?

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I can sometimes imagine, if not for the LLCs and bro trucks.

    And I can say I was going 109 :)
    Michaell said:

    @fintail - I see you have your dash cam calibrated for km/h. Like to pretend you're in Europe?

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Its Heavenly up here. Spending a few days at Lake Tahoe with family. Much nicer than the Hot weather in the rest of the state.

  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    Lake Tahoe is such an incredibly beautiful place. I cannot imagine how busy it must be in the summer months, but the one time I was there on the first weekend in November, it was absolutely stunning (and relatively quiet).
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Got around the lake twice and spent some time overlooking Emerald Bay. Hard to leave it was perfect weather.



  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2016
    gagrice said:

    Got around the lake twice

    Didn't know that you get as lost tooling around the country as I do.... ;)

    The MIL's SO kept a sailboat on Lake Tahoe and drug it all the way back to the UP when they moved, but never put it in Lake Superior. Why they left Carson City in the first place still mystifies us (they were from there but still...).
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Gagrice - when you visit your son in Oregon, have you gone to Crater Lake? Not as big or impressive as Lake Tahoe, but still kind of a neat place.

    Stever, did they still have close friends or relatives in the UP? Many retirees end up moving back to where they came from because of that I think
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited August 2016
    The MIL didn't really had any friends left there and no family. The boyfriend had some family there but he didn't want to move. But his ex-wife gambled away all their money so he didn't have much say in the matter since the MIL was footing most all the bills. :)

    The MIL's brother had been a surveyor and subdivided some lots along the lake and told her she should buy one so she'd always have her roots. So she did and after sitting on this lot for ~40 years she had the high school build her a house, using the same plans she used to build her house in Carson City, minus the basement. Everything got moved and all the art got rehung in the same place.

    And so we got stuck there (otherwise Boise was an 8 hour drive so we may have stayed there). But it was kind of fun in some ways and we were ready for a change.

    When we moved from Alaska in 2000, my wife suggested we buy a lot close to Anchor Point near the end of the Kenai down by Homer. Lovely area, but I didn't want to be saddled with a lot that we'd likely rarely visit so I convinced her not to go for it. Actually we had "homesteaded" 5 acres in the boonies in the 80s on a lark and barely got in to camp on that lot once in 5 or 8 years, having tried to ski in two other times and failed. We never proved up on that one and none of the "neighbors" did either.

    Anyway, literally three weeks after we moved from Anchorage, I stumbled on an article online where someone was complaining about a gravel pit being built -- on the lot adjacent to the one near Anchor Point that we were considering. No zoning out in the boonies. :)
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Well, maybe it was a lusting for those UP pasties at lunch ;)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    lol, we call them empanadas here (even though they really aren't the same), and the beef and chili filling is much better in them than the rutabagas and turnips in the UP. And yeah, the MIL always kept a couple in her freezer.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    berri said:

    Gagrice - when you visit your son in Oregon, have you gone to Crater Lake? Not as big or impressive as Lake Tahoe, but still kind of a neat place.

    Stever, did they still have close friends or relatives in the UP? Many retirees end up moving back to where they came from because of that I think

    We did drive up to Crater Lake on one trip to Oregon. It was just a perfect day in October. Just as they were closing up the lodge for the Winter. Taken 10/7/2014. I would like to make that trip again maybe this fall.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I was also there in 2014. Here's my E350 Bluetec posing beside the lake:

    image

    Is it always sunny there?

    image
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    It was sunny and about 80 degrees the day we stopped there. I would not mind spending a night at the lodge to get Sunrise pictures. We may be there again this October.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I'm sure it is amazing at sunrise or sunset. I probably won't be down that way til next year at the earliest, but I do have an eastern WA road trip planned for this October.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    fintail said:

    I'm sure it is amazing at sunrise or sunset. I probably won't be down that way til next year at the earliest, but I do have an eastern WA road trip planned for this October.

    I bet you are lovin' that new E250? I think you made a great decision.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Yep, I'm fond of this car already. It's really a good road trip car, too - 800 mile range should be easy if one sticks to steady highway cruising. I get better mpg in my commute than the V6 gasser too, but it shines on the open road. It's a lease, but depending on how things play out, it could be a keeper.
    gagrice said:


    I bet you are lovin' that new E250? I think you made a great decision.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I have another minor road trip planned next month, and a larger one all across the state for October. Should be fun for scenery and mpgs.

    Whatever happened to the inconsiderate driver thread? The distracted, slow, and inept are out in force in the heat wave right now, and a road trip might prove irritating to those who dare to take driving as serious business.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    fintail said:

    I have another minor road trip planned next month, and a larger one all across the state for October. Should be fun for scenery and mpgs.

    Whatever happened to the inconsiderate driver thread? The distracted, slow, and inept are out in force in the heat wave right now, and a road trip might prove irritating to those who dare to take driving as serious business.

    For some reason, the thread stopped updating the last post date when a new post was made to it, so I think it basically just died due to falling out of peoples' awareness (e.g., no longer on their visible list of tracked threads). There are still posts to it occasionally, but you have to go hunting for the thread to find it (e.g., look WAY down your list of tracked threads).
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    edited August 2016
    I'm on my road trip to take my new VW Passat TDI home. This shot's for you, fin! :)

    In Indianapolis, Indiana:


    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I like that color. You may not want to give it up.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I was thinking easily offended host types kind of sunk the inconsiderate drivers thread as it might have triggered them, or offended.

    Have fun on that trip. I think that's an issue a few people are going to have - they won't want to give the cars up when the time comes. Diesel can be pretty endearing.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 262,251
    xwesx said:

    I'm on my road trip to take my new VW Passat TDI home. This shot's for you, fin! :)

    In Indianapolis, Indiana:


    Beautiful color. Keep up with the pix.

    What is your intended route?

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  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,709
    That Crater Lake is one of the gems of the Left Coast. Never will I forget it's beauty!

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    Just about at the border in western North Dakota this morning. From last night's sunset in eastern ND:


    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Fun, fun.

    My brother called from the MS headwaters park in MN last night - they are heading for Custer.

    In other news, this is why you want a garage in the high desert, otherwise the kangaroo rats will be nesting under your hood and shredding your wiring for nesting material.


  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    Well, I wasn't so good at posting updates on my trip's progress, but I did make it home yesterday evening without incident. 3,849 miles, and about sixty hours of driving. Some photos along the journey....

    The beautiful hills of Saskatchewan on Monday (8/15):


    Eastern Alberta (Monday afternoon):


    The Alaska Highway in the Rocky Mountains north of Fort Nelson (Tuesday):


    Roadside wood bison (Tuesday):


    The sign forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory (Tuesday afternoon):



    The unbelievably huge and gorgeous sky of the Yukon Territory (Tuesday afternoon):


    Teslin Lake at dusk on Tuesday night:


    Moon over Teslin Lake early Wednesday morning:


    Elk west of Whitehorse, YT, at late dawn Wednesday morning:


    Overlooking the Donjek River Valley, in far western Yukon Territory (about a hundred miles from the Alaska border) toward the south:





    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    stever said:

    In other news, this is why you want a garage in the high desert, otherwise the kangaroo rats will be nesting under your hood and shredding your wiring for nesting material.

    It's a good thing they never put anything worth reading on that corner of the paper....
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited August 2016
    I drove that route going South through Portal North Dakota in 1977. They were having an International Music festival when we crossed into the USA. Went through Edmonton where I bought a new set of tires for my 1974 Dodge van. Tires were not as good as they are today. Especially OEM tires.

    How was the road? Did you get any window dings?

    PS
    Great pictures bring back memories of my trips on that highway.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Nice shots. Are some of those roads still unpaved?
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Beautiful photography. I can even feel the mosquito bites B) Seriously, looks like you had quite the journey!
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 262,251
    @xwesx - thanks for the photos. Good thing this whole TDI stuff didn't happen in February.

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  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    edited August 2016
    @gagrice Amazingly, I finished this trip completely without any chips in the windshield! That's not an easy feat - particularly during the summer months when there are a lot of vehicles on the road.

    The road is all paved (at least chip seal, which is basically just aggregated gravel) except for the construction zones. But, there were many areas with fresh chip seal on it, and those sections are like gravel, except the gravel is made up of large (many dime-sized) rounded stones that really like to fly until the road crews sweep those areas (if they do at all). So, I was pretty wary of timing those sections to avoid oncoming traffic, or slowing dramatically when there was oncoming traffic in order to avoid throwing (and hopefully receiving) rocks.

    The mosquitoes really weren't bad. I even took a few walks while waiting at construction zones and didn't encounter too much hazing by them.

    I think the most challenging part of the trip was the 600+ miles between fueling stops, as the windshield was downright loaded with bug splats from North Dakota through Grand Prairie, and a few times it became challenging to see through it in the evenings. I had to stop twice to de-bug.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,659
    Great to hear that you made it back without any problems. You'll have to come back again, soon! ;)

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Chip seal, ugh, that's as bad as unpaved to me. I would have been cringing and cursing. That long cruising range must have been nice.

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    xwesxSo, I was pretty wary of timing those sections to avoid oncoming traffic, or slowing dramatically when there was oncoming traffic in order to avoid throwing (and hopefully receiving) rocks.

    With so much driving at work on gravel as well as several trips down and back on the AlCan, I found the above method the best.
  • jpp75jpp75 Member Posts: 1,535
    Great pictures @xwesx and @gagrice

    Crater Lake is one of my favorite spots in Oregon. I love a good road trip.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    Two weeks to go until my next one. My family is driving down to Oregon; the full trip should be three weeks long.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    Just completed cross-country I-80 commute & visit to San Ramon, San Jose, Redwood City CA, with side-visits to Faribault MN and Omaha NE. Not much time for photos since it was solo drive. Vehicle was flawless including on 87 octane fuel (premium is 'recommended'); I tried all octanes & E10/pure-gas mixes, preferring 89 E10 or pure-gas 91 octane for west of mississipi, and 87 octane for east of mississipi. mpg varied from 22 in california to 25+ on open low-altitude highway, 75 to 85 mph. You can see my car in photo lower left corner, 015 Chevy SS Sedan M6. As usual my cross-country drive/cannonball is done with 3 days of extreme driving plus one full-day of non-driving or minimal-driving at nice/tourist/friend/family places to visit. On return drive, 15 miles of traffic kindly stopped in order for me to take a group photo. The motorcycle guy was the 2nd fastest driver out there; I had just passed him: .... ^^^^ this was I-90 EB 10 miles west of I-69 a couple days ago..
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,685
    Pretty stout drive for three days, elias! So, are you now able to answer the question, "does speed count when nobody is moving?" ;)

    I witnessed (and participated in) a similar sight on I-94 as I was heading home a few weeks ago. The backup was, thankfully, not fifteen miles! But, it was at least five, and seeing a queue of vehicles that long - completely stopped - is rather humbling.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    That is one nice thing about having XM/Sirius road service tied to your NAV. It lets you know there is a problem down the road. So you pick an alternate route on surface streets. We avoided a very long backup on Interstate 5 with it. Took the frontage road for about 30 miles. Even with the lights etc we beat the Red lines on I5.
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