Road Trip!

fintail

I went to school in Bellingham and lived there for several years. Chuckanut is great outside of tourist season - it can suffer from motorhomes and dilly-dallyers in season.

cdnpinhead

My run though the Chuckanut today was delightful -- a bit overcast, but hey, it's the PNW. The downsides of the day involved an unexpected (by me anyway) delay getting on the Pt. Townsend/Keystone ferry and the delay at the Sumas border crossing.

Anyway, I'm in Abbottsford and will spend tomorrow revisiting the places I enjoyed while I lived in the lower mainland before I head back east and south.

Actually driving a car somewhere is my passion. Possessing them as art objects, not so much.

fintail

I bet the lower mainland is a bit of culture shock from 40-50 years, an area that like much of the Puget Sound metro isn't attainable for many or most of the working class anymore.

cdnpinhead

You are correct. Still a beautiful place in spite of it all.

fintail

Like with Puget Sound, there's a reason it still draws people in from all over the county - cost of living isn't it. Scenery and mild climate matched by few others.

cdnpinhead

Well my trip to the PNW is done. I got back to Forest Lakes yesterday, and the total for the trip was just under 4200 miles. The TSX turned 200K on the trip and never missed a beat. This is why I own vehicles, to actually drive them somewhere.

YMMV

xwesx

I am such a poor road tripper. Not a single share... yet!

cdnpinhead

Glad you're back! I think you're the only other person on here who drives like I do. Looking forward to some details.

fintail

Vicarious road trip, friend in Seattle (the one with the CT6, he was hating it but appreciated it on a long trip) helped a friend move to Edmonton, and drove. Left Saturday morning and returned home yesterday afternoon - big miles for a few days. I got updates of scenic things like the Brian Dennehy statue in Hope.

Locally, if on the road, be prepared for gnats - they are in season now, and even on my 9 mile back road drive to the office, the car picks up plenty.

xwesx

Pretty decent drive from Seattle! Beautiful time of year to be doing it, though.

Sandman6472

Did a trip up to Orlando & St. Augustine as our kid is looking to relocate. Took the 2020 Accent and at one point, it showed I was getting 46.4 mpg's which I found to be pretty decent. Hit 16K on the way home and the vehicle drove very nicely. Not sure what she plans to do but hope it'll be closer to South Florida or Orlando where her sister & brother-in-law live, just in case she needs someone quick. Was a spur of the moment trip as she scheduled two interviews since we were so close.
Only bad part was me having the vertigo come back Wednesday morning. Made things a bit tough but managed to do most of the driving. It was difficult I must admit. Vertigo really does suck and the worst part is that it comes out of nowhere...can never tell when it'll start. It reeally is awful!!
Am sure many of y'all can relate but it's hard when your kids move away. Our married son lives in Chicago but our girls live in Florida luckily. We're very close with the girls so don't want to be too far away. The ultimate plan is to sell & move up to Orlando...eventually. Figure by 2026 but hopefully earlier.

Aarav

AdamCollins70 said:

And we are going to go on a road trip through the national parks Tennessee, and perhaps follow the example of the author, take a tent, a guitar, and we will roast food on the fire in the evening, all have a great summer and good trips!

Traveling around Tennessee's national parks with a tent, a guitar, and campfire-cooked meals seems like a fantastic vacation! I wish you a beautiful summer filled with wonderful adventures and memorable experiences in the middle of nature's splendor. Take advantage of every opportunity!

Aarav

xwesx said:

I did a day trip to Anchorage (Eagle River) with the kids today. Took the Forester (2013), which I just picked up from a friend we let borrow it in early August. It was a good trip, speeds steady at around 65, roads mostly clear, and a crazy blizzard-style snow storm through Wasilla and into Eagle River at around noon as we approached our destination.

Sounds like quite an adventure! The trip to Anchorage with the kids in the Forester must have been exciting, especially with the unexpected blizzard. It's great to hear you made the journey safely despite the challenging weather!

xwesx

Oh, that's just par for the course in these parts! We returned from a trip on Sunday (same destination, but different car), and had a fair bit of heavy snow on the way home. Traffic was really light and the snow wasn't quite heavy enough to impair visibility too much, so I dropped a few miles per hour in the name of safety, but we were still rolling at 60-65 most of that way.

Good times, good times.

explorerx4

Back from taking the Explorer on it's first road trip.
Went up to Madison WI area to visit one of the kids.
She bought a condo a couple of months ago, so I kept busy with a bunch of small projects.
I did get in plenty of football watching, too.
960 miles round trip and 15 hours travel time.
2 stops each leg, one pit stop and tank top off after about 200 miles and another stop to grab sit down lunch.
Explorer is rated at 18/24 and averaged 21.8 for the trip.
Not unhappy with that and it should improve as it adds more miles.

xwesx

The zoom-zoom version doesn't do any favors to the fuel economy! But, the Explorer isn't a small car, either.

explorerx4

Just remembered something funny from my trip.
At an Indiana toll booth they used a length of downspout as the gate across the lane.

Sandman6472

Took my kids Accent up to St. Augustine last month and was impressed that it showed mileage of 46.6 at one point. A very economical small four cylinder to be sure. The wife's Audi is still at the dealer and looking like it won't make the trip tomorrow. So the little Accent will be called into duty again for the three day trip they are taking. And on the 23rd, we'll take the Accent and possibly a rental as our daughter moves to St. Augustine. It's a 2020 Hyundai Accent and so far, we're very impressed with how well it it does in every situation it encounters. Hyundai/Kia is making better and better products and their future looks very bright! Looking like we'll have another one, or even two, within the next year or two.

Sandman6472

Leaving for Orlando & St. Augustine on Thanksgiving morning. Rented a 2021 Rav4 which should work out nicely. Was supposed to get a Nissan Kicks size CUV but they upgraded us as the Nissan Altima & 2023 Honda Accord were not going to work. We only need three seats for people so the rest will be folded down & used for the stuff we have to take up. The daughter is moving to St. Augustine, about 4 hours from our house in South Florida. Not around the corner in Boca Raton as she is now, but a good 4 hours away. Luckily, our other daughter and son-in-law are just 2 hours southwest in the Orlando area, St. Cloud. Feel a bit better knowing this just in case she needs one of us to come up. Hoping to make it up there every few months just to spend some time with her. Plus, we've got to start scoping around that area as I'm hoping to move by the end of 2025. I know it'll take my wife some time to wrap up her business down here so think two years is pretty generous. Since I work for Enterprise, have the ability to transfer for work which I hope to do.

tjc78

Day one of our vacation in the books.

South Jersey to Savannah GA

710 miles, 11 hours 50 minutes. 1 coffee stop and then 3 bathroom/gas stops. Traffic thick through Baltimore and there was a 30 minute jam in NC for construction.

Truck was wonderful on the trip. Very comfortable and the ride was great for such a long trip. MPG is a downer at 18.6… but that was at 75-80 the entire way and four people with gear for 12 days. This is the best I’ve ever gotten out of it, usually 17.5 is tops.

Today’s ride is much less time and no rush since we can’t get our rented condo until 4.

kyfdx

@tjc78 The top photo looks like a painting!

tjc78

My wife picked this spot. Right on the water.

Woke up to this. My wife does international logistics and sent this to her team. She actually has freight on this vessel.

fintail

That's probably the biggest road trip of anyone here this season. Looks like good weather.

In about 43 hours I leave for a ~1 hour flight then a 2+ hour drive out to the coast, not quite as rigorous (could have driven it, but the pass is always a crapshoot and I have air miles and renting a car can be fun).

xwesx

Crapshoot, for sure! I think that Washington DOT loves nothing more than closing I90 over Snoqualmie Pass. /sigh

That's a great view of the river, @tjc78 . Might be the same place, or very near to it, that I stayed while at a conference in 2008. I don't travel much for work, but that one would probably be my favorite trip were it not for an "eye tear" on the first night that just about made me rip the thing from my head multiple times over the next week of infuriating pain.

cdnpinhead

fintail said:

That's probably the biggest road trip of anyone here this season. Looks like good weather.

Well, if you pass over my trip to Pt. Townsend & Vancouver (the real one) and xwesx's journey to Erie, OH (or thereabouts) and back to AK, I guess you're right.

fintail

cdnpinhead said:

fintail said:

That's probably the biggest road trip of anyone here this season. Looks like good weather.

Well, if you pass over my trip to Pt. Townsend & Vancouver (the real one) and xwesx's journey to Erie, OH (or thereabouts) and back to AK, I guess you're right.

I meant for Christmas specifically, but good point

fintail

And they'd close Snoqualmie, Stevens, and White for my drive home - not going to chance it. The weather this year looks relatively benign compared to the past couple years (decent lowland snow event in 2021, ice storm in 2022), but it'll be less work this way.

xwesx said:

Crapshoot, for sure! I think that Washington DOT loves nothing more than closing I90 over Snoqualmie Pass. /sigh

That's a great view of the river, @tjc78 . Might be the same place, or very near to it, that I stayed while at a conference in 2008. I don't travel much for work, but that one would probably be my favorite trip were it not for an "eye tear" on the first night that just about made me rip the thing from my head multiple times over the next week of infuriating pain.

tjc78

We left Savannah around 10 today and got to Kissimmee around 5. Terrible accident caused a two hour delay.

Rented a nice condo until Sunday.

Headed over to Disney Springs for dinner at Planet Hollywood.

tjc78

tjc78

@xwesx said:
Crapshoot, for sure! I think that Washington DOT loves nothing more than closing I90 over Snoqualmie Pass. /sigh

That's a great view of the river, @tjc78 . Might be the same place, or very near to it, that I stayed while at a conference in 2008. I don't travel much for work, but that one would probably be my favorite trip were it not for an "eye tear" on the first night that just about made me rip the thing from my head multiple times over the next week of infuriating pain.

It was the Marriott Riverfront

xwesx

tjc78 said:

It was the Marriott Riverfront

Yes, indeed! Same place I stayed!

xwesx

Looks like a crazy place you're visiting, @tjc78. Have fun with it!

tjc78

Here is the final outcome of the road trip.

South Jersey to Savannah
Savannah to Kissimmee
Bunch of local driving to Disney and Back
Kissimmee to Port Canvaveral
Port to Fayetteville NC
NC back to South Jersey.

Total time allotted counts a few fill ups I didn’t turn off the truck and a drive thru stop or two.

tjc78

tjc78

All in all a wonderful trip but I won’t sail this particular ship again. The food, drinks and service was overall fantastic but the logistics of the excursions, entry and exit of the ship etc weren’t great. That may have been in part due to the insane amount of people on board and the fact it was a holiday cruise but still….

One thing for sure … the road trip was fun but back to flying for us!

Powered up my work phone and no major problems while I was gone so I’ll call it a win.

Happy New Year!

stickguy

Looks nice. But tiring!

Since we moved my long distance driving has all but disappeared. Used to do regular 4.5 hour runs from south Jersey to upstate ny. Now I just drive around locally! Need to retire in a few years and start taking road trips.

tjc78

We are tired. 8 hours in a chair working will be relaxing lol!

Kids loved it all so mission accomplished

xwesx

tjc78 said:

Here is the final outcome of the road trip.

South Jersey to Savannah

Savannah to Kissimmee

Bunch of local driving to Disney and Back

Kissimmee to Port Canvaveral

Port to Fayetteville NC

NC back to South Jersey.

Total time allotted counts a few fill ups I didn’t turn off the truck and a drive thru stop or two.

2,200 miles barely counts as a trip! Haha. But, hey, it was about a fifth of your total miles on the vehicle, so I'll cut you some slack.

18 mpg seems brutal, but I bet y'all were comfortable in that vehicle, and you could have done a lot worse with all those horses at your disposal. Did you have a fun time?!

EDIT: I kept reading. LOL

tjc78

If I took out all the stop and go in FL I’d bet it was in the mid 19s for the highway part. I didn’t spend much time below 75

Yes we were very comfortable, easy vehicle to drive a long distance. Seats are great and the cabin is very roomy

edmunancy

We got the chance to explore Portugal a few years back. Lisbon is an enchanting city on its own, but there’s a treasure trove of exploration just a few kilometers from the capital. Sintra is only 30 minutes from the capital, so we only spent an hour on the road, and got the entire day to explore breathtaking sites like the colorful Pena Palace or the white tiled walls of Sintra Palace. The following day we traveled by car to Óbidos, known for its cobblestone streets and narrow walkways, located under an hour from Lisbon. It is considered one of Portugal's most historically preserved towns. We explored Óbidos Castle, a site that now also functions as a high-end lodging destination, taking in the uniqueness of the structures and surroundings. The farthest we’ve gone by car is The Algarve which took us a little over 3 hours, but it was well worth it with beaches, caves, and castles. Getting around Portugal is also easy even with public transportation as mentioned here https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in-portugal-statistics-2023-the-ultimate-guide-5600. The advantage of a rental car is for exploring more remote areas or the scenic countryside.

stickguy

We are staying in Porto, Lisbon, Evora and algarve. With excursions to different sites like Sintra.

xwesx

I am just about to hop aboard an aircraft bound for Oregon. I'm spending a few days in the state to visit folks. Hopefully it will be fun; just a solo journey this time.

xwesx

I'm back from Oregon. I rented a Chrysler Pacifica from Enterprise. Loved it! I want one now. If I could get the hybrid as an AWD, I would already be plotting a trip to go pick one up. Haha.

Despite running 75 mph across I84 with a head wind... IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, of course... I was able to get an average of 30.9 mpg over a total of 746 miles. Really great for the size and comfort of the vehicle!

Michaell

xwesx said:

I'm back from Oregon. I rented a Chrysler Pacifica from Enterprise. Loved it! I want one now. If I could get the hybrid as an AWD, I would already be plotting a trip to go pick one up. Haha.

Despite running 75 mph across I84 with a head wind... IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, of course... I was able to get an average of 30.9 mpg over a total of 746 miles. Really great for the size and comfort of the vehicle!

Does the gas model have the venerable 3.6 Pentastar?

xwesx

Michaell said:

Does the gas model have the venerable 3.6 Pentastar?

Yes, they both do, though they are tuned differently, from what I understand.

stickguy

I’m renting a minivan from hertz tonight. Guessing I will get a Pacifica. I’ve never driven one. Not sure I’ve even sat in one.

xwesx

stickguy said:

I’m renting a minivan from hertz tonight. Guessing I will get a Pacifica. I’ve never driven one. Not sure I’ve even sat in one.

This was a first for me, too. Even though I arrived at the rental garage at midnight on Friday, there was a long line waiting. The reps were taking their time with each customer.... Everyone else was getting SUVs and a few grabbing sedans or tiny cars. The first lady in line when I arrived picked up a Grand Wagoneer... what a HUGE vehicle! She was very excited, but clearly had no business behind the wheel of such a vehicle. It took here nearly two awkward minutes to maneuver it into the drive lane to exit the garage. When it was finally my turn (about fifteen minutes waiting), the rep walked me over to a row of seven Pacificas... all white, except one. Also, all were gas-only, except one. Happily, those both happened to be the *same* one. SOLD!

xwesx

I didn't end up taking many photos while on this journey, but here is a wicked thunderhead that I ended up driving underneath while traversing I84 through Boardman, OR, on Saturday evening. This photo was taken as I was exiting The Dalles area... somewhere around 100 miles away:



Here was my trusty steed for the week:



I ended up pulling out the charge cord for it a few times, and it had clearly never been used before I did so. Takes about thirteen hours to charge it from zero up to full (38 miles of estimated range) using the 15A plug system that comes with the vehicle. Even with zero miles of range on the battery, it still uses electric only for reversing and low-speed driving such as starting from an intersection. I'm sure this helps out the economy a lot. I averaged, if I recall from last night's calculations, 31.6 mpg over about 775 miles. That wind on I84 was harsh, though, and I'm sure it could do at least a few mpg better even just with distance driving like I mostly did. The car said I did something like 600 gas miles and 175 electric miles.

stickguy

I too got a Pacifica. but just gas only. very roomy. Drives surprisingly nice.

stickguy

and I won't be getting 30+ MPG with this one.