Road Trip!

fintail · March 2023

Back home, driving here is different from in the Ohio Valley and whatever they call the area to the south (Tennessee Valley? Upper South?). I'd find driving around Cinci or Indy or Louisville, people go 15-20 over on the highway and similar in town. Back here, a 25 mph residential street will see 40 mph traffic, a 45 mph wide arterial will see either 35 or 60, and a 60 mph highway will see 59 or 80. I think I might have tooted the horn once on the whole trip, while here I ended up doing it thrice in an hour (cut off twice - both out of state vehicles, which is par for the course, and trying to wake up a Lexus RX going 15 in a 30).

xwesx · March 2023

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.

AdamCollins70 · June 2023

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!

xwesx · June 2023

I need a road trip. I don't get one, though. Not yet.

explorerx4 · June 2023

Have a couple of trips coming up next month.
First up to Madison WI area to visit one of the kids.
Should be interesting, 6 of us including a 1 and 4 year old in the Explorer.
425 miles or so one way.
At the end of the month, headed to Hatteras NC for a week, just the 2 of us for this trip.
Others are in their own vehicles.

tjc78 · June 2023

We get a road trip in December. South Jersey to New Orleans for a Christmas Week Cruise.

NCL did just add another itinerary on a very nice ship out of Port Canaveral which is a little closer and we could then do a few days at Disney before it. Need to make a decision soon

Reason we are driving is, I don’t want any parts of the airport Christmas week with two young kids. They really enjoy being in the car so figured it would be cool to take a long drive. We haven’t done so as a family.

kyfdx · June 2023

Short road trip in late July to Milwaukee, with a brief stop in Chicago on the way home. That's only about 13 hours R/T.

tjc78 · June 2023

Actually did a quick trip for work yesterday, from Wildwood NJ to Stamford CT. Essentially drove the Garden State PWY from one end of the state clear through up into NY.. over the Tappan Zee… oh wait Cuomo bridge into CT. Saw a nasty, nasty accident on 287. I’d be stunned if the poor driver made it. It was a city truck (cab over wheels) that rear ended a semi. The driver’s side of the truck was unrecognizable. There were 4 fire engines, multiple ambulances and at least a dozen police cars. Sad.

Took the XC90, adaptive cruise most of the way and Pilot Assist a good portion. Very relaxing drive (as relaxing as that area can be). Pilot assist is great if you are trying to grab a quick bite in the car.

Michaell · June 2023

It will always be the Tappan Zee to me...

tjc78 · June 2023

There are still some signs that say Tappan Zee

fintail · June 2023

Going out to the coast in a few weeks, with a couple stops along the way. Might be a 1000 mile round trip.

Sandman6472 · June 2023

I remember the old Tappen Zee as a kid, we lived on the New York side. Last time I was on it was in 2006 on a road trip from White Plains to Baltimore. Took me across it before heading south in New Jersey. I still hope to do one more trip to the New York area eventually, hopefully in October, so I can see the leaves change color and experience some cooler weather.

kyfdx · June 2023

A short trip, today..
Check out that MPG!

tjc78 · June 2023

Nice !

On my last trip with the Ram I actually got it to 19.2 MPG.

andres3 · June 2023

Took the Tiguan 4-Motion off-roading at Big Bear, CA. Lots of off-road JEEP Country trails around the lake and mountains. It did well, and the recently purchased Bridgestone M&S rated all-season tires are pretty aggressive for a street A/S SUV tire.

Still, I feel like the All Track was better off-roading because it was a lot lighter, and seemed to absorb the bounces a bit more comfortably even without having lowered the tire air pressures. Will definitely lower the tire pressures for the next off-road adventure. The Tiguan has a slightly higher ride height though with beefier sidewall tires.

explorerx4 · July 2023

Back from our trip to Madison WI to visit one of the kids.
On Sunday we walked around part of the campus for a couple hours.
Some pictures inside some of the office buildings.

xwesx · July 2023

Quite a staircase!

If that first photo doesn't mess with your sense of reality, nothing will.

ab348 · July 2023

Just say no to drugs, kids. 😮

explorerx4 · July 2023

@ab348,
That's one of my favorite rooms. Alice in Wonderland theme in the Fairy Tail building.
Our soon to be 4 year old grandson was really confused.

explorerx4 · July 2023

The craziest thing I saw was this pulled over on an exit ramp by the OSP.

Sandman6472 · July 2023

Looks to be a Chrysler Windsor maybe about 1955 or so. We had one of those in a station wagon when I was a kid. Have a vivid memory of getting my hand stuck in the door when my grandma closed it . That kind of sharp pain at that young of an age stays with ya! But our station wagon as a light blue color and was very big but hey, we were a family of six by then and needed something big. I guess the business was doing very good by 1960 as by then, my mom got a Cadillac Sedan de Ville as her d d. It was a dark gray color & only one other family had the same exact color in town. We lived in a pretty small "village" in New York.

fintail · July 2023

Midway into the road trip, weather is fine and the wagon has delivered around 30 mpg on the highway, not bad. Traversed White Pass yesterday, and being a weekend had less chances of getting stuck behind a log truck (commercial semis seldom use the route). Plenty of dopes out though, highlights were a trying to be cool but missing the mark Can-Am type 3 wheeler with a passenger, going 5-10 under so the passenger can take photos (surprised they didn't get pitted off a cliff - they eventually got onto a side road) and a moron in a CRV who was going 10+ under and pulled over to let people pass - on a blind sharp corner, "driver" was holding his phone to either talk or take a video. What a society.

fintail · July 2023

Back from the trip. Maybe a little more than 1000 miles (forgot to check the odometer). Nice to be home - worst jam I have ever seen on I5 NB in Olympia, added about 2.5 hours to my trip thanks to a jackknifed truck and a painfully slow cleanup/investigation (Lanes closed for think around 9 hours, traffic eventually stopped for about 15 miles, pretty uncool WSDOT). Saw plenty of insanity on the road, not surprised that the wackiest areas are Yakima and Grays Harbor, which have to be at least as crazy as Spokane, but in their own way. Other than the I5 cluster, roads were fine - interstates flowing freely and rural state highways were fine - had to go through some fresh chipseal (the lowest bidder el cheapo road surface favorite here) which thankfully had no loose gravel and very little oil. Car probably averaged around 30 mpg on the highway, which is fine.

xwesx · July 2023

fintail said:
Back from the trip. Maybe a little more than 1000 miles (forgot to check the odometer). Nice to be home - worst jam I have ever seen on I5 NB in Olympia, added about 2.5 hours to my trip thanks to a jackknifed truck and a painfully slow cleanup/investigation (Lanes closed for think around 9 hours, traffic eventually stopped for about 15 miles, pretty uncool WSDOT). Saw plenty of insanity on the road, not surprised that the wackiest areas are Yakima and Grays Harbor, which have to be at least as crazy as Spokane, but in their own way. Other than the I5 cluster, roads were fine - interstates flowing freely and rural state highways were fine - had to go through some fresh chipseal (the lowest bidder el cheapo road surface favorite here) which thankfully had no loose gravel and very little oil. Car probably averaged around 30 mpg on the highway, which is fine.

Economy like that seems like a major bonus given everything it has to offer!

I've never quite understood why the emergency services are so willing to allow crashes to snarl traffic to horrifying degrees. Sure, there's going to be some level of delay while dealing with injuries, but the priority should be consolidating the debris and getting a reasonable flow restored to the rest of traffic.

Particularly when there's a fatality, it's like the most important thing in the world becomes a corpse that doesn't care how long you take to, or even if you, investigate the "why." Whereas everyone that's living...? Doesn't matter if you're sitting on the interstate for hours or if you're at increased risk for injury or death due to being out there. Nope - gotta take our time with these things!

Michaell · July 2023

xwesx said:

fintail said:
Back from the trip. Maybe a little more than 1000 miles (forgot to check the odometer). Nice to be home - worst jam I have ever seen on I5 NB in Olympia, added about 2.5 hours to my trip thanks to a jackknifed truck and a painfully slow cleanup/investigation (Lanes closed for think around 9 hours, traffic eventually stopped for about 15 miles, pretty uncool WSDOT). Saw plenty of insanity on the road, not surprised that the wackiest areas are Yakima and Grays Harbor, which have to be at least as crazy as Spokane, but in their own way. Other than the I5 cluster, roads were fine - interstates flowing freely and rural state highways were fine - had to go through some fresh chipseal (the lowest bidder el cheapo road surface favorite here) which thankfully had no loose gravel and very little oil. Car probably averaged around 30 mpg on the highway, which is fine.

Economy like that seems like a major bonus given everything it has to offer!

I've never quite understood why the emergency services are so willing to allow crashes to snarl traffic to horrifying degrees. Sure, there's going to be some level of delay while dealing with injuries, but the priority should be consolidating the debris and getting a reasonable flow restored to the rest of traffic.

Particularly when there's a fatality, it's like the most important thing in the world becomes a corpse that doesn't care how long you take to, or even if you, investigate the "why." Whereas everyone that's living...? Doesn't matter if you're sitting on the interstate for hours or if you're at increased risk for injury or death due to being out there. Nope - gotta take our time with these things!

Real simple - legal liability. Gotta collect all the facts and document the scene in case of any future legal action.

When my dad was a fire captain, he responded to an auto-vs-train collision at a busy intersection. As he was surveying the scene, he instructed one of the fireman to put sheets over the pieces of the car that he found, ostensibly for that purpose.

Except, one of the pieces of the car started screaming when it was done. Turns out the driver, a young female, was ejected from the car, and the gas tank landed next to her before exploding. She survived three days in the burn unit before succumbing to her injuries.

You can bet there were lawsuits - against Amtrak, against the railroad who owned the right of way, the state, the city, pretty much everyone. My dad had to testify extensively in the trial(s). I also remember he had to spend a couple of nights in the hospital from the trauma of that night.

I'm sorry hundreds or thousands of people were inconvenienced by the accident on I-5, but I firmly believe that emergency services need to do a thorough job of documenting everything before moving any of the vehicles involved.

xwesx · July 2023

I see what you're saying. However, I think we should push toward better screening of frivolous lawsuits. We all silently agree, every day, that we may die out there on the roads in order to have the convenience of such rapid travel. Yeah, we forget that when people die, but we shouldn't, and we should have reminders when we do forget.

Michaell · July 2023

xwesx said:
I see what you're saying. However, I think we should push toward better screening of frivolous lawsuits. We all silently agree, every day, that we may die out there on the roads in order to have the convenience of such rapid travel. Yeah, we forget that when people die, but we shouldn't, and we should have reminders when we do forget.

That's a different issue altogether. But, I suppose "frivolous" is in the eye of the beholder, right?

xwesx · July 2023

Not so much... it is just not in the eye of the involved party(ies). When the greater good is wilfullly disregarded, it is rarely the right call.

explorerx4 · July 2023

A couple of things that happened in my life.
When I was in High School my friends parents had 4 tickets to the local AHL hockey team.
I got to go to quite a few games with them, parents, my friend and I.
One time it was four youngsters going to the game. My friend and I were still too young to drive.
While we were on the main street waiting to turn in to park, I saw a girl crossing the street and said "She's going to get hit".
A light metallic blue 66 BelAir or Biscyanne sedan hit her and she ended up underneath the car.
Some people ran out and lifted the car and pulled her out from underneath.
After the game, I called the police and reported what I saw.
A detective called and basically cursed me out because they had 5 other witnesses that contradicted my report.
A couple of days later, he called to apologize because after speaking to her she corroborated my story.
It's not easy to get the facts. and it's important

fintail · July 2023

xwesx said:

fintail said:
Back from the trip. Maybe a little more than 1000 miles (forgot to check the odometer). Nice to be home - worst jam I have ever seen on I5 NB in Olympia, added about 2.5 hours to my trip thanks to a jackknifed truck and a painfully slow cleanup/investigation (Lanes closed for think around 9 hours, traffic eventually stopped for about 15 miles, pretty uncool WSDOT). Saw plenty of insanity on the road, not surprised that the wackiest areas are Yakima and Grays Harbor, which have to be at least as crazy as Spokane, but in their own way. Other than the I5 cluster, roads were fine - interstates flowing freely and rural state highways were fine - had to go through some fresh chipseal (the lowest bidder el cheapo road surface favorite here) which thankfully had no loose gravel and very little oil. Car probably averaged around 30 mpg on the highway, which is fine.

Economy like that seems like a major bonus given everything it has to offer!

I've never quite understood why the emergency services are so willing to allow crashes to snarl traffic to horrifying degrees. Sure, there's going to be some level of delay while dealing with injuries, but the priority should be consolidating the debris and getting a reasonable flow restored to the rest of traffic.

Particularly when there's a fatality, it's like the most important thing in the world becomes a corpse that doesn't care how long you take to, or even if you, investigate the "why." Whereas everyone that's living...? Doesn't matter if you're sitting on the interstate for hours or if you're at increased risk for injury or death due to being out there. Nope - gotta take our time with these things!

No fatalities - wouldn't have even made the news without the traffic jam. They also had to call in some heavy equipment to move the damaged vehicles, but that doesn't take forever. I understand the need to document everything thoroughly, but with modern imaging technology, I can't imagine that it would require virtually shutting down one of the busiest stretches on the west coast for 9 hours to gather data. Just like with local roadworks, I don't get a sense of urgency from certain segments.

andres3 · July 2023

fintail said:

xwesx said:

fintail said:
Back from the trip. Maybe a little more than 1000 miles (forgot to check the odometer). Nice to be home - worst jam I have ever seen on I5 NB in Olympia, added about 2.5 hours to my trip thanks to a jackknifed truck and a painfully slow cleanup/investigation (Lanes closed for think around 9 hours, traffic eventually stopped for about 15 miles, pretty uncool WSDOT). Saw plenty of insanity on the road, not surprised that the wackiest areas are Yakima and Grays Harbor, which have to be at least as crazy as Spokane, but in their own way. Other than the I5 cluster, roads were fine - interstates flowing freely and rural state highways were fine - had to go through some fresh chipseal (the lowest bidder el cheapo road surface favorite here) which thankfully had no loose gravel and very little oil. Car probably averaged around 30 mpg on the highway, which is fine.

Economy like that seems like a major bonus given everything it has to offer!

I've never quite understood why the emergency services are so willing to allow crashes to snarl traffic to horrifying degrees. Sure, there's going to be some level of delay while dealing with injuries, but the priority should be consolidating the debris and getting a reasonable flow restored to the rest of traffic.

Particularly when there's a fatality, it's like the most important thing in the world becomes a corpse that doesn't care how long you take to, or even if you, investigate the "why." Whereas everyone that's living...? Doesn't matter if you're sitting on the interstate for hours or if you're at increased risk for injury or death due to being out there. Nope - gotta take our time with these things!
No fatalities - wouldn't have even made the news without the traffic jam. They also had to call in some heavy equipment to move the damaged vehicles, but that doesn't take forever. I understand the need to document everything thoroughly, but with modern imaging technology, I can't imagine that it would require virtually shutting down one of the busiest stretches on the west coast for 9 hours to gather data. Just like with local roadworks, I don't get a sense of urgency from certain segments.

You hit the nail on the head. Gov't workers are slow and inefficient, and worse, they have no hustle. Speaking of hustle, I get why people like Discount Tires/America's Tires, if any other branches are like the one in San Diego on Mission Gorge, those young guys are truly hustling! Had 4 tires dismounted, 4 new ones mounted and balanced in about 40 minutes! Best I've seen.

fintail · July 2023

andres3 said:

fintail said:

xwesx said:

fintail said:
Back from the trip. Maybe a little more than 1000 miles (forgot to check the odometer). Nice to be home - worst jam I have ever seen on I5 NB in Olympia, added about 2.5 hours to my trip thanks to a jackknifed truck and a painfully slow cleanup/investigation (Lanes closed for think around 9 hours, traffic eventually stopped for about 15 miles, pretty uncool WSDOT). Saw plenty of insanity on the road, not surprised that the wackiest areas are Yakima and Grays Harbor, which have to be at least as crazy as Spokane, but in their own way. Other than the I5 cluster, roads were fine - interstates flowing freely and rural state highways were fine - had to go through some fresh chipseal (the lowest bidder el cheapo road surface favorite here) which thankfully had no loose gravel and very little oil. Car probably averaged around 30 mpg on the highway, which is fine.

Economy like that seems like a major bonus given everything it has to offer!

I've never quite understood why the emergency services are so willing to allow crashes to snarl traffic to horrifying degrees. Sure, there's going to be some level of delay while dealing with injuries, but the priority should be consolidating the debris and getting a reasonable flow restored to the rest of traffic.

Particularly when there's a fatality, it's like the most important thing in the world becomes a corpse that doesn't care how long you take to, or even if you, investigate the "why." Whereas everyone that's living...? Doesn't matter if you're sitting on the interstate for hours or if you're at increased risk for injury or death due to being out there. Nope - gotta take our time with these things!
No fatalities - wouldn't have even made the news without the traffic jam. They also had to call in some heavy equipment to move the damaged vehicles, but that doesn't take forever. I understand the need to document everything thoroughly, but with modern imaging technology, I can't imagine that it would require virtually shutting down one of the busiest stretches on the west coast for 9 hours to gather data. Just like with local roadworks, I don't get a sense of urgency from certain segments.
You hit the nail on the head. Gov't workers are slow and inefficient, and worse, they have no hustle. Speaking of hustle, I get why people like Discount Tires/America's Tires, if any other branches are like the one in San Diego on Mission Gorge, those young guys are truly hustling! Had 4 tires dismounted, 4 new ones mounted and balanced in about 40 minutes! Best I've seen.

I'll commend roadworks around Seattle for usually having a sense of urgency - they would often work double shifts or nights/weekends for repairs on key routes. There were also bonuses for finishing early. Here in Spokane, with few exceptions, things seem to take 5x as long, and the powers that be love to close multiple same-direction routes at the same time. I have two routes I can take north-south without miles of detours to get to work. Both are slated to have major work done in August-September, at exactly the same time. Amazing.

Les Schwab, at least back in the day, also had the "instant service" rep (still the only place my mom goes for tires).

Sandman6472 · July 2023

"Government workers are slow & inefficient..." is a pretty bizarre statement to be honest because when one says such statements, just points toward ignorance to me. I myself was a government worker & worked with many who were just the opposite of the statement from above. I'm positive that many in the private sector are also "slow & inefficient" just as many I'm sure are just the opposite also. To make such a broad statement about any group is truly foolish & and downright false. I always go with the positive about everything & run from negative folks as they tend to be negative about everything in life. So much easier to be a positive person...less energy used!

andres3 · July 2023

Sandman6472 said:
"Government workers are slow & inefficient..." is a pretty bizarre statement to be honest because when one says such statements, just points toward ignorance to me. I myself was a government worker & worked with many who were just the opposite of the statement from above. I'm positive that many in the private sector are also "slow & inefficient" just as many I'm sure are just the opposite also. To make such a broad statement about any group is truly foolish & and downright false. I always go with the positive about everything & run from negative folks as they tend to be negative about everything in life. So much easier to be a positive person...less energy used!

Okay, I'll specify the slow and inefficient:

1. CA DMV
2. Passport processing by US Postal Service.
3. Cal-Trans
4. CHP & City Police
5. County Sheriffs (San Diego)
6. Traffic Courts
7. Small Claims Courts
8. Every TSA line at the Airport
9. IRS

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's a start. No broad brush.

Sandman6472 · July 2023

Guess my interactions with many of the government workers down here have been a bit more positive then yours. Maybe that comes from us having a similar background in the service industry. Once we talk about it for no matter how long, we get it & share that something. Since I've always been a service worker for my whole working career, 31 years with the post office & 10 plus now in the rental car biz, I tend to give my fellow workers a free pass on certain things as dealing with the public isn't always easy! Trust me, I've had some very difficult customers over the years but have found humor & a positive attitude can deflate a difficult situation very easily. Think it's all about not taking it personally...people have issues & just want someone to listen & hear them. Once that happens, the tension is gone & fixing an issue positively is so much easier.
And luckily, I was always able to leave work behind once it was quittin' time. I had a busy life outside of work but having 3 kids within four years can make for a very busy life. Think that's the key really, leaving work at work & living life as it comes.

fintail · August 2023

Some sights one may see on the road, even an Audi

I suppose I am usually neutral good, maybe neutral evil on a bad day, maybe some lawful good/neutral while in the fintail.

ab348 · August 2023

Flawed graphic, no BMW or Tesla in the miscreant sections.

fintail · August 2023

Definitely some closely overlapping circles between Audi and BMW fanboys, with Tesla mixed in here and there depending on model (some also cross into Altima, RAV4, and Prius territory).

andres3 · August 2023

fintail said:
Definitely some closely overlapping circles between Audi and BMW fanboys, with Tesla mixed in here and there depending on model (some also cross into Altima, RAV4, and Prius territory).

Hey! Audi's do NOT cut people off as long as you define cutting off as someone that changes lanes going slower than the person already in that lane

fintail · August 2023

andres3 said:

fintail said:
Definitely some closely overlapping circles between Audi and BMW fanboys, with Tesla mixed in here and there depending on model (some also cross into Altima, RAV4, and Prius territory).
Hey! Audi's do NOT cut people off as long as you define cutting off as someone that changes lanes going slower than the person already in that lane

I define cutting off as also cutting too close

Michaell · September 2023

My sister is on day 2 of a 3 day road trip. San Diego, CA to Spokane, WA, to move her oldest son into Eastern Washington University for his masters program. Just over 1200 miles total.

She and my BIL are driving a 10' U-Haul box truck, and their son is in his 2015 Jetta. No cruise in the U-Haul, but it maintains a good 70-75 MPH.

Day 1 was San Diego to Sacramento. I got a picture from her on I-5 somewhere in the Central Valley and there was not a car in sight. She said traffic was almost non-existant.

Today is Sacramento to Bend, OR. Should be nicer scenery, but I suspect gas mileage will suck as they go uphill.

Michaell · September 2023

My sister and her family stopped for lunch near Mt. Shasta, and she took this picture:

Michaell · September 2023

Was playing around with Google Maps - my sister just left California after 775 or so miles - the equivalent of driving from Savannah, GA to Princeton, NJ.

And, she still has the equivalent of Princeton to Bangor, ME to finish out by tomorrow.

In a U-Haul.

imidazol97 · September 2023

With no cruise control!

Michaell · September 2023

imidazol97 said:
With no cruise control!

When I moved to Denver 30 years ago, my '91 Sentra SE didn't have cruise. Or AC. And I made the trip in August.

cdnpinhead · September 2023

I'm in Bend, OR, on my way to Pt. Townsend, WA, to go to an open "house" for an old wooden sailing yacht that's being completely rebuilt in a beautiful fashion. In any event, the last two days of driving, from Kingman, AZ, reminded me how wonderful driving in rural NV and OR can be.

Yesterday between Tonopah, NV, and Battle Mountain, I was on a couple of state roads and about 12 miles of U.S.50. For over 200 miles the only town I went through was Austin, NV, with extremely light traffic and crystal clear air (80+ mile visibility). U.S.50 gets all the press for being the "Loneliest Highway," but I beg to differ -- the north/south state highways have much less traffic and many fewer towns.

Today I had a stretch from Winnemucca, NV, to La Pine, OR, with zero traffic lights and only two tiny towns in almost 350 miles. Once again almost no traffic. I think there were three gas stations along the way. This is my kind of driving, the kind that won't be available to those with EVs anytime soon.

Tomorrow it's back to more typical travel -- over to Portland through Olympia to Sequim.

Good times.

kyfdx · September 2023

I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonopah...

tjc78 · September 2023

We have a road trip Christmas week. South Jersey to Orlando and back.

I’m 90% sure I’m taking the Ram. Just need to install a tonneau cover in case of rain. The cab is very roomy, it has 2 110V outlets for the kids etc.

My wife’s XC goes back mid November so most likely her car will be brand new and really wouldn’t want to take something brand new on a big trip like that.

Ideally if Volvo did extensions I’d extend for 2 months and take advantage of being so under the miles. Plus it has adaptive cruise/pro pilot which is nice on a long trip. Better MPG too.

We will see. I also guess it depends on what the XC gets replaced with. Wife said she wants another one…

fintail · September 2023

cdnpinhead said:
I'm in Bend, OR, on my way to Pt. Townsend, WA, to go to an open "house" for an old wooden sailing yacht that's being completely rebuilt in a beautiful fashion. In any event, the last two days of driving, from Kingman, AZ, reminded me how wonderful driving in rural NV and OR can be.

Yesterday between Tonopah, NV, and Battle Mountain, I was on a couple of state roads and about 12 miles of U.S.50. For over 200 miles the only town I went through was Austin, NV, with extremely light traffic and crystal clear air (80+ mile visibility). U.S.50 gets all the press for being the "Loneliest Highway," but I beg to differ -- the north/south state highways have much less traffic and many fewer towns.

Today I had a stretch from Winnemucca, NV, to La Pine, OR, with zero traffic lights and only two tiny towns in almost 350 miles. Once again almost no traffic. I think there were three gas stations along the way. This is my kind of driving, the kind that won't be available to those with EVs anytime soon.

Tomorrow it's back to more typical travel -- over to Portland through Olympia to Sequim.

Good times.

You're getting off of I-5 at exactly the right time!

cdnpinhead · September 2023

The open "house" was great; met many people associated with the project as well as others who had come from far afield.

Tomorrow it's back to B.C. via the Pt. Townsend ferry over to Whidbey Island and up to Abbottsford.

I will have completely avoided the anus that is Sea-Tac. It helps that I lived up here (in BC) 50 years ago and learned things. Anyone heard of the Chuckanut drive? If you have, or better yet, have driven it (or even better than that, have ridden it on a bicycle) you may appreciate how much I love it up here and regret having ever left it.

Road Trip!

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