Monday, August 6, 2012
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Sunday, August 5, 2012
Land of enchantment my ass!!!
Like all good stories, there has to be an exciting ending. If this post went something like, " and they lived happily ever after" it would just be boring. I would have prefered it that way, but then again i dont do boring.
Ahhhh Texas. We had passed the Big Texan, home of the 72 ounce steak on the east side of Amarillo. Too late for steak anyhow. It was late when we rolled into town, and by this time we were both beat. We slept late, gave the car a cursory check, no leaking fluids, nothing falling off, all fluid level ok. I cleared the myriad of dead insects from the windshield and we started our treck home. It was going to be our last day in the car, and it was going to be a long one. Just over 11 hours. I had warned Regina that while the west was beautiful, it was pretty flat, wide open and boring after a while.
We found a spot for gas, then trecked down to see Cadillac ranch, right off the 40 west of Amarillo. Ten old Cadillacs buried. There were swarms of folks, spray cans in hand tagging up these cars. There was one spot on one of the cars where the paint had to be at least six inches thick. We grabbed some pictures and hit the open road. The weather was nice, but windy, and since the speed limit was 75, we opted for top up travel.
Amarillo to the New Mexico border was uneventful. crossing into New Mexico was uneventful, and the lack of any type of law enforcement meant that i could reduce the number of hours in the car by increasing the speed. Good plan. If you have even driven out west on the I-40, you will agree that you can see for miles. In all directions. Good for spotting smokies. We saw none. I never got to triple digits, unless you include the speedometer "bounce". We cruised into Clines Corner New mexico for fuel, M&Ms and some walking around. We were greated with the usual nice car, what year is it, etc that we had been so used to. Typical in New Mexico where the drivers waving at us, taking pictures at speed, giving us thumbs up, and other kind gestues.
Now i have made the trip through New Mexico on I40 too many times to count. Each time, including the one three weeks ago, was plagued with, ... Lets say issues. On one trip had a clogged fuel filter on a rental truck. Another lost a trailer tire while towing a vette. Three weeks ago on the way east with the Dart, the carburetor wasn't playing nice. All of it in, or very close to Alburquerque. Ive got nothing against New Mexico, just that my vehicles do not like it. Now as i said we were sub triple digits, for quite a while, things were going great, we were making great time. But we were both ready to be "home". I had been in the car and away from home for seventeen days. I was away so long i needed a haircut. We were both tired, but the car was comfortable, great job on the seats. Then, without as much as a warning, unless you count the hiccup in the hotel parking lot the night before, something let loose in the transmission. There was a quick noise, then the car lost speed, and the ability to shift. Luckily, in the wide open of New Mexico, there is a lot of room to pull over. Once at the side of the road, with the car coasting with the clutch in, i let out the clutch with the car in neutral. It lurched to a sudden stop. The shifter was functional, but there was no neutral. The clutch would keep the transmission disengaged, but something was amiss. I quickly went to work, pulling out the jack and tool box and the change of work clothes. With Regina in the drivers seat working the shifter, and me under the car, i could find nothing externally wrong with the shifter or the transmission. Having only second gear was not going to get us home any time soon.
I made quick work with the ipad to find a location in Alburquerque with a car trailer and a truck to pull it with (you suck U-haul). My insurance company covers towing so that was set too. Now, let me set the scene. Im on the side of the road, 30 miles outside of the city, its hot, probably 90s, and we have one bottle of water and a broken car and it's 3:00 in the afternoon. The truck rental place closes at 4:00pm. Its gonna take a small miracle to get to Phoenix by Sunday, let alone Saturday night. The flatbed tow truck was hooking us up within 8 minutues of my phone call!! I called the rental location to beg and plead that they wait till i got there because i was desperate. We arrived fifteen minutes before they closed. The employee felt to bad that i wasnt using the truck for anything other than towing and gave me 50% off the rental. Now i was only faced with, how was i going to get a non driving Dodge Dart onto the trailer? I had the tow driver unload the car at the top of the sloped parking lot. I asked to go in back and talk to the guys that fix all their trucks also do general vehicle repair. I only saw two guys, but once they saw the car, there was suddenly six or seven guys pushing the car, asking what else did i need. By 4:15, we were loaded, full of fuel and on the road.
Once back on the interstate, i realized we were hungry, thirsty, and there was not much chance for conveniences, since we already passed Alburquerque. In a short distance we saw an exit sign and next to it was a hand printed sign "Fry Bread". We were in Indian land, and if they are making fry bread, im stopping. Now remember New Mexico is wide open. This exit was merely an exit. No services, no buildings. Just a Ford pickup, an enclosed trailer, and a lot of Indians having dinner. Two fry breads, several bottles of water and a Pepsi later we were on the road.
The remainder of the trip was dismal. I was bummed about the car, but elated that i had made it as far as we did. We crossed into Arizona around sunset. Regina watched National Lampoons Vacation movie. The Griswolds started in Chicago. I went there. The Griswolds had gone to Dodge City Kansas. So did I. They went to the Grand Canyon, and we were merely 2 hours away. They dropped off Aunt Edna in Phoenix. That is our final stop. For this part of the trip. We arrived home at just about 11:30. We made it. The car was on a trailer but we had made it. Im not sure what John would have done if he broke down in New Mexico. But i can assure you, he would have perservered and made it to Phoenix. I was glad to have my own pillow, and see my wife. I fell fast asleep and already took two naps today, Sunday. Im tired.
I had planned on 19 days, 17 states, and 6,000 miles. I was wrong. The car and i had covered 18 days, 19 states, and while the car covered 5,539 miles on it's own, i towed it for 451 miles for a total of 5,990 miles. As i was cleaning the bugs and road residue off the car and Regina was cleaning the inside of the car, I told her, if the car wasn't broken, i'd put my bags back in and do it all over again. I dont really have a plan developed yet, but as i said i am a man of my word. I'll rebuild the transmission, drive to exit 194 of the I40 in New Mexico, turn around, and come back to Phoenix. And as a promise to myself and Regina, continue on to the west coast.
Thanks all for hanging with me for 3 weeks of my life. Feel free to comment on the blog. It has been a great experience. Ill let Regina post her final thoughts and i have one more short blog entry for later.
Wow. I only was picked up from Iowa, but i loved it. It was a fantastic journey through the country, (or part of it,) and thanks. Thanks for checking out the blog, thanks for commenting, thanks for watching.
I can't believe its already August. I flew to Iowa on the thirteenth of July, and came back yesterday, the fourth. Its been a 22 day vacation for me and i'm exhausted. My school starts on the thirteenth. My summer sure was fun, but it flew by too fast.
Ahhhh Texas. We had passed the Big Texan, home of the 72 ounce steak on the east side of Amarillo. Too late for steak anyhow. It was late when we rolled into town, and by this time we were both beat. We slept late, gave the car a cursory check, no leaking fluids, nothing falling off, all fluid level ok. I cleared the myriad of dead insects from the windshield and we started our treck home. It was going to be our last day in the car, and it was going to be a long one. Just over 11 hours. I had warned Regina that while the west was beautiful, it was pretty flat, wide open and boring after a while.
We found a spot for gas, then trecked down to see Cadillac ranch, right off the 40 west of Amarillo. Ten old Cadillacs buried. There were swarms of folks, spray cans in hand tagging up these cars. There was one spot on one of the cars where the paint had to be at least six inches thick. We grabbed some pictures and hit the open road. The weather was nice, but windy, and since the speed limit was 75, we opted for top up travel.
 |
| Cadillac ranch |
 |
| Cadillac ranch |
 |
| We should have gone around |
 |
| Side of the road in New Mexico |
Once back on the interstate, i realized we were hungry, thirsty, and there was not much chance for conveniences, since we already passed Alburquerque. In a short distance we saw an exit sign and next to it was a hand printed sign "Fry Bread". We were in Indian land, and if they are making fry bread, im stopping. Now remember New Mexico is wide open. This exit was merely an exit. No services, no buildings. Just a Ford pickup, an enclosed trailer, and a lot of Indians having dinner. Two fry breads, several bottles of water and a Pepsi later we were on the road.
The remainder of the trip was dismal. I was bummed about the car, but elated that i had made it as far as we did. We crossed into Arizona around sunset. Regina watched National Lampoons Vacation movie. The Griswolds started in Chicago. I went there. The Griswolds had gone to Dodge City Kansas. So did I. They went to the Grand Canyon, and we were merely 2 hours away. They dropped off Aunt Edna in Phoenix. That is our final stop. For this part of the trip. We arrived home at just about 11:30. We made it. The car was on a trailer but we had made it. Im not sure what John would have done if he broke down in New Mexico. But i can assure you, he would have perservered and made it to Phoenix. I was glad to have my own pillow, and see my wife. I fell fast asleep and already took two naps today, Sunday. Im tired.
I had planned on 19 days, 17 states, and 6,000 miles. I was wrong. The car and i had covered 18 days, 19 states, and while the car covered 5,539 miles on it's own, i towed it for 451 miles for a total of 5,990 miles. As i was cleaning the bugs and road residue off the car and Regina was cleaning the inside of the car, I told her, if the car wasn't broken, i'd put my bags back in and do it all over again. I dont really have a plan developed yet, but as i said i am a man of my word. I'll rebuild the transmission, drive to exit 194 of the I40 in New Mexico, turn around, and come back to Phoenix. And as a promise to myself and Regina, continue on to the west coast.
Thanks all for hanging with me for 3 weeks of my life. Feel free to comment on the blog. It has been a great experience. Ill let Regina post her final thoughts and i have one more short blog entry for later.
Wow. I only was picked up from Iowa, but i loved it. It was a fantastic journey through the country, (or part of it,) and thanks. Thanks for checking out the blog, thanks for commenting, thanks for watching.
I can't believe its already August. I flew to Iowa on the thirteenth of July, and came back yesterday, the fourth. Its been a 22 day vacation for me and i'm exhausted. My school starts on the thirteenth. My summer sure was fun, but it flew by too fast.
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| Finally getting clean in OK |
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| AZ border |
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| Our new ride home |
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| Still looks cool :( |
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| 4 more hours till home |
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Amarillo by Morning
Leaving our accommodations in Little Rock, the sky was purple and we encountered some light rain through Arkansas. Our destination for the first half of the day was already decided--Mustang Oklahoma. Once we got in Oklahoma, it un-humided the air and the green trees and things faded to brown and the land flattened out. There wasn't anything for miles around.
We arrived and met up with Clint and Nathan. Chatted with them at Chili's and ate dinner/lunch with them. Clint has a '66 Coronet. Left the restaurant at 5ish and had a hard time figuring out where to stop for the night. We were just cruising the i-40 and decided to stop in Amarillo texas. Dad had a little transmission problem getting into the parking lot, the car was stuck in second gear, but it eventually smoothed out and he was able to shift again. Stumbled up to our room and conked out for the night. It was a pretty uneventful day with nothing to do. It was pretty for the first hour then i got bored of it quickly.
Woke up in the morning late, around 9:30, because all this time changing has really gotten to me, and had breakfast at the hotel. Drove out of the parking lot at 10:30 or so, and got on the 40 again. Stay tuned for the final post...quite a doozy.
I was drawing and getting a break from the scrubby scenery
The USA Today. I'm glad i don't normally read the paper. :P
Pretty sunset in Arkansauce.
We arrived and met up with Clint and Nathan. Chatted with them at Chili's and ate dinner/lunch with them. Clint has a '66 Coronet. Left the restaurant at 5ish and had a hard time figuring out where to stop for the night. We were just cruising the i-40 and decided to stop in Amarillo texas. Dad had a little transmission problem getting into the parking lot, the car was stuck in second gear, but it eventually smoothed out and he was able to shift again. Stumbled up to our room and conked out for the night. It was a pretty uneventful day with nothing to do. It was pretty for the first hour then i got bored of it quickly.
Woke up in the morning late, around 9:30, because all this time changing has really gotten to me, and had breakfast at the hotel. Drove out of the parking lot at 10:30 or so, and got on the 40 again. Stay tuned for the final post...quite a doozy.
I was drawing and getting a break from the scrubby scenery
Friday, August 3, 2012
Greek day
We woke up in our fancy hotel beds, and decided to have breakfast at the Parthenon. No, we're not in Athens, we're in Nashville Tennessee. They are home to the world's only replica of the REAL Parthenon. Its story is that Tennessee had its 100th "birthday" in Nashville, the Centennial Exposition in 1897, even though it was a year late. The city built a whole bunch of buildings, all meant to only be temporary and be torn down after the expo. Well, Nashville is known as the Athens of the South, so the city decided their pavilion should be a model of the Parthenon. So the Expo eventually ended, and most of the buildings were torn down. But the people of Nashville had grown to love the Parthenon, so they let it stand. In 1920, however, the building was a mess. The weather had taken its toll on the wood, plaster, and brick structure. The Parthenon was torn down, pieces of it were saved from demolition, and rebuilt.
The Parthenon now houses many pieces of art and of course, a gigantic 42 foot tall statue of the goddess Athena.
We checked out of the hotel, and cruised over to the park where the Parthenon stands, hopped up on the steps, took out our styrofoam container of biscuits, and ate them. It was only a plus that we were in everyone's photos eating our biscuits. We then paid the admission to get inside and walked around for a good hour or so.
Yesterday was hot. Really hot. And we decided to walk around downtown Nashville. We only went into the stores that had air conditioning. We walked around for two hours or so going into lots of nice shops, drinking a bottle of Mello Yello.
I think we both came to a conclusion that it was time to leave when the sweat was pouring off our faces. Yea, we're from Arizona, shouldn't we be used to the heat? NO. It was HUMID. Arizona is NOT humid. And it was REALLY humid. When our faces became Niagara Falls, we hopped in the car and got on the i-40 again, to Memphis, where we had dinner at some supposedly famous place. We got the ribs, and yeah, they were okay, but the best parts were the sides. We also caught some clips of the Olympics, and decided that some sports shouldn't be in the Olympics. Like table tennis, and water polo. It's ping-pong and keep-away.
We hopped in the car again to take some time off of the drive for today, and drove to Little Rock, Arkansauce. We got a nice hotel in a safe area, (if there's a Cadillac and BMW dealer close, it can't be bad) watched some more Olympics, and conked out.
When i woke up, all 14 of my mosquito bites were red, so somehow i must've subconsiously scratched them when i was sleeping. I scratched them some more, and went downstairs to check out their breakfast spread, which was sizeable. We checked out at 9 and have been driving ever since. Just crossed the Oklahoma state line.
The lion is from a 7.5 ton bronze door. I pulled the door easily using the door knocker.
It was funny picture day at the Parthenon.
This was in downtown Nashville.
When we were approaching the Arkansas state line, we encountered a beautiful sunset.
The Parthenon now houses many pieces of art and of course, a gigantic 42 foot tall statue of the goddess Athena.
We checked out of the hotel, and cruised over to the park where the Parthenon stands, hopped up on the steps, took out our styrofoam container of biscuits, and ate them. It was only a plus that we were in everyone's photos eating our biscuits. We then paid the admission to get inside and walked around for a good hour or so.
Yesterday was hot. Really hot. And we decided to walk around downtown Nashville. We only went into the stores that had air conditioning. We walked around for two hours or so going into lots of nice shops, drinking a bottle of Mello Yello.
I think we both came to a conclusion that it was time to leave when the sweat was pouring off our faces. Yea, we're from Arizona, shouldn't we be used to the heat? NO. It was HUMID. Arizona is NOT humid. And it was REALLY humid. When our faces became Niagara Falls, we hopped in the car and got on the i-40 again, to Memphis, where we had dinner at some supposedly famous place. We got the ribs, and yeah, they were okay, but the best parts were the sides. We also caught some clips of the Olympics, and decided that some sports shouldn't be in the Olympics. Like table tennis, and water polo. It's ping-pong and keep-away.
We hopped in the car again to take some time off of the drive for today, and drove to Little Rock, Arkansauce. We got a nice hotel in a safe area, (if there's a Cadillac and BMW dealer close, it can't be bad) watched some more Olympics, and conked out.
When i woke up, all 14 of my mosquito bites were red, so somehow i must've subconsiously scratched them when i was sleeping. I scratched them some more, and went downstairs to check out their breakfast spread, which was sizeable. We checked out at 9 and have been driving ever since. Just crossed the Oklahoma state line.
Gigantic Athena statue
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Well that was wednesday
We had an interstate filled drive from gettysburg to Blacksburg, VA and covered West Virginia and Maryland for a short spell, in the rain...:(. Nice drive, but very little chance for photo ops. We got into VA right to the grounds of VA tech and took a quick pass through town in the dark. Our gracious host Lou met us and put us up for the night. Lou has a pile of cool mopars mostly first generaton a bodies and all slant six powered. The exception is his 68 dart slant six turbo which is currently in MN awaiting its own trip around the country. You go Lou!!
When Lou found out we were coming he asked what did we want to do for recreation. Lou is a chemistry and polymer professor at the university, and Regina is something of a smart ass (literally). Regina, and i, wanted a tour of the VA tech campus. And Lou obliged. The campus is beautiful, spread out on lovely grounds with hokey stone buildings, (yes thats a real thing, look it up). We got into the labs where all the research and magic happens. Way cool day for the science geeks we are. We had lunch with Lou and his wife and split ways so we could continue on to Nashville. Lou and Chris, thank you for the hospitality and hosting us for the night. Lou, safe travels to you and maybe well cross paths in Phx?
Nashville is about a 6 hour drive from where we were, again on the interstate which thankfully was not too busy with traffic. The dark clouds tailed us most of the day, and finally caught us in Knoxville. I had the back glass zipped down again as the weather was quite perfect but the threat of rain was too much to go through having the top down. When it rained in Knoxville, i left the glass down. Not sure if i was being lazy or fun. Either way the rain didnt last long, we made one fuel stop still averaging 19+ mpg and were soon in Nashville.
I got a guy that knows Some stuff about Nashville. We rolled into town around 7, and headed straight towards the Loveless cafe which is just pass the Belle Meade plantation. The street is lined with lovely homes, and as i found out later is where all the Mansions of the musicians are. We rolled up to the bright neon sign of the Loveless cafe just as the sun was setting in the rainbow colored sky. Our bellies on empty and the promise that if we ate here, we wouldnt be hungry for a few days. Regina and i took in some of the best southern food(fried chicken, and smoked pork with hoe cakes) that has ever been made. I opted for some moonshine mixed with TN peach tea as my beverage choice. Good stuff. We finally got to put the top down for our cruise back into downtown Nashville. The weather was perfect and we were tired.
Not many pictures from the day, we'll try to make up for that today! Heading to the Parthenon, Country music hall of fame, then memphis!
This one is from Gettysburg, had to take it off one of the other cameras.
When Lou found out we were coming he asked what did we want to do for recreation. Lou is a chemistry and polymer professor at the university, and Regina is something of a smart ass (literally). Regina, and i, wanted a tour of the VA tech campus. And Lou obliged. The campus is beautiful, spread out on lovely grounds with hokey stone buildings, (yes thats a real thing, look it up). We got into the labs where all the research and magic happens. Way cool day for the science geeks we are. We had lunch with Lou and his wife and split ways so we could continue on to Nashville. Lou and Chris, thank you for the hospitality and hosting us for the night. Lou, safe travels to you and maybe well cross paths in Phx?
Nashville is about a 6 hour drive from where we were, again on the interstate which thankfully was not too busy with traffic. The dark clouds tailed us most of the day, and finally caught us in Knoxville. I had the back glass zipped down again as the weather was quite perfect but the threat of rain was too much to go through having the top down. When it rained in Knoxville, i left the glass down. Not sure if i was being lazy or fun. Either way the rain didnt last long, we made one fuel stop still averaging 19+ mpg and were soon in Nashville.
I got a guy that knows Some stuff about Nashville. We rolled into town around 7, and headed straight towards the Loveless cafe which is just pass the Belle Meade plantation. The street is lined with lovely homes, and as i found out later is where all the Mansions of the musicians are. We rolled up to the bright neon sign of the Loveless cafe just as the sun was setting in the rainbow colored sky. Our bellies on empty and the promise that if we ate here, we wouldnt be hungry for a few days. Regina and i took in some of the best southern food(fried chicken, and smoked pork with hoe cakes) that has ever been made. I opted for some moonshine mixed with TN peach tea as my beverage choice. Good stuff. We finally got to put the top down for our cruise back into downtown Nashville. The weather was perfect and we were tired.
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