Greetings from....
#161
08-12-2011, 12:16 AM
Greetings from... a Pilot "travel center" off the I82 exit 4 in Tennessee.
Sorry, I should've posted last night and then earlier in the morning. But I kinda broke habit and forget to get back into it, of posting here often.
Well, I had my drive down the Cherohala Skyway and back up the "Tail of the Dragon." For Cherohala, I was expecting a different road, but I chalk that up to confusing it with another road. And running the Dragon was a little disappointing, only because I couldn't go as fast as i would like, kept catching up to a trio of motorcycles that were crusing a little slowly. I learned my lesson from CA 1, so I managed not to go into the ditch again, but you could see the signs where folks that hadn't quite gotten that lesson right. @.@!
Since I don't expect any more scenic/twisty roads... I guess I'll put a quick review/summary of the roads I remember.
Pike's Peak climb is great, if you have a high HP/torque car. Descent is good if your car is agile. Of course, pray for no construction or traffic if you really want to enjoy it.
US24/CR 9 and I70 are nice little scenic drives from Colorado Springs into Utah, especially I70 around dusk. But, it's a total snorefest after that, unless you have nowhere to go, but back.
Mt Rainier... that's a nice one. From the southeast, I climbed 123 to the 410 and took that east and then flipped around and took that right back onto the 123. Has a lot of fast curves, how anyone can decide 55 MPH as an official speed limit on some of those curves is beyond me, the cautious side of me made me go 35 at times! The drive on Paradise Road from the 123 on westward was quite cool, especially at night, very twisty and narrow through the forest. Those trees are right up to the pavement, and there's not much of a shoulder.
US 101 and CA 1... very scenic. Lots of switchbacks. And quite twisty too. Nice mountain to one side and ocean to the other... but it seriously blows chunks near towns. Getting a reduced speed limit is fine, but bumper to bumper stand still traffic?!? WTF dude?
Cherohala Skyway & Dragon loop... I think it lost a little bit of "wow" factor being the last set of twisty roads I went through. But I must say, that really quick snaking bit was really nice. Multiple short but sharp banked turns in quick succession. Just as the turn ends, you have to turn the other way. It really is better than a roller coaster.
CA 36, 3 & 299 loop... gotta be my favourite. They are REALLY long stretches, but 36 alone gives you three experiences. From the west, climbing the 36 gives you some fairly fast turns along a mountain side. Coming down, gives you sharper turns. Then there's a stretch to the I5 that's pretty freaking fun. Nearly all short turns, but included in most are little "hill hop." And I swear if i had been brave enough to go a little faster, I would had me some air time! Yes, it can be done in a Fit!! Hoo-wee.
All these roads are fun... so long as you aren't caught in a slow train or with construction blocking off the road.
Last night I stayed at Econolodge in Sweet water. Positive: inexpensive (though I was expecting $50 not $55 from online). Negative: CHEAP. I had a room with two beds, one of the bed covers had a tear in it, exposing the filling. A fly managed to get it the room and woke me up multiple times during the night (I think I killed it as i was packing). After I showered and packed my things... I managed to walk into a long & thick spider thread, that continued to bother me for a good few minutes. Spider thread, seriously?
Sorry, I should've posted last night and then earlier in the morning. But I kinda broke habit and forget to get back into it, of posting here often.
Well, I had my drive down the Cherohala Skyway and back up the "Tail of the Dragon." For Cherohala, I was expecting a different road, but I chalk that up to confusing it with another road. And running the Dragon was a little disappointing, only because I couldn't go as fast as i would like, kept catching up to a trio of motorcycles that were crusing a little slowly. I learned my lesson from CA 1, so I managed not to go into the ditch again, but you could see the signs where folks that hadn't quite gotten that lesson right. @.@!
Since I don't expect any more scenic/twisty roads... I guess I'll put a quick review/summary of the roads I remember.
Pike's Peak climb is great, if you have a high HP/torque car. Descent is good if your car is agile. Of course, pray for no construction or traffic if you really want to enjoy it.
US24/CR 9 and I70 are nice little scenic drives from Colorado Springs into Utah, especially I70 around dusk. But, it's a total snorefest after that, unless you have nowhere to go, but back.
Mt Rainier... that's a nice one. From the southeast, I climbed 123 to the 410 and took that east and then flipped around and took that right back onto the 123. Has a lot of fast curves, how anyone can decide 55 MPH as an official speed limit on some of those curves is beyond me, the cautious side of me made me go 35 at times! The drive on Paradise Road from the 123 on westward was quite cool, especially at night, very twisty and narrow through the forest. Those trees are right up to the pavement, and there's not much of a shoulder.
US 101 and CA 1... very scenic. Lots of switchbacks. And quite twisty too. Nice mountain to one side and ocean to the other... but it seriously blows chunks near towns. Getting a reduced speed limit is fine, but bumper to bumper stand still traffic?!? WTF dude?
Cherohala Skyway & Dragon loop... I think it lost a little bit of "wow" factor being the last set of twisty roads I went through. But I must say, that really quick snaking bit was really nice. Multiple short but sharp banked turns in quick succession. Just as the turn ends, you have to turn the other way. It really is better than a roller coaster.
CA 36, 3 & 299 loop... gotta be my favourite. They are REALLY long stretches, but 36 alone gives you three experiences. From the west, climbing the 36 gives you some fairly fast turns along a mountain side. Coming down, gives you sharper turns. Then there's a stretch to the I5 that's pretty freaking fun. Nearly all short turns, but included in most are little "hill hop." And I swear if i had been brave enough to go a little faster, I would had me some air time! Yes, it can be done in a Fit!! Hoo-wee.
All these roads are fun... so long as you aren't caught in a slow train or with construction blocking off the road.
Last night I stayed at Econolodge in Sweet water. Positive: inexpensive (though I was expecting $50 not $55 from online). Negative: CHEAP. I had a room with two beds, one of the bed covers had a tear in it, exposing the filling. A fly managed to get it the room and woke me up multiple times during the night (I think I killed it as i was packing). After I showered and packed my things... I managed to walk into a long & thick spider thread, that continued to bother me for a good few minutes. Spider thread, seriously?
1: bonneville salt flats - ok it's not a road but a really cool place to go fast
2: miller motorsports park, the smoothest road you "couldn't tame" i looked thru all the photo's Liz took and she didn't have not even one of you, but i had two of your car in the pits (well kinda, one of half of it and another with the other half) they are in my (lame) video taken in the crx. the pics are at the end on the video in a slide show of about 20 slides so feel free to skip to the end about the 12: min mark - i had friends that kept asking me to upload my footage and they (you tube) made me change my music so it cuts out early too
thanks for stopping in salt lake and drive safe
vtecfit1's Channel - YouTube
Last edited by vtecfit1; 08-12-2011 at 12:24 AM.
#162
08-12-2011, 12:54 AM
Hey Goobs! Was starting to get Goober-post withdrawals. I knew I hit "record series" on the DVR 
So now you're in sticky hot weather vice dry hot weather. Be safe bud, and thanks for the recap! Almost like 3D. 
So now you're in sticky hot weather vice dry hot weather. Be safe bud, and thanks for the recap! Almost like 3D.
#163
08-12-2011, 02:03 AM
you forgot two roads on your list
1: bonneville salt flats - ok it's not a road but a really cool place to go fast
2: miller motorsports park, the smoothest road you "couldn't tame" i looked thru all the photo's Liz took and she didn't have not even one of you, but i had two of your car in the pits (well kinda, one of half of it and another with the other half) they are in my (lame) video taken in the crx. the pics are at the end on the video in a slide show of about 20 slides so feel free to skip to the end about the 12: min mark - i had friends that kept asking me to upload my footage and they (you tube) made me change my music so it cuts out early too
thanks for stopping in salt lake and drive safe
vtecfit1's Channel - YouTube
1: bonneville salt flats - ok it's not a road but a really cool place to go fast
2: miller motorsports park, the smoothest road you "couldn't tame" i looked thru all the photo's Liz took and she didn't have not even one of you, but i had two of your car in the pits (well kinda, one of half of it and another with the other half) they are in my (lame) video taken in the crx. the pics are at the end on the video in a slide show of about 20 slides so feel free to skip to the end about the 12: min mark - i had friends that kept asking me to upload my footage and they (you tube) made me change my music so it cuts out early too
thanks for stopping in salt lake and drive safe
vtecfit1's Channel - YouTube
I was trying to make donuts on the flats by speeding up, turn/ebrake to loosen the back and then power around in a circle... but the back always gets more traction than the front once I press the gas. :s I still have salt in nooks and crannies.
Hey, I made one lap without going off the track! Too bad I spun out on the next one. Whooooppps! haha. Hey, if there are no pics of me on the track, there are no pics of me spinning out, so it didn't happen, right?
#164
08-12-2011, 11:18 AM
Greetings from.... a rest area, somewhere in Virginia... near Sidney, I think.
I slept here the night. Still not quite back into habbit yet, so I forgot to say where I was last night.
In any case... I woke up, rearranged my car to get back on the road, used the washroom, started my car, turned on the a/c... and found out it don't work no more, except at the highest setting. Apparently, I'm suffering from the blown resistor pack deal. Thinking of calling ahead into NY to see if a dealership has the parts to do the replacement. And it should be under warranty, right? Less than three years and only about 30k miles (31k by the time I get into NY).
I donno if I should be more upset... I kept worrying something was going to go wrong on my trip. But it's like me and horror movies, I expect something to happen, so when it does in the movie, I'm not really surprised/scared by it.
:s
I slept here the night. Still not quite back into habbit yet, so I forgot to say where I was last night.
In any case... I woke up, rearranged my car to get back on the road, used the washroom, started my car, turned on the a/c... and found out it don't work no more, except at the highest setting. Apparently, I'm suffering from the blown resistor pack deal. Thinking of calling ahead into NY to see if a dealership has the parts to do the replacement. And it should be under warranty, right? Less than three years and only about 30k miles (31k by the time I get into NY).
I donno if I should be more upset... I kept worrying something was going to go wrong on my trip. But it's like me and horror movies, I expect something to happen, so when it does in the movie, I'm not really surprised/scared by it.
:s
#165
08-13-2011, 07:13 AM
Greetings from... Brooklyn, New York.
Spent the night at a friend's place. Surprised to see my car intact when i woke up!
The drive to the city was a bit of a pain, since I was getting drowsy. The drive inside the city was worse, because I'm so used to suburban driving, so much city traffic and crazy pedestrians.
It's still kinda early, so i think I'm gonna doze off a bit more.
Spent the night at a friend's place. Surprised to see my car intact when i woke up!
The drive to the city was a bit of a pain, since I was getting drowsy. The drive inside the city was worse, because I'm so used to suburban driving, so much city traffic and crazy pedestrians.
It's still kinda early, so i think I'm gonna doze off a bit more.
#166
08-13-2011, 07:45 AM
PhotoReflect - Xtreme Sports Photography - The Dragon August 11th, 2011 Thursday - Photographer 1
PhotoReflect - Xtreme Sports Photography - The Dragon August 11th, 2011 Thursday - Photographer 2
PhotoReflect - D&C Photography - 129Slayer.com - The Dragon 08-11-11-MM 4.2
PhotoReflect - Xtreme Sports Photography - The Dragon August 11th, 2011 Thursday - Photographer 2
PhotoReflect - D&C Photography - 129Slayer.com - The Dragon 08-11-11-MM 4.2
Last edited by Goobers; 01-17-2012 at 12:50 PM.
#167
08-15-2011, 12:16 PM
Hello all.
Right now, I'm in a Kohl's parking lot facing a Toyota/Subaru dealership across the street in Peekhill, NY.
I think this will be the last "blog"ish post from me on this topic, even though I'm not home yet.
It was nice meeting people on the road. To those i didn't get a chance to meet, I'm sorry for being so flaky. I know I may have made excuses, but ultimately, I flaked out with my poor communication. Even so, this trip was fun...
Time to go home. Bye.
Right now, I'm in a Kohl's parking lot facing a Toyota/Subaru dealership across the street in Peekhill, NY.
I think this will be the last "blog"ish post from me on this topic, even though I'm not home yet.
It was nice meeting people on the road. To those i didn't get a chance to meet, I'm sorry for being so flaky. I know I may have made excuses, but ultimately, I flaked out with my poor communication. Even so, this trip was fun...
Time to go home. Bye.
Safe trip back!
#170
11-10-2011, 05:16 PM
I know, I'm reviving an old thread that I said I wouldn't post in anymore... but I figured I'd finally put up the pics from it. I took 1,273 pics on the trip, but Picasa only allows 1000 pics per album, so I split it up into two parts.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1008072...eat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/1008072...eat=directlink
Oh, I took out all the pics with (close ups of) people in them, partly for privacy, and mostly because I'm just not photogenic. There wasn't that many anyway.
Sorry about the slight blur, apparently, I'm no good at taking photos.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1008072...eat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/1008072...eat=directlink
Oh, I took out all the pics with (close ups of) people in them, partly for privacy, and mostly because I'm just not photogenic. There wasn't that many anyway.
Sorry about the slight blur, apparently, I'm no good at taking photos.
#171
11-10-2011, 06:23 PM
WOW - great pics, thanks for posting.
Really like the salt encrusted ones.
Also like the way album 2 ends - a good 'film' ending; jarring lights pounding down the pike in the black of night.
Sorry we missed each other in NY.
Really like the salt encrusted ones.
Also like the way album 2 ends - a good 'film' ending; jarring lights pounding down the pike in the black of night.
Sorry we missed each other in NY.
#172
11-10-2011, 06:52 PM
Goobers, thank you for sharing your road trip. I looked forward to your daily postings just to see where you at. This is one of the things I would like to do in my bucket list. Living on an island has its drawbacks. You can circle the island and be home for dinner. 
#173
11-10-2011, 07:31 PM
Awesome pics Goobs!!! Just like going through the road trip with you! Dang, 1k pics... that's a lot of practice shots for a non-photographer Thanks for posting... Enjoyed them! 
Kimi, funny... Good point. I guess you can do laps
Dang, 1k pics... that's a lot of practice shots for a non-photographer Thanks for posting... Enjoyed them! Kimi, funny... Good point. I guess you can do laps
#175
11-12-2011, 02:48 AM
Sorry for the late response.
Yeah, it would've been nice to catch up with some more fellow fitfreaks.
I actually wished I could've gone to more states, like Alaska and thought about Hawaii.
I just snapped pics of whatever I thought looked good.
There could've been more pics, but I ran out of space a few times on my one SD card, and it was pretty much too late by the time I got a second card.
Tallied up the miles and costs from my receipts... $1268.73 for 323.55 gallons over 11032 miles, giving about 34.01 mpg. I hit 41 mpg on two receipts (though the Fit only said 34 mpg... which is odd).
There could've been more pics, but I ran out of space a few times on my one SD card, and it was pretty much too late by the time I got a second card.
Tallied up the miles and costs from my receipts... $1268.73 for 323.55 gallons over 11032 miles, giving about 34.01 mpg. I hit 41 mpg on two receipts (though the Fit only said 34 mpg... which is odd).
#176
07-03-2012, 01:44 PM
Wow Goobers, this is the mother of all road trips! Thanks for sharing all this, and especially the photos. You've given me the idea to make a loop through Mt. Ranier National Pk this year.
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