Date:         Sun, 10 Nov 2002 14:09:16 -0500
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Another Trip across the country
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Later today I hope to have pictures...but first...

I have just completed another drive across the country in a Vanagon.
Once again, not a problem along the way...mechanically.

This time I started in San Francisco. While there I drove around the
bay region for the weekend (San Jose, Berkeley, SF, etc.) I will admit
that SF is a city I like (whereas most of California cities I'd been to
in the past...southern California cities...were places I like to
leave...as early as possible.)

On Monday I head out across the Golden Gate Bridge. Shorter than I
expected. I think I'd like to walk across it sometime. I headed north
along 101. I picked up a hitchhiking bicyclist (heading to Eureka
essentially). I headed off of 101 to drive the Avenue of the Giants.
Wonderful big old Redwoods. One side of me is sorry that so much of the
the old growth is gone, but there isn't much else industry up there.

After dropping off the hitchhiking bicyclist, I continued north along
the coastal road to Crescent City. Unfortunately daylight was waning at
this point, because there is some spectacular scenery that I could only
dimly see.

Then I headed inland on US 199. Man, I want to take that drive in the
daytime, as those twisty little curves (all different) had some awesome
trees just waiting to eat the unwary driver...

I eventually got to I-5 and slept the night in Roseburg, Oregon. BTW, I
think that law in Oregon that only the gas station attendants can put
gas into your car sucks. Never did get a really full tank from them.

Tuesday I head up to Portland and then start east through the Columbia
River Gorge. It was a bit hazy and very windy (head winds really slowed
me down.) Some nice scenery here too.

Finally I got into Western Oregon (the Cascades really create an
incredible rain shadow) and crossed over to Washington. I continued in
the dark to Spokane and crossed over to Mountain time and got a hotel
room in Idaho.

Part of the reason for stopping was to figure out my travel plans on
Wednesday.

After a refreshing night's sleep I headed north in Idaho heading for US
2. I crossed over into Montana on US 2. During all of this driving I
had sunny weather, relatively warm (50s during the day.) Other than the
wind in the Columbia River Gorge driving had been quite straight
forward. By the end of the day (Wednesday) the wind factor was going to
be with me for the rest of the journey. In the meantime, travelling in
Western Montana on US 2 was visually entertaining.

Based on how long it was taking me to travel US 2 (and the fact that I
had street tires NOT mud and snow tires) I had to make one of those
hard decisions and chose not to travel into Glacier National Park and
instead only skirted the southern edge. The upside meant that the
highest altitude that I got to on this whole trip was at 5216 when I
crossed the Continental Divide on US 2 (Marias Pass).

Then it was time to cross the "flat" terrain of central and eastern
Montana. Except it wasn't nearly as flat as I expected. I also started
fighting against a strong crosswind. Eventually I got to Billings and
made my worst mistake of the trip. I didn't get gas, thinking I could
make it to the next exit on I-90.

When I got to Billings I first started experiencing a bucking that had
me concerned. Since the engine was new I thought it was perhaps an ECU
issue. I now know it was gas. Probably water in the gas. I ran out of
gas about 2 miles from the next exit. Fortunately I had just topped a
slight rise so I was able to coast another mile closer to the exit. At
midnight I got my coat and gloves on and walked to the gas station. I
bought a 2 gallon gas container, a gallon of gas, and hiked back to the
van. A local trooper was checking it out, but moved on to pull over a
car for speeding before I got back to it.

I decided that it was time to call it a night at that point, gassed up
the beastie (and put gas into the container...which was a wise move as
you'll see later) and got a hotel room.

Thursday dawned sunny warm and windy. I completed my trip in Montana,
and entered Wyoming. I had intended to do Mount Rushmore, but again
made one of those tough decisions and bypassed Mount Rushmore, but
instead did Devil's Tower. Then it was time to tackle South Dakota.
Many hours later I finally stopped in Sioux Falls.

Friday (when I had hoped to be leaving from near Chicago) I started
across Minnesota on I-90. Of all the roads I travelled I will state
that I think I-90 Minnesota is the worst built road. Not maintained
badly, but constructed badly. It was like driving over washboard at
65mph. Yuck. I couldn't get to Wisconsin fast enough.

Wisconsin was the last of the "casino" states. All states up to and
including Wisconsin had casino stops at various places. I never stopped
into any of them. Just a note of minor interest.

Illinois and the first of the toll roads. I wish the NorthWestern
Expressway did what other states have done and just have one toll on
entry (and at the exit ramps) rather than a toll plaza every 10 miles.
Sigh. The Kennedy Express way was backed up (not a big surprise as it
was 7pm on a weekday, so I was catching the tail end of rush hour...but
then again the Kennedy is always backed up.) I dropped off of I-90 and
drove through Cicero looking for an Italian restaurant to eat at. I
decided to not get food (nothing jumped out and said "eat here".) So I
got back on I-90.

Chicagoans you might think you have nasty drivers (I saw a few that
were mildly agressive), but until you drive in the Washington DC area,
you have no idea how good you have it. I-90 put my on the Skyway and
Indiana. The end of the evening put me at the Ohio border.

Saturday saw me driving across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and home.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is as nasty as ever. Yes, they have been
rebuilding it and improving it, but it is still one of the most
dangerous interstates as far as I am concerned. Thankfully the accident
I saw that closed the Turnpike was Westbound.

This trip completed means I have now been in 48 states (North Dakota
and Hawaii are the missing two). I'm not sure I'll ever go to North
Dakota. I've a brother living in Hawaii, so that is no doubt going to
be done sooner or later.