# 13,000 Mile 2 Month Road Trip...



## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

My CEO & I did a 2 month, 13,000 mile Road Trip across the US and parts of Canada this summer:
-33 states, 4 provinces of CDA, 13 National Parks, a half dozen plus state parks, an Alaskan cruise and land trip in the middle, and had a helluva good time.
-Took our 9+ yr old VetteVert, and it allowed for hammering a near endless ribbon of fabulous, almost empty 2 lane blacktop roads.
-Vette gave 27.9 mpg over the cumulative 13,000 miles, loaded to the gunwales and, driven at some serious speeds. It ran like a top; the only glitch was a HVAC blower fan that gave up, but repaired in an hour at a local Chevy dlr in Montana.
-We left our Mtn Joint in western NC, and meandered our way west and north, to Vancouver BC to meet the boat. Post cruise, we spent several days around Van/Victoria and east in Banff, Alberta and the CDA Rockies. More time, and great roads in MT, WY, UT and CO, before pointing east and seeing friends and fam in MI, Toronto, NY & NJ along the way, before motoring back to NC.
-Cops were few, and most just waved back, as we hauled azz by them...the speed limits in most of the 'west' are fun, safe and more reasonable, imo.
-The sights, vistas, great roads, curious and friendly people, and the time together, was a wonderful experience.
If you get a chance, take whatever car you like, and go burn up some rubber/gas out on the byways of this USA and western CDA.

Some pics pasted, and a couple of Flickr links, with more pics...thanks for looking! :thumbup:
Best Regards, mD

















Flickr Links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157627297418250/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157627332480833/


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## GarySL (Jan 26, 2008)

Nice photo collection. I particularly like the Yukon brown bear, the gull & the local redwoods.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

OMG. What an inspiration for me to do the same in my 11 year old '01 330i (purchased date Oct 18, 2000). Newly retired and I got the time. I have to check out your flickr site! :thumbup:


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

what hotes, motels, campgrounds, rest stops, tents, cars did you sleep? :rofl:


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## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

Dave 330i said:


> what hotes, motels, campgrounds, rest stops, tents, cars did you sleep? :rofl:


Thanks for the 'looks', and kind words...I quit camping after the Boy Scouts, circa 1965. 

We cooped in motels: for some of the holiday weekends/crowded Nat Park areas, we called ahead and grabbed a rez. For most of the nights, we simply called a joint or two as we got deeper into the late afternoon, and knew we would 'be' at such & such. Never had a prob.

Also burned up a few Marriott points for holding up in some nicer places.

Price/Quality had little bearing: some remote joints were crummy & pricey while other places were bargains and delightful. The CEO's Droid Smartazz phone was indispensable for GOOG Maps on the fly, searching motels and nailing stuff down. However, 3G is a yet to happen dream in many underpopulated areas of the country.

The unpacking, carting in, and re-packing/re-loading every day is a PIA, but we got very good at it, and the few times we cooped in one motel/place for 2-3 days was like a vacay, and it allowed for hitting the sights/Nat Parks in early and late day light for pics.

Having done 5 cross country trips on an m'cycle, this trip with 4 wheels, was the best, and we are older. For those of you considering some kind of road trip, my advice is to Go Do It! The roads and sights and people, were nearly indescribable, and outfookinstanding, imo.
BR, mD

A reduced pic of theBoss hammering it on the famous Rt 550 from Ouray to Durango, CO, and a funny shot of the ubiquitous campers clogging up the great 2 lanes, in the west. We passed this guy, stopped in Leadville, CO for lunch, spent some time in that high town, (11k+ feet), and re passed him hours later, as we neared the famous Loveland Pass, at 12,000 ft. He was still chugging along; they must have had lunch and pee stops in the camper,


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## PaceBMW of Mamaroneck (Jul 6, 2011)

motordavid said:


> Thanks for the 'looks', and kind words...I quit camping after the Boy Scouts, circa 1965.
> 
> We cooped in motels: for some of the holiday weekends/crowded Nat Park areas, we called ahead and grabbed a rez. For most of the nights, we simply called a joint or two as we got deeper into the late afternoon, and knew we would 'be' at such & such. Never had a prob.
> 
> ...


wow sounds like an awesome trip. nice pics :thumbup:


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

I need all of your insights. My plan is laptop ready to access wifi at any McD or hotel lobby to get reservation to the next hotel/motel, where La Quinta would be my #1 and only choice unless I end up in no where land.


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## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

Dave 330i said:


> I need all of your insights. My plan is laptop ready to access wifi at any McD or hotel lobby to get reservation to the next hotel/motel, where La Quinta would be my #1 and only choice unless I end up in no where land.


Hi David, (good first name by the bye!)...yes, we took a laptop; absolute must take. We had wifi of some varying quality in every joint we cooped in. It did vary from 'dial-up' to rocket cable, but it was very helpful in planning out next day(s) route(s), reading up on sights/Nat Parks, etc. Due to the 2 month time frame, we had to pay CC bills, regularly, along the way...sometimes I hit a library for a more 'secure' connection vs motel wifi, other times I took my chances. Also used the laptop for nightly downloads of photos, saving them to thumb drives, etc.

TheCEO's smart phone was also very helpful, esp 'on the road', as mentioned earlier; just not as full format as the laptop, at least with my lack of smartphone skills. But GOOG maps app is kickazz.

Unless you have some strong connection to LaQuinta, I would suggest being more open to other brands, as there were many spots where that brand wasn't available, but it's your pick.

For you, (retired, like me!), and anyone else thinking of a RoadTrip, my advice is to cop a weekish and go do a trial run to some interesting places close by, to see how 7-10+ days on the road goes for you. Then, consider a longer trip...the western/Mtn states are huge, and just getting from A to B can be a day, at speed. Part of the fun is getting somewhere, but much of the great sights and fun we had was the daily drive and stumbling on places we had not thought of. A too tightazzed schedule, in terms of 'must get to such and such', and 'by this date' is not rec'd, imo.

I could write a novella on "what to do, what to see, where the best 2 lanes are, tips, ideas, things we wish we woulda," etc. But, if any reader has some questions, post it, or PM or email me, and I will be glad to offer my 50Cts. 
BR, mD

Road up to Crater Lake Nat Park, OR
Got a fellow tourist to take our pic at Bryce Canyon Nat Park
The Absolfookinlutely Indescribable & enormous Mead Glacier, as we were coming in for a landing and walk around, Ketchikan, AK


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

motordavid said:


> Hi David, (good first name by the bye!)...yes, we took a laptop; absolute must take. We had wifi of some varying quality in every joint we cooped in. It did vary from 'dial-up' to rocket cable, but it was very helpful in planning out next day(s) route(s), reading up on sights/Nat Parks, etc. Due to the 2 month time frame, we had to pay CC bills, regularly, along the way...sometimes I hit a library for a more 'secure' connection vs motel wifi, other times I took my chances. Also used the laptop for nightly downloads of photos, saving them to thumb drives, etc.
> 
> TheCEO's smart phone was also very helpful, esp 'on the road', as mentioned earlier; just not as full format as the laptop, at least with my lack of smartphone skills. But GOOG maps app is kickazz.
> 
> ...


Thanks! i was going to say, only retired guys have the time, flexibility, and the resources to spend 2 carefree months on the road. I'm pretty familar with what is needed. All my utility bills are paid online. I also have a house sitter when I take off next year. Everything that is important can be done on my laptop. I'm completely paperless.  Security, well, I bank on luck. I've been to EU for a month, so I know what I'm getting into. I really wanted to know that you can't stay at the brassy Mariotts or the Hiltons all the time. Sometime, you end up at a rest stop, and that's the best you can do. But be careful there as they can be weird people hanging around. Yea, I've been through Canada, Banff Nat Pk, Crater Lake, Yellowstone. I want to do the Alaskan Hwy and then all the way to the North Pole! Bring it on.


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## Griffoun (Jan 19, 2006)

So Dave, what do you think about one of those smartazz andriod phones for the roadtrip? :eeps:


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## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

Griffoun said:


> So Dave, what do you think about one of those smartazz andriod phones for the roadtrip? :eeps:


Not sure I get your comment, Griffoun...have had/used car phones since '83, cell phones when I still carried the bag, and we were late to the 'smart phone' hookup. But, we enjoyed theCEO's smartphone for the trip; almost indispensable for GOOG maps/motels/weather etc, as I noted.

Didn't matter to me what brand/OS...it worked, even in the usual, and frequent non-3G areas.
GL, mD


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## Griffoun (Jan 19, 2006)

motordavid said:


> Not sure I get your comment, Griffoun...have had/used car phones since '83, cell phones when I still carried the bag, and we were late to the 'smart phone' hookup. But, we enjoyed theCEO's smartphone for the trip; almost indispensable for GOOG maps/motels/weather etc, as I noted.
> 
> Didn't matter to me what brand/OS...it worked, even in the usual, and frequent non-3G areas.
> GL, mD


Dave is a proud Nokia dumb-phone owner - he rarely relies on his cell-phone for voice call, and he's been saying repeatedly that he doesn't need a smartphone... just hop over to the Off-Topic forum to look for his threads :rofl:

I'm just teasing him here because you're saying the samrtphone is useful to lookup accomodation information and more while on the road. 

Thanks for sharing the pics and your roadtrip experience!


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

Dave 330i said:


> OMG. What an inspiration for me to do the same in my 11 year old '01 330i (purchased date Oct 18, 2000). Newly retired and I got the time. I have to check out your flickr site! :thumbup:


Congrats on your retirement :thumbup:.


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

motordavid said:


> A reduced pic of theBoss hammering it on the famous Rt 550 from Ouray to Durango, CO, and a funny shot of the ubiquitous campers clogging up the great 2 lanes, in the west. We passed this guy, stopped in Leadville, CO for lunch, spent some time in that high town, (11k+ feet), and re passed him hours later, as we neared the famous Loveland Pass, at 12,000 ft. He was still chugging along; they must have had lunch and pee stops in the camper,


I love that road through Ouray. We had dinner there one night, as we walked to the restaurant it had just stopped raining, and the sun came out, and there were rainbows all over the mountains surrounding Ouray. Lovely piece of America there.


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## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

Griffoun said:


> Dave is a proud Nokia dumb-phone owner - he rarely relies on his cell-phone for voice call, and he's been saying repeatedly that he doesn't need a smartphone... just hop over to the Off-Topic forum to look for his threads :rofl:
> 
> I'm just teasing him here because you're saying the samrtphone is useful to lookup accomodation information and more while on the road.
> 
> Thanks for sharing the pics and your roadtrip experience!


Ah, now I understand you, Griffoun. Older and addled here and sometimes slow on the uptake.
That 'Dave". 

I was resistant, too. I still have my 5+ yr old dumbphone. TheCEO traded her 5+ yr old dumbphone for a MotoDroidX a year ago. Took awhile to make it sing, but it does sing. It is not a 'computer' by any stretch, and rarely works like the ads portray on TV. Couple that with 3G being a year(s) away dream in many parts of our trip, and it's just a 1x cellphone, but...
GOOG maps and a few other apps would still trickle through. I am a convinced/reformed Luddite.
BR, mD


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

Griffoun said:


> So Dave, what do you think about one of those smartazz andriod phones for the roadtrip? :eeps:


I have my netbook, which is a zillion times more flexible and powerful. My GPS seeks out all the hotels, McDonalds, and Starbucks that have free wifi to locate the next's night hotel. There's nothing wrong with sleeping in the car at rest stops. After all, we are talking about roughing it, not a glamorous bus tour.

To motordavid, 13,000 miles is a lot of driving. In 2008, I did a 3401 miles one month trip in Europe. Remember, gas is super expensive there. In 2009, I took the train. I will do the same in 2012.

Just some notes here...
Munich Lerchenauer Strasse 75. 66.09 euros 43.80 liters 1.51 euro/liter
Slovenia 35.91 liter at 1.114/liter 40 euros
Slovenia 28.99 euros, 1.157/liter 25.06 liters
Poland 89 zt 19.39 liters at 4.59zt/liter
Czech 1737 KC 51.25 liters (?) at 33.90/liter ($109.52)
Rostock 73.47 euros 48.05 liters 1.529/liter


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## motordavid (Sep 29, 2004)

Had our laptop, too...but, on the road each day, the smartazz phone was invaluable in the lap of whomever was co-pilot/navigator. You must be planning some 'burbs trips if you plan on rolling into places to stop at wi-fi lunches along the way.  Many states forbid sleeping in rest stops, in a car, vs a truck sleeper...I would not do it except in emergency; you must have a younger wife with a different view on 'traveling'. Nothing glamorous about our 2 months, but camping or cooping in the car, never crossed my mind.

Yes, that 13k was a hump, but we could have easily done another thou. Gas is not _the_ expense for that long of trip: I spent ~$1,800 on gas; motels and 3 hots a day was a much bigger expense. I could not care less what gas costs...it's part of the overhead out on the road.

Fwiw, we've done a few Euroland continent car trips, and 2 separate trips through Scotland of 1500+ miles each. All good times, but the Mtn/Western States should be driven, on 2 lane black tops, at least once in every car enthusiast's life, imo.
GL, mD





Dave 330i said:


> I have my netbook, which is a zillion times more flexible and powerful. My GPS seeks out all the hotels, McDonalds, and Starbucks that have free wifi to locate the next's night hotel. *There's nothing wrong with sleeping in the car at rest stops*. After all, we are talking about roughing it, not a glamorous bus tour.
> 
> To motordavid, 13,000 miles is a lot of driving. In 2008, I did a 3401 miles one month trip in Europe. Remember, gas is super expensive there. In 2009, I took the train. I will do the same in 2012.
> 
> ...


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

motordavid said:


> Had our laptop, too...but, on the road each day, the smartazz phone was invaluable in the lap of whomever was co-pilot/navigator. You must be planning some 'burbs trips if you plan on rolling into places to stop at wi-fi lunches along the way.  Many states forbid sleeping in rest stops, in a car, vs a truck sleeper...I would not do it except in emergency; you must have a younger wife with a different view on 'traveling'. Nothing glamorous about our 2 months, but camping or cooping in the car, never crossed my mind.
> 
> Yes, that 13k was a hump, but we could have easily done another thou. Gas is not _the_ expense for that long of trip: I spent ~$1,800 on gas; motels and 3 hots a day was a much bigger expense. I could not care less what gas costs...it's part of the overhead out on the road.
> 
> ...


We don't do cross country. What we do is fly into a good city, rent a car, and either do a loop or a one way.

I do wish I had my 535 on our trip last year to Arizona. There was a straightaway that was at least 10 miles without a bend in it at all, and with no Native American police, nor anywhere for them to hide. I could easily have been 130 the whole way.

America is a beautiful country, and, as much as I like Europe lately, the raw, natural beauty of America can't be matched over there.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

motordavid said:


> Had our laptop, too...but, on the road each day, the smartazz phone was invaluable in the lap of whomever was co-pilot/navigator. You must be planning some 'burbs trips if you plan on rolling into places to stop at wi-fi lunches along the way.  Many states forbid sleeping in rest stops, in a car, vs a truck sleeper...I would not do it except in emergency; you must have a younger wife with a different view on 'traveling'. Nothing glamorous about our 2 months, but camping or cooping in the car, never crossed my mind.
> 
> Yes, that 13k was a hump, but we could have easily done another thou. Gas is not _the_ expense for that long of trip: I spent ~$1,800 on gas; motels and 3 hots a day was a much bigger expense. I could not care less what gas costs...it's part of the overhead out on the road.
> 
> ...


I rough it once in a while, no wifey so problem in making last minute decision in where to have shut eyes for the night. What is surprising to me is I found motordavid (with co-pilot) who like to drive more than I do. BTW, It is strange for me to be a passenger in a car so I avoid it. If I have to make destination by driving 16-18 hours a day, I would do it.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

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