Lessons learned on my 6200 mile car trip

[COZY Z COLE]

1) Worst strech of interstate road is I-40 going into Needles,CA. Reduced speed limit to 50 mph and be prepared for the ride of your life. A disgrace to CA. and the Feds. The minute you cross the AZ. line it's a great road.

 

2.) A gas exit sign in NEB. does not mean the gas station is anywhere near. Went 8 miles once one way.

 

3.) Never stop at a mom and pop gas station anywhere...$3.45 for 87 octane once.

 

4.) Rest stop ahead sign does not mean there are restrooms in them unless specified.

 

5.) Lots of gas stations don't take cash or are unattened at night.

 

6.) Every state works on the interstate in the summer and love to do it in major cities right where you need to exit to another interstate road. I love closed exits and detours.

 

Last but not least is the state of WY. never drive at night in that state without a full tank at the state line and a hotel reservation. All small gas stations close at sunset and forget getting a motel room. I left Iowa on a Monday at 7:30 am and at around 9:00 pm started looking for a room in WY. Forget it, by 2:00 am Tue. I decided to drive straight thru to CA. I took one hr. sleep at a rest stop in NV. and got to FAIRFIELD,CA. at 3:00 pm Tue. I could of got a motel room in NV. but that would of put me into SAC. at rush hr. and I was in no mood for bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic.

 

It was still a great four week trip....

Always stop where the trucks are and that you can see the gas station from the road!!!!!

 

One more state to watch is OK. and their Damn Toll Roads. I had to go thru paying four tolls in the state...

LARRY

[Darrel]

Drove all those miles and didn't stop in Colorado?

[jbk240z]

Drove all those miles and didn't stop in Colorado?

Agreed^

[Pop N Wood]

Sounds like a fun trip. Sure took the Northern route.

 

One thing you need to understand about western Nebraska is 20 miles is "just down the road a bit". That is why 14 year old kids can get driver licenses to get themselves to school.

 

And I hear what you say about Wyoming. Add Montana to that same list. My brother and I once drove the length of the state and ended up sleeping in a bean field because every motel we stopped at was already full.

[COZY Z COLE]

So here I'm cruising along I-10 in TX. where the speed limit is now 80 mph. I go onto a state road to get to SAN ANGELO, TX. to see one of my brothers.There are small towns dotted along this road and the speed limit drops to 50 in them. As I'm tooling along at 72 mph, the road turns and here is one of these towns. I see a state trooper car too late and his lights go on as I pass him...DAMN. I'm 50 miles from SAN ANGELO.

 

State trooper: " Let me see your driver's lic."

" Where are you from?"

Me: "Ca."

State trooper: " Where are you going?"

Me: " San Angelo to see my brother who's retired military and retired postmaster in Knickerbocker, TX."

State trooper: " What's his name?"

I tell him.

State trooper: "You know you were going 72 in a 50. We want you to obey our laws and have a safe trip. I'm giving you a warning ticket and there will be no fine and it will not go on your record. Have a nice day."

Me: " Have a nice day."

Whew... When I told my brother the story and he looked at the name of the trooper he said he was the postmaster for his family.

 

I love TX.

 

LARRY

[OlderThanMe]

haha... small towns are great

[BrandonsZ]

2.) A gas exit sign in NEB. does not mean the gas station is anywhere near. Went 8 miles once one way.

 

 

Don't drive in the Yukon Territory then.

 

Sign says,

"Gas, lodging, diner 50km"

 

Smaller sign below says, "Gas ->" pointing to a dirt road. (who am I kidding it was mostly dirt roads)

 

50km later on the main road I find an abandoned gas station and a sign that says, "no services 100km".

 

So I went back 50km!!! and got gas in some dude's back yard, he would only accept cash and charged by $1.30 per litre for 25 litres. Other than the cost at the time 1997, the only other issue was my car would only hold 20 litres.

 

After that I stopped pretty much at any station I saw and still almost ran out once.

 

Lesson: when driving to Alaska DON'T take the "scenic" route.

 

Scenic = No services, cranky Canadians, crappy cabin shaped grocery stores with expired food, and roads which had ruts deeper than the height of my tires.