Greetings Family, Friends and Followers,
After 5 days of driving, driving and more driving, we finally rolled to a stop in front of our home. Mission Accomplished!
This was a long trip, longer coming home since we went south to see (what is still the mess of) New Orleans and San Antonio. Our plans to visit the Grand Canyon had to be dropped due to the length of the never ending state that is known as Texas. I will have total mileage, average gas mileage (car onboard computer says over 24 mpg which is incredible for a muscle car) and other statistics later on when I reconcile my receipts which I have plenty of.
Those who drove classic Mustangs across the country, either with our Mustangs Across America (MAA) group or other groups, no doubt had fun doing so. But, the newer Mustangs like ours were by far more comfortable. Dependability, ability to run all day long at a higher average speed without overheating, cruise control, air conditioning, heater, power to spare, stop now brakes, satellite radio coast to coast and weatherstripping that actually seals made the thousands of miles much more enjoyable. Still, we were both more than ready to not be in the car driving for 7 plus hours each day. Something about mile after mile of more after more of the same road going through the same state tends to wear on you. I will admit that I have a renewed appreciation for long haul truck drivers.
After 5 days of driving, driving and more driving, we finally rolled to a stop in front of our home. Mission Accomplished!
This was a long trip, longer coming home since we went south to see (what is still the mess of) New Orleans and San Antonio. Our plans to visit the Grand Canyon had to be dropped due to the length of the never ending state that is known as Texas. I will have total mileage, average gas mileage (car onboard computer says over 24 mpg which is incredible for a muscle car) and other statistics later on when I reconcile my receipts which I have plenty of.
Those who drove classic Mustangs across the country, either with our Mustangs Across America (MAA) group or other groups, no doubt had fun doing so. But, the newer Mustangs like ours were by far more comfortable. Dependability, ability to run all day long at a higher average speed without overheating, cruise control, air conditioning, heater, power to spare, stop now brakes, satellite radio coast to coast and weatherstripping that actually seals made the thousands of miles much more enjoyable. Still, we were both more than ready to not be in the car driving for 7 plus hours each day. Something about mile after mile of more after more of the same road going through the same state tends to wear on you. I will admit that I have a renewed appreciation for long haul truck drivers.
We went from Tuscon, AZ to Las Vegas, NV on Thursday. We rejoined Interstate 40 and the remainder of Highway 93 back to Hoover Dam. This time, Larissa had the chance to gawk and take pictures. We returned to the Aliante Station Hotel & Casino to spend our last night on the road. We had so enjoyed the hotel two weeks earlier when MAA used the Aliante as the headquarters hotel to form up for the jump off point to our road trip. Well, not everything went quite right on the second time. I had called them to make the room reservation while we were in the never ending state of Texas. I had considerable difficulty due to a lanquage problem with the person setting up our reservation. When we arrived, we found a hotel that was sold out and while we had a room, the electronic reservation left our one key requirement: non smoking room. We were stuck in an ashtray for the night. While it did not reek to the extent of the Rodeway Inn in Boosier City, Louisiana, we were shocked and really disappointed. When I complained to the front desk person, he explained that the language barrier problem was a common complaint with many guests since Station Hotels corporate recently decided to outsource all of their telephone reservations / customer service to Guatemala. Guatemala? Come on, Nevada Casinos, you guys are already raking in plenty from the hoards of gamblers and all the other fees for room ammenities. Can't you employ some people from the very country that makes it possible for you to make your profits in the first place? My protestations were not entirely in vain. After numerous appologies for the smoking room situation, we supposedly have a note in our account that will entitle us to a free upgrade to a preferred room (I am assuming the bottle water is not an extra charge in a preferred room) on our next visit. Considering that we spent the night in an ashtray, I am not in a huge hurry to return without an iron clad guarantee that this time the room will be smoke free. Don't get me wrong, the Aliante is a fine, brand new hotel and casino. I just can not put up with the smoke. Unfortunately, smoking is permitted in the casino. Luckily for them and not for me, my gambling skills remain such that I do not last long in the casino.
The next morning, we left early for the final leg home. More driving, 9 hours worth. Barstow (fuel stop), Mojave, Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Modesto (fuel stop), Stockton, my favorite Highway 12, home. Along the way, we saw justice dispensed when two vehicles, one being a red Toyota pickup, blew past us weaving through traffic that included a CHP on an on ramp. Oddly enough, about two hours later near Modesto, this same pickup blew past us again. We had been driving at the speed limit nonstop and this clown managed to catch up to us after being stopped & cited by the CHP. Some people don't learn.
When all was said and done, we made the complete trip there and back without drawing the attention of highway patrol / state police / state troopers. It was not because of lack of them - they were everywhere, especially in the middle of absolutely nowhere locations and there were a lot of them. We were also lucky in the few times that we went at somewhat "elevated" speeds, nobody official noticed. Heh, heh, heh.
On our trip east, we ran with dozens of MAA Mustangs. On our return trip west, not a single MAA Mustang. They all probably went straight home on I-40 instead of our oddessy along I-10. Oh well, we were on our own schedule on the way home. It was just a long, long drive.
In the morning, I resume my 125 mile commute runs. Oh joy, more driving!
Stay tuned for some more information in a future blog or two. Thanks for letting us share our adventures with you. Hope you enjoyed the ride too!
Jeff & Larissa
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