Planning Elise adventure

[MickOpalak]

Originally Posted by Stroker Ace

Thats pretty ballsy! considering you have no spare I was heading up to the Lancaster outlets christmass eve for some last minute shopping when I most have ran something over in the raod (never saw it even went back to look), long story short I spent 3 hours of my day waiting for a flatbed and the last cople weeks looking for a new wheel. I would hate for that to happen halfway across the country. either way good luck it sould be a blast. if you make it

Picked mine up in Phili and on day 2 drove it to Atlanta, 850 miles in one day. Next summer drove it to LOG25 in Saint Louis in one day. Next year drove it to LOG26 in Dallas, in two days.

Ask Randi about his little drive after picking up his...

[Terry]

Sorry about the layoff but your trip is the silver lining. I'd try to hit some of the amazing national parks like Grand Tetons/Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion, or Mesa Verde, before getting to California. The terrain is a whole lot different than here! Crossing the Continental Divide is also cool - some of the passes are spectacular. Finally, the Grand Canyon is absolutely jaw-dropping, and there are no pictures which can prepare you for it. Have a great trip!

[stringbean]

Howdy: I bought my Elise in Portland, OR and drove it to my then-home in Southern Georgia. We all know the Elise is noisy, so bring some earplugs. Griot's Garage has an expandable hood prop that works a lot better than a stick as a 'cruise control' on long trips. They also have a tire-repair kit and a small air compressor that both take up little room although I had zero tire issues. I ran over a lawnmower blade a few weeks ago that split the sidewall: the tire was trashed anyway, so I decided to drive the 3 miles to my house on the flat. W ith no air, the tire held together fine. Plan some nice back roads if you have the time but note that the state of Oklahoma has tar strips that'll shake your teeth out. Have a great trip!

[MyFutureSelfnMe]

Originally Posted by stringbean

Howdy: I bought my Elise in Portland, OR and drove it to my then-home in Southern Georgia. We all know the Elise is noisy, so bring some earplugs. Griot's Garage has an expandable hood prop that works a lot better than a stick as a 'cruise control' on long trips. They also have a tire-repair kit and a small air compressor that both take up little room although I had zero tire issues. I ran over a lawnmower blade a few weeks ago that split the sidewall: the tire was trashed anyway, so I decided to drive the 3 miles to my house on the flat. W ith no air, the tire held together fine. Plan some nice back roads if you have the time but note that the state of Oklahoma has tar strips that'll shake your teeth out. Have a great trip!

I wouldn't entrust my wheel to a flat tire!

[Rugbyduck]

Hey Crudson...what kind of work do you do?

[Crudson]

Thanks Terry et al. for the suggestions of places to visit.

evilfij I loved your journal, and you've given me some inspiration. I will set up a blog for the trip, and will have GPS in the car on the laptop. I'm currently writing the software to grab GPS info and periodically upload it to a site, which can track progress and stops using Google Maps. I was considering getting one of those EVDO cards for the laptop but will probably just Bluetooth to my phone for uploading the data.

Rugbyduck I am in enterprise software, and have been doing that in Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics for 8 years or so.

Will respond to other comments later; I am being summoned by the missus

[Rugbyduck]

I believe my brother in law works in the same field for GE.

[nvrblu]

I took my laptop and a copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips ($99 at Costco) on a recent long trip. It comes with a small GPS receiver that connects to a USB port.

[Crudson]

Originally Posted by nvrblu

I took my laptop and a copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips ($99 at Costco) on a recent long trip. It comes with a small GPS receiver that connects to a USB port.

I use DeLorme Street Atlas that also came with a GPS USB device. The user interface is awful and very unorthodox, but the actual map tracking is quite good, the logging works well and it recalculates routes on the fly when you go off track. It also talks to you but there is no hope of hearing that over the Quicksilver, although it can come through the car speakers when playing music off the laptop (which I never do!).

I have the 2005 version; perhaps it is time to try the Microsoft one.

[Surferjer]

Hey Doug-if you're going the southern route, make damn sure you hit the Grand Canyon and of course Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon is cool, but it's a 15 minute stop---wow, that's deep and big---and you're on your way. But it is cool to see once. Vegas has to be enjoyed at night with the top off driving the strip. Unf**king believable. If you're cold put jacket on, but drive it top off.

Come back through Colorado (I-70) and enjoy Glenwood Canyon and Vail Pass. Just be mindful of the weather and have an alternative route just in case.

Let me know when you decide to take up autoxing again. You wouldn't believe how fast AJ is getting, and he's got a significantly faster ride this year.

[Crudson]

I have vowed to do more autox this year, but I will stay on streets and just for fun, or maybe see if AJ wants to do some co-driving.

Vegas will definitely be a main stopover

I am progressing with my software; I am already tracking GPS info which is then displayed on a map on my site. Here is me at home now

[onvacation]

I have driven my Elise across Canada and down the west coast from Canada to Southern Cal. Here are some suggestions:

I take a very small air compressor that plugs into the car's outlet and a plug/patch kit with me since there isn't a spare tire. Of course, I wouldn't want to do a high speed run with a plug in those tires, but I think it beats the foam system that comes with a car. You should be able to continue safely on until a better fix can be dealt with. The compressor and plug kit should run a total of ~$30.

In my many experiences with road trips (I've been within 100 miles of everywhere in the U.S. on road trips in cars or on bicycles), I find the most enjoyable car trips to be planned as I go, provided I have time. It sounds like you have that kind of time. I'd look at maps in motels each night to figure out the next day's itinerary. I'd also find out as much weather info as you can, especially that time of year - though that won't always help. I once had a clear forecast and hit a snowstorm in my M3 in the middle of nowhere, Iowa. I didn't wreck the car, but it was by far the most stressful driving experience I've ever had until I found a motel.

I'll try to think of some of my favorite routes that are likely to be snow free and post those later.

[rnr]

Originally Posted by Crudson

I am progressing with my software; I am already tracking GPS info which is then displayed on a map on my site. Here is me at home now

Good stuff. Definitely post geotagged pictures from along your route. An acquaintance of mine drove his bike from CA to NC last year and took a bunch of pictures along the route and posted them on Flickr. You can check them out at http://flickr.com/map/?&user_id=9105...00.59082&zl=14 (page through on the top left to see the entire trip)

It was awesome to be able to follow his trip based entirely on photos.

[glb]

Originally Posted by Surferjer

wow, that's deep and big

I'm laughing hysterically as I type this.

[cory1000]

Im 20 minutes from Philly, if you go end of feb or anytime in march and want to get 2 cars together to go let me know. I already have laptop with GPS and would love to go on a road trip!!

Originally Posted by Crudson

As some of you know I got laid off the week before Christmas (thanks for all the support), and one thing I am considering doing before I am forced to get another job is drive from up here in Philly to California, and I suppose back again.

I am looking for general advice including good routes, places of interest, things to avoid, people to see etc.

I think February/March is when I'd potentially do it, so that means going as south as possible I expect and avoiding the whole MidWest. Other than that I have little ideas other than to throw a bag of clothes and the laptop with GPS and internet into the car and drive.

[glb]

The suggestions about tire patch kits, sealants, compressors are all good. Given the room, I'd also consider bringing a spare in the pass seat.

I've been thinking for a while that we need some vendor to start an emergency wheel/tire service.

You call and a wheel/tire gets shipped to you fedex, in a box that would allow you to ship yours back.

I tried talking a friend of mine into starting this, w/no success.

Alternative is to leave a spare combo w/a friend to ship for/to you.

Or, we could start an ET network, state to state.

[Crudson]

Originally Posted by rnr

Good stuff. Definitely post geotagged pictures from along your route. An acquaintance of mine drove his bike from CA to NC last year and took a bunch of pictures along the route and posted them on Flickr. You can check them out at http://flickr.com/map/?&user_id=9105...00.59082&zl=14 (page through on the top left to see the entire trip)

It was awesome to be able to follow his trip based entirely on photos.

Very cool on the Flickr thing. I was planning on writing in the ability to show clickable geotagged photo thumbnails directly onto the one Google Map. We'll see how it works out. I really like the way you can show multiple photos at one location on the Flickr map.

Clicking on the Elise will show current direction, speed and altitude, although I am getting some really varying altitude reading off of my GPS device. I also left my GPS program running for a few hours this afternoon to test it and even though it didn't physically move it thought I went over the road to Burger King Probably an acceptable error margin considering the scale.

[Randy Chase]

If you wait until the weather improves, I will do it with you. I know you have a schedule. I am thinking of another long drive...probably Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. For those that weren't around, I picked up my car at LCU in Georgia and drove it across the USA after a quick side trip to Tail of the Dragon. 2 and 1/2 days to go 2850 miles (we veered south to Austin to let Autostrada service the car).

My recommendations is to carry a small tool kit in a soft bag or wrap. You want some basic items like screwdrivers, adjustable wrench, bit of baling wire, electrical wire, fuses, fob battery. First aid kit. Carry a towel in the car. Valentine 1. Water. Catheter.

[sandsmuseum]

I owned an NSX for seven years. When it came time to sell it I decided a farewell journey was in order. I live in California and regularly make trips up and down the coast but rarely East. I decided to traverse the country. I also decided I needed a Theme.

I grew up near the Lewis and Clark trail in Washington State. Perfect. I also had an aging grandmother in St. Louis. What a great place to start.

I bought a copy of the Lewis and Clark diaries and headed for Missouri. Each day I would read the diary entries as I covered the same stretch of river. I was disappointed how seldom you get to actually see the river from the road so I took many side trips looking to see water. These provided excellent reading spots.

I documented the trip and every couple of days would send my notes to the NSX group. I later included pictures and an account on my website. (Look in the other parts, not the Elise part that you all know so well...)

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/nsx/...ndcdayone.html

My strongest recommendation is to not(!) have a schedule. Go where the wind blows you, stop as long as you are intrigued, and keep us informed. The Internet is great for that. I may just follow you back East...

Michael

[JoshS]

I traveled West to East From Philly to LA several times (never back, it's a long story). I80 I70 I10, Each one gets more boring as you go south. Now you could take the 70 or 80 across and head south to the 40 or 10 when you hit Denver and you would probably be safe. But, once or twice a year the plains gets hit hard. The middle of the country through any state is boring as all hell. Flat land no trees, no nothing in the winter (Mitchner wrote a book about people commiting suicide from bordom out there), But you'd be safer to take the southern routes 10 or 40. Stop at Santa Fe, Grand Canyon (Sedona to Jerome fun road), Las Vegas, and Pocoima (Okay forget Pocoima, that's an inside LA Joke). To tools and inflator, add one of those portable battery charger-light things, so you can open your door if the battery dies. Besides my restaurant here in LA I have one in Vegas, so if you lose all your money, at least you can get a free meal! Have a great trip, I truly enjoyed each time. Two last things, bring a small pillow for lombard support, it'll hit you by the 2nd day, trust me and plenty of CD's unless you really like country western (middle of the country).