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Hi all,
Back from a very cool roadtrip. I drove from Mulino, OR to Hilliard, OH and back in my '07 Exige S over the course of two weeks. In that two weeks, I got to hang out with a college buddy, see some friends in the NW Burbs of Chicago, show my "totally frickin' awesome" car to my newphews, and spend two days circling Mid Ohio with my Dad. Saw some interesting things along the way, met some cool people (including a LotusTalk member), learned a couple things about the car, and generally, had a great time. Here are some of the details, for those that might be interested:
Outbound route: Mulino to Salt Lake City to Kearney to Palatine to Hilliard
Return route: Hilliard to Palatine to Brooklyn Center to Livingston to Mulino
Mileage
Speedo accuracy
(assuming North Dakota and Montana mile markers are accurate)
Roadkill Incidents
Favorite Roadsigns
General Thoughts from the Road
Words I never thought would come out of my mouth
After driving through 490 miles of Nebraska, "Thank God! We're in Iowa!"
Answering the Cost Question
Got a lot of "how much does it cost" questions. I may have found an answer that works. I would tell people, "Not as much as you may think. We're not talking Ferrari money. It's about the same as an Escalade." One guy knew that was $65k. But other than him, everyone just accepted the answer.
Funniest Comment
While parked in a rest area in Nebraska, a woman in her 50s/60s comes up and asks what kind of car we're driving:
Me: It's a Lotus Exige.
Lady: Is it comfortable?
Me: Getting in and out is the hard part. But once inside, it's surprisingly comfortable.
Lady: I've driven on I-80 in a vette. Bump, bump, bump down the road. No thanks. I prefer my her.
She was referring to her HHR.
Finally, I took a few photos along the way. Nothing particularly good. I've posted my favorite below. Behold the beauty that is the mighty Mississippi River from the passenger seat of a Lotus Exige.
Cheers.
-Brad
Back from a very cool roadtrip. I drove from Mulino, OR to Hilliard, OH and back in my '07 Exige S over the course of two weeks. In that two weeks, I got to hang out with a college buddy, see some friends in the NW Burbs of Chicago, show my "totally frickin' awesome" car to my newphews, and spend two days circling Mid Ohio with my Dad. Saw some interesting things along the way, met some cool people (including a LotusTalk member), learned a couple things about the car, and generally, had a great time. Here are some of the details, for those that might be interested:
Outbound route: Mulino to Salt Lake City to Kearney to Palatine to Hilliard
Return route: Hilliard to Palatine to Brooklyn Center to Livingston to Mulino
Mileage
- Total Mileage: 5681
- Maximum MPG: 32.0
- Minimum MPG: 25.5
- Average MPG: 27.7
Speedo accuracy
(assuming North Dakota and Montana mile markers are accurate)
- Speedo indicated 60 mph = 56 mph
- Speedo indicated 80 mph = 75 mph
- Speedo indicated 90 mph = 85 mph
Roadkill Incidents
- Clipped an already dead opposum/raccoon/something with the front tire in Nebraska. It was night time and I was in a single lane bordered by construction barrels. Got lucky as there was a break in the barrels due to an on ramp coming from the right. Only hit the animal with the front wheel. Thought for sure the splitter was toast. No damage to the car.
- Took out a pheasant/chicken-sized bird in North Dakota. The thing started walking onto the highway, then started to fly as it saw me approach. I swerved left, but I hit it with the upper right of the windshield at about 85 mph. No damage to the car. The bird didn't fare so well. I tried to tell myself that it was suicidal as there was no car within 1000 yards ahead of me or 1000 yards behind me. Regardless, I feel badly for the bird.
Favorite Roadsigns
- "Bridge of the Gods" (Oregon)
- "Deadman's Pass" (Oregon)
- "Hell's Canyon Recreation Center" (Idaho)
- "Home of Kool-Aid" (Kearney(?), Nebraska)
- "The Testicle Festival - August xx, 2008" (Montana)
General Thoughts from the Road
- Ohio had the worst left lane squatters
- The Chicago area had the worst lane blockers
- Wisconsin may have more indoor water parks per capita than any other state
- North Dakota was suprisingly beautiful
- Nebraska had the most bugs, although Montana was a close second
- One of the best steak houses ever is Dude's in Sidney, Nebraska
- It turns out that time zones don't always change at state borders. Sometimes, it's in the middle of a state. Who knew? :shrug:
- The amount of corn in Iowa is staggering. After awhile, it starts to close in on you.
- Mid Ohio is a spectacular road course. The elevation changes add a whole new dimension to a track (this is compared to my home track of PIR). If you get a chance to drive it, don't pass it up.
Words I never thought would come out of my mouth
After driving through 490 miles of Nebraska, "Thank God! We're in Iowa!"
Answering the Cost Question
Got a lot of "how much does it cost" questions. I may have found an answer that works. I would tell people, "Not as much as you may think. We're not talking Ferrari money. It's about the same as an Escalade." One guy knew that was $65k. But other than him, everyone just accepted the answer.
Funniest Comment
While parked in a rest area in Nebraska, a woman in her 50s/60s comes up and asks what kind of car we're driving:
Me: It's a Lotus Exige.
Lady: Is it comfortable?
Me: Getting in and out is the hard part. But once inside, it's surprisingly comfortable.
Lady: I've driven on I-80 in a vette. Bump, bump, bump down the road. No thanks. I prefer my her.
She was referring to her HHR.
Finally, I took a few photos along the way. Nothing particularly good. I've posted my favorite below. Behold the beauty that is the mighty Mississippi River from the passenger seat of a Lotus Exige.
Cheers.
-Brad
