MileageAddict
Dec 14, 01, 11:00 pm
As many of you know, my family and I recently relocated from Snoqualmie, Washington to Leesburg, Virginia. The catalyst for the move was my wife getting a promotion with an obscenely large financial carrot attached to it. Her company paid to move all of our stuff, shipped her car and paid for her and my son to fly from SEA to IAD. Heck, they even footed the bill for our big, fat and happy golden retriever to fly. I jokingly say they told me to pound pavement as I was left to drive cross country with our big, fat and happy Maine Coon cat....Sasha.
So, after 14 years living in the shadow of the Emerald City, Sasha and I watched the movers grunt and sweat as they loaded 17,580 pounds of materialism into an Atlas Van Lines truck. A Volvo truck I might add. They started at 9 in the morning and finished at 6pm. Since we had no bed to sleep upon, it was a quick goodbye to our house and Sasha and I loaded up the necessary materials for our drive. The Volvo S70 had all the important goodies needed for a long distance journey. Road atlas, music CD's, bottle of water, cell phone....oh yes...litter pan, food dish and favorite worn out t-shirt to sleep on.
We drove for 261 miles and made it to Pendleton, Oregon. As much as I strongly prefer Hilton properties, the best this outpost had to offer was a fairly descent Best Western. Whatever. We got there at 9:45pm and planned to be out by 7am anyway. I got my 250 miles for the brief stay. The next day was a rough one. The mountain passes between Pendleton and Boise aren't that high but a snow storm decided to pay a visit today. Oh, the snow wasn't that bad but the 80 mph winds (I am not exaggerating) made visibility a challenge. Very treacherous and a speed no greater than 40 mph. By the time we crawled through Boise, Idaho, the snow was heavier but the roads were in better shape. Later in the day, we turned south and headed for Salt Lake City. The radio news indicated that the road we traveled 3 hours earlier was now closed due to the winds. The snow diminished and the roads remained clear so we made much better time. I should note that Sasha is a cool cat and spent most of the trip looking out the rear window or sleeping on her ratty old t-shirt. Good kitty. Second night found us at a very good Hampton Inn in Provo, Utah. 605 miles for this exhausting day. Sasha checks out HBO while I go out for a beer and some dinner. Weather forecast calls for heavy snow during the night and I'm concerned but too tired to care. Next morning finds only 4 inches of snow on the car. Turns out the storm is just now arriving. We hightail it out of there and continue to dig deeper south. The twisty curvy mountain road through Price, UT is covered with snow but not icy. The Volvo keeps good traction on the nasty road. Still, speed never gets above 40 mph for the first hours of the day. As we get within 20 miles of Arches National Park, the road miraculously clears. Still havent seen the sun in days but a clear road makes me happy. We take a 2 hour diversion through the stunningly beautiful park. I count three other cars the entire time and never see another soul. The place was so quiet that you can hear your own pulse. All the odd rock formations were covered with snow and I could have spent a couple of days there if I wasn't on a deadline. I need to be in Leesburg, Virginia before my wife starts work on Monday and it's already Thursday. Get your road atlaas out and follow along with me now....we head south and take a little detour to Four Corners. this is the only spot in the US where four states meet. I am a geogrphic geek so I had to check this place out. I got a helpful tourist to take a picture of Sasha and me standing in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado all at the same time. Still heading south through Shiprock (very depressed and poor area) and down to Gallup, NM. Here we link up with I-40 which will take us to Knoxville, Tenn. After 639 miles, we sleep at the Hampton Inn Albuquerque (a very very nice property). Friday we zoomed along and a steady 80 mph and breezed through New Mexico, and headed into north Texas. Next stop was right next to the highway. Stanley Marsh's Cadillac Row. You know....the row of 1950's Caddys planted in the field like a modern Stonehedge. Spent a whole 5 minutes checking it out and continued east. Got a free car wash with fill-up in Elk City, OK and saw my brownish-rust colored car turn white again. Also, visiting Oklahoma meant that I have now been to all 50 states; something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. Not just change planes or dip my big toe mind you but actually be in the state and visit. Next stop was Oklahoma City to pay my respects at the National Memorial. This is the site of the former Murrah Federal Building. I got there at sunset (yes, I saw the sun finally) which cast a warm glow on all of those sad empty chairs that represent the victims of that terrible day. I wanted to make up some time on my schedule so we pushed on. After driving 740 miles, we spent the night at a Hampton Inn in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Big hotel with internet access in the lobby business center but a little pricey for a Hampton. Aw, who cares, I'm tired. Saturday had us heading towards Memphis but I got distracted in Little Rock and took the wrong split in the freeway. We ended up taking some backroads that roughly paralleled I-40 and had lunch in Wynne, Arkansas. I had lunch at a cafe that served a buffet of baked squash, corn fritters, BBQ chicken, black eye pea salad, hush puppies, collard greens...mmmm! It was very good. Who cares if I was the only there not dressed in camouflage and wearing a neon orange hunting cap. The shiny new Volvo parked among rusty Chevy trucks was odd too. Got to Memphis around 2pm and made a pit stop to visit...GRACELAND! Elvis might be the king of rock n roll but he was a little mentally messed up when it came to interior decorating. Weird, weird weird but it was great! What a memorable side trip, indeed. Spend the night at a Hampton Inn in Crossville, Tenn. Another 660 miles done. This is the worst Hampton I have ever frequented. Nasty! Bathroom stank like mildewed towels, carpet has more stains than a slaughterhouse floor and the decor was from 1975. This place gives Hampton a bad name. Oh well, when I spend the points I earned for a stay in Europe or Hawaii, I wont be thinking about Crossville, TN. The last day was an easy 535 miles up through Virginia, pass Staunton (where my father went to military school) and over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Very pleasant drive today. Sasha was getting many smiles from other cars today as she spent the day sunning herself in the rear window. Arrived at the Homewood Suites (ahhh, a real Hilton property) just in time to go out for dinner with my wife (who actually missed me) and son (who really really missed me). After two weeks at Casa Homewood, we moved into our new home in an incredibly charming community with lots of history and culture. Leesburg looks like it will be a good place to watch my son grow.
I plan to upload some pics when I have some extra time for those actually interested in this non-flying trip report.
So...here are some final stats:
118.6 gallons of fuel used
29.05 avg miles per gallon (wow, that's good!)
3,440 total miles driven
# times cat meowed while in the car: 2
# of hotels that do not allow cats: 5
# hotels Sasha snuck into under my jacket: 5
------------------
Addicted to airline miles? Check out: Mileage Workshop (http://www.mileageworkshop.com)
[This message has been edited by MileageAddict (edited 12-14-2001).]
So, after 14 years living in the shadow of the Emerald City, Sasha and I watched the movers grunt and sweat as they loaded 17,580 pounds of materialism into an Atlas Van Lines truck. A Volvo truck I might add. They started at 9 in the morning and finished at 6pm. Since we had no bed to sleep upon, it was a quick goodbye to our house and Sasha and I loaded up the necessary materials for our drive. The Volvo S70 had all the important goodies needed for a long distance journey. Road atlas, music CD's, bottle of water, cell phone....oh yes...litter pan, food dish and favorite worn out t-shirt to sleep on.
We drove for 261 miles and made it to Pendleton, Oregon. As much as I strongly prefer Hilton properties, the best this outpost had to offer was a fairly descent Best Western. Whatever. We got there at 9:45pm and planned to be out by 7am anyway. I got my 250 miles for the brief stay. The next day was a rough one. The mountain passes between Pendleton and Boise aren't that high but a snow storm decided to pay a visit today. Oh, the snow wasn't that bad but the 80 mph winds (I am not exaggerating) made visibility a challenge. Very treacherous and a speed no greater than 40 mph. By the time we crawled through Boise, Idaho, the snow was heavier but the roads were in better shape. Later in the day, we turned south and headed for Salt Lake City. The radio news indicated that the road we traveled 3 hours earlier was now closed due to the winds. The snow diminished and the roads remained clear so we made much better time. I should note that Sasha is a cool cat and spent most of the trip looking out the rear window or sleeping on her ratty old t-shirt. Good kitty. Second night found us at a very good Hampton Inn in Provo, Utah. 605 miles for this exhausting day. Sasha checks out HBO while I go out for a beer and some dinner. Weather forecast calls for heavy snow during the night and I'm concerned but too tired to care. Next morning finds only 4 inches of snow on the car. Turns out the storm is just now arriving. We hightail it out of there and continue to dig deeper south. The twisty curvy mountain road through Price, UT is covered with snow but not icy. The Volvo keeps good traction on the nasty road. Still, speed never gets above 40 mph for the first hours of the day. As we get within 20 miles of Arches National Park, the road miraculously clears. Still havent seen the sun in days but a clear road makes me happy. We take a 2 hour diversion through the stunningly beautiful park. I count three other cars the entire time and never see another soul. The place was so quiet that you can hear your own pulse. All the odd rock formations were covered with snow and I could have spent a couple of days there if I wasn't on a deadline. I need to be in Leesburg, Virginia before my wife starts work on Monday and it's already Thursday. Get your road atlaas out and follow along with me now....we head south and take a little detour to Four Corners. this is the only spot in the US where four states meet. I am a geogrphic geek so I had to check this place out. I got a helpful tourist to take a picture of Sasha and me standing in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado all at the same time. Still heading south through Shiprock (very depressed and poor area) and down to Gallup, NM. Here we link up with I-40 which will take us to Knoxville, Tenn. After 639 miles, we sleep at the Hampton Inn Albuquerque (a very very nice property). Friday we zoomed along and a steady 80 mph and breezed through New Mexico, and headed into north Texas. Next stop was right next to the highway. Stanley Marsh's Cadillac Row. You know....the row of 1950's Caddys planted in the field like a modern Stonehedge. Spent a whole 5 minutes checking it out and continued east. Got a free car wash with fill-up in Elk City, OK and saw my brownish-rust colored car turn white again. Also, visiting Oklahoma meant that I have now been to all 50 states; something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. Not just change planes or dip my big toe mind you but actually be in the state and visit. Next stop was Oklahoma City to pay my respects at the National Memorial. This is the site of the former Murrah Federal Building. I got there at sunset (yes, I saw the sun finally) which cast a warm glow on all of those sad empty chairs that represent the victims of that terrible day. I wanted to make up some time on my schedule so we pushed on. After driving 740 miles, we spent the night at a Hampton Inn in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Big hotel with internet access in the lobby business center but a little pricey for a Hampton. Aw, who cares, I'm tired. Saturday had us heading towards Memphis but I got distracted in Little Rock and took the wrong split in the freeway. We ended up taking some backroads that roughly paralleled I-40 and had lunch in Wynne, Arkansas. I had lunch at a cafe that served a buffet of baked squash, corn fritters, BBQ chicken, black eye pea salad, hush puppies, collard greens...mmmm! It was very good. Who cares if I was the only there not dressed in camouflage and wearing a neon orange hunting cap. The shiny new Volvo parked among rusty Chevy trucks was odd too. Got to Memphis around 2pm and made a pit stop to visit...GRACELAND! Elvis might be the king of rock n roll but he was a little mentally messed up when it came to interior decorating. Weird, weird weird but it was great! What a memorable side trip, indeed. Spend the night at a Hampton Inn in Crossville, Tenn. Another 660 miles done. This is the worst Hampton I have ever frequented. Nasty! Bathroom stank like mildewed towels, carpet has more stains than a slaughterhouse floor and the decor was from 1975. This place gives Hampton a bad name. Oh well, when I spend the points I earned for a stay in Europe or Hawaii, I wont be thinking about Crossville, TN. The last day was an easy 535 miles up through Virginia, pass Staunton (where my father went to military school) and over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Very pleasant drive today. Sasha was getting many smiles from other cars today as she spent the day sunning herself in the rear window. Arrived at the Homewood Suites (ahhh, a real Hilton property) just in time to go out for dinner with my wife (who actually missed me) and son (who really really missed me). After two weeks at Casa Homewood, we moved into our new home in an incredibly charming community with lots of history and culture. Leesburg looks like it will be a good place to watch my son grow.
I plan to upload some pics when I have some extra time for those actually interested in this non-flying trip report.
So...here are some final stats:
118.6 gallons of fuel used
29.05 avg miles per gallon (wow, that's good!)
3,440 total miles driven
# times cat meowed while in the car: 2
# of hotels that do not allow cats: 5
# hotels Sasha snuck into under my jacket: 5
------------------
Addicted to airline miles? Check out: Mileage Workshop (http://www.mileageworkshop.com)
[This message has been edited by MileageAddict (edited 12-14-2001).]