An Epilogue and some stats

Few days have passed since I returned home. I didn't get a whole lot of time to reflect. I was tired - truly tired. I spent the first few days doing nothing useful, yet, did my best to be of help at home. After all, Jaya had faced the last 3 weeks of chores all by herself.

• My beloved Saab did 4040 miles in this trip, using 141 gallons of premium gas, costing me $0.13 to drive a mile (alternatively, $100 would've driven me 762 miles).


• The rental Nissan Altima did 5355 miles using 164 gallons of regular gas, costing me $0.11 to drive a mile (alternatively, $100 would've driven me 948 miles).


• The total fuel cost was just shy of $1100.


• The 19 days of driving was done over 187 hours, an average of 9 hrs 48 mts on the road each day. Not necessarily driving all the time, mind you.


• We did 9510 miles in the trip, covering an average of 500 miles each day.


• The longest days were towards the end (day 19 and 20) when we were on the road for 11 hrs 45 mts.


• Oregon, Ohio, New York were the states that enforced driving laws very strictly, followed by South Dakota, Kansas, Massachussetts, Georgia.


• Montana and Wyoming were at the other extreme, even though I was stopped in WY.


• The states that impressed me with some character that was unique to it were Oregon, Montana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.


• We barely peeked into a handful of states - Wisconsin, Michigan, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, West Virginia and Kansas.


• Arizona had the reputation of being a very strict enforcer of traffic laws and speeding. While I didn't encounter many AZ troopers, I did find most people driving at the speed limit in that state. Who would want to mess with Arizona, a state that comes across as one with little tolerance towards immigrants as well as their own (Gifford shooting).


• Texas Department of Transportation was very explicit with their view point - Don't mess with Texas - signs were all over the place.

With that, I would like to sign off. For those who kept following the blogs regularly and commenting, both online and offline, thanks!

Day 21: NV, CA, Home!

Home!

When does it feel to be home? If you are on a 6 mile trip to drop your daughter to school, making that last turn in the street your home is located could make you feel home. If you are on a 100 mile trip to a different city, entering the city limits of where you live might make you feel home. When you have driven nearly 10,000 miles, entering the state you belong to certainly made me feel home... even though I still had another 500 miles to go.

The drive through CA started with the arid Mojave desert. Ron Paul has serious support in one person for 2012 elections in the Mojave area. It is amazing how quickly the scenery changes in California. Very quickly, we climbed on top of Tehachapi pass, a town that claims to have all four seasons. We came down to the central valley where farming is the way of life. I noticed that the farmers were extremely angry with the Democratic congress (at least, before the switch in the balance of power). Like with any Republican propaganda, there was a concerted and relentless attack on why the Democratic congress has caused farming to suffer in CA. I know not if there is truth to that sentiment. I intend to check where does the truth lay here - we seem to live in a world where if the price of a commodity we use goes up, we just accept it and move on. Milk was around $2.50 a gallon not long ago. Today, it is around $3.50. Shouldn't we care about what transpired to cause this increase?

The last leg home took us over Pacheco pass and the beautiful San Juan reservoir. We reached home at 4:30 pm. Jaya and Kavya were waiting for us and it was a sight to see Apollo react to Jaya and Kavya. He literally went berserk with joy, running all over and jumping all over them. It took him a good part of an hour to calm down. And Jana came home from tennis and there he went again!

We drove the Colorado / Utah / Arizona mountains yesterday. In all my excitement about Zion National park, I forgot to mention that what was picture perfect when we drove yesterday will be home to the first serious storm today / tomorrow with snow. The temperatures are expected to plummet by 40 degrees or more. I saved the weather forecast from accuweather. Here goes some excerpts.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
...UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES TO END EARLY THIS WEEK...

THE UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES ACROSS UTAH THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS WILL BE ENDING EARLY THIS WEEK. A SERIES OF PROGRESSIVELY COLDER WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL DRAW MUCH COLDER AIR INTO THE GREAT BASIN...WITH THE COLDEST AIR REACHING THE AREA LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

PEOPLE PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES EARLY THIS WEEK...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST UTAH SHOULD PREPARE FOR A DRAMATIC CHANGE EARLY THIS WEEK.

HUNTERS AND OTHER PEOPLE PURSUING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN THE COMING WEEK SHOULD KEEP APPRISED OF THE LATEST WEATHER FORECAST. SNOWFALL AND FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE CURRENT PROLONGED WARM SPELL OVER UTAH AND COLORADO....

There is no point in wondering how it would have turned out if I had to go through that. I didn't! If I had to, I would've!

48 states. 21 days. 9510 miles. 2 cars. Freezing cold. Snow. Relentless rains. Wind. 2 traffic stops. 0 tickets. 1 car wreck. Perfect sunrises. Breathtaking scenes. Friendly fire fighters. Hawkish receptionist. 125 mph. A pair of pure white samoyed dogs. George Weed. 4 corners. Yellowstone. Niagara, Apollo and me. Crazy dogs in Cortez. Uplifting Mt. Rushmore. Resigned peace right after the accident. Enchanting New Mexico. Zion. Plans. Change of plans. Go with the flow. It was an adventure beyond my wildest dreams.

I am sucker for statistics. I will share some interesting stats in a day or so. Until then, I just want to say I am glad to be home. And enjoy the cake Jaya had ordered to celebrate my home coming after driving through all 48 contiguous states. The writing on the cake said, "Congrats. 48. You did it!" Jaya surely wants to recognize the drive through 48 states - not my age :)

Day 21 pics

p.s. do you have a car you want to donate?

Day 20: CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV

The penultimate day of the road trip started with us making our way to the Four Corners Monument. We reached there by 7:30 am and we realized that the monument happens to be in Navajo territory and would open only at 8 am. We spent the time taking in the sunrise. The presentation of the actual monument was very nice, but the overall atmosphere was a bit of a let down. Two folks dressed in their sweats showed up couple of minutes before 8 and let us in - the monument was surrounded by rundown rooms. All that not withstanding, I was able to walk from New Mexico into Colorado into Utah and finally Arizona within a minute.

We hit the road entering Arizona in US-160. The scenery was quite breathtaking, especially some of the rock formations and sand rocks. It is the Grand Canyon state - but there evidently are several canyons that are equally grand. We were able to see two of them. The second one was by Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon area. It was quite a sight - they also have a dam built by the lake. Apollo and I were able to take the steps down for a closer look of both the natural wonder and man-made wonder facing each other. This was an unexpected treat (along AR-98) - I thought four corners monument was supposed to be the high point for the day!

Leaving AZ behind, we entered Utah, the 47th state in our trip. Not to be left behind its four corner brothers, Utah had its own share of scenic beauty by US-89. But the biggest surprise of the day came when we took Utah SR-9. I didn't realize that it actually passed through Zion National Park. I thought the $25 fee to drive through the 13 mile road was too much - was I mistaken! It was an experience beyond compare. Every single pullout seemed to be a must stop. We also saw the sure footed mountain goats hanging around dangerous cliffs. I am so grateful to be able to experience this breathtaking gift of nature and yet not have planned for it.

I must've clicked zillions of pictures today in the three key locations. We were way behind what I thought we'd be doing in time - but going with the flow means taking things as they come! Thankfully, I-15S came and we breezed through the last 150+ miles in short order, passing through Arizona again and finally, Nevada. When we crossed over into Nevada at 3:20 pm today, we technically have driven through all 48 states!

Sin city is our temporary home for the night. We leave tomorrow morning for our home in Saratoga!

Day 20 pics

Day 19: TX, NM, CO

What a difference people can make in your day. I checked out from my motel and the person was so cheerful, friendly as she bade me goodbye. I contrast this with the person who was hawkish, gave me a critical look when I took a bucket of ice for the ice chest (just one, mind you), slapped on the highest fee for a pet at checkout (was never mentioned during check in) and was proud about doing it. Two days, two different hotels, two clerks, entirely different experience.

I had wanted to be in New Mexico border at sunrise. I couldn't have timed it better. We crossed the Texas / New Mexico border just before sunrise. The welcome center was coming alive, there was a person putting up the flags. Asked her if I could take pictures, and unlike the sweet potato vendor in MS, she had no issues with it. Right after, we were treated to an awesome sunrise and the journey through the land of enchantment had begun. I met a friend few days ago in Cincinnati and he mentioned that New Mexico is alive with energy. So true! It was peaceful, picturesque with sceneries widely varying as we traversed the state from east to north-west. I took the most number of pictures today. There were times I couldn't drive a mile without stopping for another picture.

The first place of interest was Tucumcari mountain. Evidently, a landmark from the past as well as part of the historic route 66. Parts of the route 66 looked so dilapidated! We entered Albuquerque soon after. I remembered from my last drive on I-40W that this was quite scenic. Indeed, the mountains were majestic as we winded through Albuquerque before coming to an abrupt stop. In all my years of driving, this is the second time that the traffic had come to a complete stop and everyone started getting out of the cars and mingling around. There was an accident ahead of me - some 20 cars ahead. But we were stuck there for the better part of an hour. During this time, Apollo took exception to a horse looking over in his direction on our right. He was growling continuously for a while until we moved our ways. That was the sole entertainment I had during the traffic stop. After that, I tracked down an Indian restaurant for lunch - my first proper meal on the road.

The 2nd half of the journey through NM was even more delightful. Along Hwy 550, it was simply breathtaking as we went through several Indian reservations. We finally reached the border town of Aztec and surprise! In the middle of the dry and desert land, suddenly there were trees and better yet, delightful fall colors. I didn't expect this one bit. We soon crossed over into Colorado and I realized that the colorful Colorodo was rubbing on Aztec.

We stay tonight at Cortez, Colorado. Apollo had no exercise all day. I found a great trail by the motel - Mesa Verde park trail - Apollo and I had a great 5k run. He is happily settled down, allowing me to do my evening routine of uploading the pictures and writing the blog.

I can't believe I've been at this for nearly three weeks - and that this journey is fast approaching its conclusion in two more days of driving. Enjoy the pictures from today - I must admit I was thoroughly enchanted by New Mexico!

Day 19 pics

Day 18: AR, TX, OK, TX

I had originally planned to drive from Pensacola, FL to Amarillo, TX taking a direct route through rural Texas all the way - it was the shortest route. But I started driving, I figured that if I has to experience Route 66, I better drive another 70 miles. We started out driving west on I-30, quickly crossing over into Texas. The first photographs of TX was taken when it was dark. But the drive did include a part of rural Texas and you have to believe me when I say I saw a man riding his horse in the median area of US-82! We crossed over into Oklahoma in US-271 and took the Indian Nation Turnpike. That ride was something... 100+ miles with 3 tolls and 4 or 5 exits along the way with miles and miles of solitude. Oklahoma seems to have lots of toll roads and this one had the added privilege of being able to drive at 75 without worrying about a ticket.

We soon joined I-40W, what was erstwhile Route 66. The drive allowed us to experience several Indian Nations, a Cherokee trading post and a stop at a museum dedicated to Route 66. The Cherokee trading post was a commercial version - located right off the freeway selling amongst other things, leather goods made in China! I figure I need to drive deeper into Indian territory to not find anything made in China! May be, tomorrow or day after... let's see.

The Route 66 museum in Clinton, OK was awesome. It had several artefacts from times past - cars, restaurant settings, gas station pumps... Too bad I couldn't stay for the movie at the end of the museum - Apollo was sitting in the car and it was one of the warmer days today.

We crossed over back into Texas. I was wondering if there would be another border town named Texola and voila! There was one!

The welcome center this time was 100 miles into the state... and it was huge! We were able to see miles and miles from the rest stop on a day with remarkable visibility and blue skies.

Day 18 pics

Day 17: FL, AL, MS, LA, AR

Pensacola, FL was the southeastern most point of my journey. I have started bearing northwest towards home. The journey started with a quick re-entry back into Alabama, drive through Mobile and crossing over into Mississippi. A good portion of today’s journey was through the back roads and it certainly had its rewards. In Alabama, we were treated to an awesome sighting of a lake (I believe it was part of Alabama water supply) that had an awesome mist hanging over it. We have been treated to so many of these mysterious, yet beautiful natural phenomenon. It amazes me how much nature has in store each day for someone willing to look!

Mississippi was uneventful. The only interesting thing I saw was farmers selling tons of sweet potatoes by the highways. I stopped at one place – the lady was happily approaching me to sell me one of the huge bags – I told her that I was just passing by and wanted to take a picture. An old man came out of the pick-up and first squarely refused my taking a picture – then he changed his mind and agreed to let me do it as long as I didn’t include them in the picture. Well, I got my pictures!

From there, we entered Louisiana, crossing Mississippi river. I could only get a quick look at the river – what with another bridge crossing, I had to be extra alert driving  The welcome center had an open area for Apollo to wander and run. We ran into Delhi, LA and it evidently was leading to poverty point. We took a detour and found Delhi Market, Delhi Clinic, Delhi Hospital… I was hoping to find a place that hawks Chole Bhature (a Delhi staple in India), but that was not to be . I had to be satisfied with Taco Hell for lunch today.

We finally cut across into Arkansas and called it a day at Texarkana. The drive by AR-529 looked to me that we were traveling on a brand new road for about 25 miles - it was flawless! I dare say this was one of the best stretches we drove.

Almost every state border seems to have a city straddling it. This town between Texas and Arkansas has taken it a step further to call itself Texarkana and have a long State Line Road diving the two states, where one side is AR and the other side is TX. Cincinnati could’ve been christened Ohtucky and Kansas City could’ve been Kanouri if they had followed Texarkana’s lead. I bet denizens of those cities are happy the way things are!

The internet connectivity at my hotel sucked. I just couldn’t get it past the limited access mode. So, this blog post will be a day delayed.

Day 17 pics

Day 16: TN, NC, SC, AL, FL

After the rough weather of yesterday, today was very different. Dry, but chilly and windy at the start. In fact, when we crossed over to NC and took a break, it was downright uncomfortable to stay out. But we had to brave the chill in order to take in what was a beautiful start to the day. Falls colors were very visible in the TN/NC appalachian mountain area that we crossed early in the morning. (Sorry, NH fall foliage snob)

It was supposed to be a long drive today - 614 miles by my original plan. But I managed to shave off 20 miles in South Carolina - and got to drive through what I can only describe as a collection of junk shops posing as antique shops along Hwy 25. They were selling hot boiled peanuts - tempted as I was, I passed on that - it was too early in the morning. But it did bring back memories from India for me where we used to buy salted / boiled peanuts. They are tasty - if you haven't tried it, you must.

Georgia had an elaborate welcome and I could let Apollo run around for a while in the welcome / rest area. It was also a relief to be driving in GA where the speed limits had gone up to 70. The Carolinas were very conservative and I can understand that they were respecting the winding roads up and down the Appalachian mountains to keep the limits down. GA and AL had no such challenges and thus we were speeding our way to Pensacola, FL where we are staying for the night.

Driving down Hwy 29 S to Pensacola, I came across Morgan Cemetry. Nothing unusual there, but the sign by the road leading to Morgan cemetry was so appropriate: dead end! I wish I had backed up and captured that, but then, I was eager to get the day's drive done with.

Day 16 pics

We have completed 38 states with today. 5 more days, 10 more states and some 2600 miles to home.