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.

Day 15: DE, MD, WV, VA, TN

Nat & I relived the India vs. Sri Lanka 2011 WC finals, seeing the highlights before calling it a day. Nat was the ultimate gentleman! He remembered the bet he took with me during the WC finals and gave me a fine bottle of Lagavulin.

It was raining as we packed up in Wilmington, DE. And raining 100% of the way as we drove through MD, WV, VA and TN. It was simply a question of how hard the rain was at various points in the day. It was treacherous early in the morning as I drove near Baltimore - rain, morning rush hour pretty much grounded me to a halt for more than an hour. I took a photo where the predicted speed was 12 mph. I was in that jam! Boy, it was a relief when I could take I-70W toward the Virginias.

The high point today was the stop over we had by the Potomac river. While Missouri was majestic, Potomac was gentle and picturesque. We chanced upon a hidden falls in our trek to the banks of the river. Apollo was his nosy self during the hike down. The poor fella hasn't had much exercise today. With this persistant rain, we were barely able to spend few minutes out. And when we drove into Tennessee, it was quite cold and windy. Well, we continue down south tomorrow, so I am hoping for a break from this dreary weather.

The drive down Virginia in I-81S was quite nice, despite the rain. When I had gone to New Hampshire, we stopped by the welcome center and I talked to the lady there about fall colors. Not sure how many of you know, but Kankamagus highway sports some of the best fall foliage. Since the drive up that highway was not an option for me, I asked her for some alternatives. She was almost dismissive of me, stating that it has to be that or wait for two weeks for the fall color to come down south. I wanted to call her the fall foliage snob. Anyways, the reason I was reminded of that incident was because my drive down VA and little in TN did show lot of fall color. NH fall foliage snob: these places are way more south!

Day 15 pics

Day 14: MA, CT, NY, NJ, DE

We bade farewell to Ravi & Mala, who so very reluctantly let me leave with Apollo on my journey forward. Don't worry, Diamond... in spite of all those comments from Malu chithi, Apollo is with me and on our way home!

Connecticut was quite picturesque - we stopped at the welcome center where, if we had wanted, we could have caught trout as long as we left it back in the stream. But the drive down I-95S was quite interesting, in CT as well as in NY & NJ. The posted speed limit was 55 mph at several places. And if I were to drive at 60, I was almost getting run over by trucks. It is impossible to drive sanely in these northeastern states. Sorry, folks! I'd rather be in the wild west as far as driving goes, failing which California provides a happy middle ground.

The drive through New York City was not bad. We were traveling there around noon. Except for a ghastly accident leading to George Washington bridge. A car was smashed to smithereens in an underpass leading to the bridge the back up was scary what with 18 wheeler trucks making making lane changes like they were driving a compact car! Once past New York, NY, we were in NJ turnpike and believe me... it was a relief to be out of driving in NY city!

After paying another hefty toll to drive through NJ turnpike, we drove into the first state of the union, Delaware. And settled down for a great evening of conversation and drinks with Nat.

Day 14 pics

As you can see, Apollo has managed to endear Nat, someone who is circumspect about dogs!

Day 13: MA, NH, ME, RI

Today was a fairly slow one, with minimal driving. We drove by New Hampshire and very quickly, into Maine. New Hampshire was very clear in it's state motto: Live free or die. And Maine's was interesting as well: The way life should be. If you can drive through New Hampshire and are alive at the end of it, you certainly can live in a state where life would be the way it should be!

New Hampshire has an awesome business model with respect to liquor. There are state sponsored liquor stores where it is sold without any tax. People driving in from MA and ME across NH invariably stop at one of those easily accessible stores and stock up! I did my share of picking up a Jameson in a fancy tin packing for just $20. Way below what it would cost in Dublin, Ireland!

I made a quick stop at Kittery, Maine, the northeastern most point of my trip from home. Maine is famous for its lobsters - but Apollo or I would have none of it and we started our long journey back home, bearing southwest from that point on. We have done well over 50% in distance and 26 of the 48 states. I realized that RI was just a 30 minute ride from Shrewsbury and did a quick in & out of RI - an unplanned exercise that would save some time in tomorrow's drive through New York City and New Jersey.

Apollo had a field day. His first playing frisbee with the folks here. Apollo also endeared himself to Ravi - my recommendation was for Ravi to get a dog and let it serve as his stress buster.

Day 13 pics

Day 12: NY, VT, MA

It was an amazing start today. We went to Niagara falls early in the morning - as a matter of fact, when we reached there by 7 am, there wasn't enough light. Parking was a breeze (and free). We went to the American falls and were there for about 1/2 hour. And during that time, there wasn't another soul there! Imagine.... early in the morning, sun not yet out, but enough light to see the falls, we were there by the great Niagara falls all by ourselves! To be sure, nothing was open - the visitor center was closed as were all the attractions. But then, I couldn't have taken Apollo to any of those places. It was just perfect for us. Apollo, me and Niagara falls for about 30 minutes! The photographs turned out to be grainy... but not the overall experience.


The empire state is huge - it took us a better part of the day to cross the state, paying a hefty toll to drive on I-90! Rest areas were called service areas; they were called service plaza in Ohio turnpike on I-90 yesterday. And further down, in Massachusetts, it was called plaza again! While the drive on I-90E itself was dry, once we left the thruway to go to Vermont, it became breathtakingly beautiful. We drove through Troy, NY (we also went by Troy, KS few days ago) into Bennington, VT - a quaint little town. The little I saw of VT, it was picture postcard perfect.

Day 12 pics

We are staying tonight and tomorrow in my sister-in-law Mala and brother-in-law Ravi's home in Massachusetts. Apollo has already settled down comfortably in their Shrewsbury home.

Day 11: OH, MI, PA, NY

I usually would've left by 7 am local time. But had to do a later start as the car rental company didn't open until 9 am. By the time I hit the road on my new ride, a silver Nissan Altima, it was half past 9.

We were given the opportunity to experience another weather pattern - high winds. All the way from Cincinnati, OH to Buffalo, NY, the winds were extremely strong. So much so that every time we took a break, we could barely spend few minutes out - had to get back into the comfort of the car.

I had to drive through some shady spots in Toledo, OH before entering Michigan. I quickly got out and back on the freeway and went through the first road toll - Ohio turnpike and subsequently in NY to drive in I-90E.

I didn't realize Pennsylvania calls itself as the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". One of the most amusing road signs I saw was in PA - it said "Bridge ices before the roads". A wonderful observation for the motorists who will have to make their judgments based on that critical scientific observation.

The ride today was uneventful - just going through one state after the other. There are a handful of pictures from today below. In a PA rest area, we ran into a two lovely samoyed dogs. Interestingly, when we did a DNA test on Apollo, he was found to have traces of samoyed in him. I didn't believe it. He is clearly a lab / beagle / basenji mix. Seeing the two beautiful samoyed dogs only confirmed that.

Day 11 pics

The show must go on!

Thanks to everyone for the all the well wishes, emails, phone calls over the past two days. When you are down on your luck, these words of encouragement certainly help. But you also get to see / meet people who provide great help.

The fire department people from IN/KY who came to the scene of the accident were so nice. Once they determined that no one was hurt, they switched to party mode. Engaged me in a conversation on my trip, petted Apollo and hung around until the cops showed up. I don't even know their names, but they have my sincere thanks.

The cops were their professional self. And friendly, once they knew that it was not a crime scene - just an accident. The tow truck drivers were also super friendly. After my car got towed, a 2nd guy stayed around in another truck and gave me and Apollo a ride to the lot. Apollo was taking everything in his stride, charming everyone quickly! Sundar had to rearrange his schedule to come down to pick me up. The lot closed at 5 pm, yet the girl who was in the shed / work area stayed until Sundar could come 5 / 10 minutes past their closing time to pick me up. Again, the folks of Jefftow, Jeffersonville, IN have my thanks.

The AAA claims rep did a fine job to get the paperwork done. But the adjuster, Walter, understood the situation that I was stranded thousands of miles from home on a fancy road trip with a dog. What would normally take several days, he expedited it to make a determination on the fact that the car was a total loss in a day. And was also a great help in figuring out the next steps. Walter has my sincere thanks!

What was to have been an overnight stay now has become a multiple night stay in Cincinnati. Comfortable with dogs, but not necessarily 100% dog lovers, Sundar and Uma were so nice to adapt to Apollo. The guys has a way with everyone and quickly charmed them and has made himself very comfortable in their home! It was great to see Neha and Apollo spend time together. Very much like my own girls, Jana and Kavya playing with the boy in the evenings. We did go for couple of nice runs in Cincinnati while waiting to sort things out.

Jaya mentioned right after the accident that I must go on with the trip. Sundar was equally certain that I should continue the trip. And so many of you have shared the same opinion. The show must go on! Not on a Porsche - there is no room for Apollo to travel comfortably :) - but in a rental vehicle. BTW, it wasn't easy to do a one-way car rental. But I think we have managed to do it.

We hit the road tomorrow morning. We have done 18 states so far and intend to complete the remaining 30.

Cincinnati pics

2001 Saab 9-3 Viggen RIP

My insurance company has determined that my old faithful Viggen is a total loss! I am so sad that I couldn't complete this adventure with her after having driven 96,348 miles in the car. When we left the tow lot in Jeffersonville, IN where she was housed last evening, I knew there was a distinct possibility that I may not be seeing my lovely car again. Apollo shares the unique honor of having the last photograph with her.

I will miss my wonderful car.

I am also regrouping my thoughts now that I know the car will not be made roadworthy again. I will have an update tomorrow whether my road trip goes on or not.

Thank you for 11 years of brilliant driving and wonderful memories. You would've completed the trip had I not made the mistake.

Day 8: MO, IL, IN, KY, OH

You've heard the phrase that it rains cats and dogs. Well, it did this morning when we woke up in St. Louis. I couldn't even take Apollo out for his early morning outing. Had to wait for a while before the intensity let down and we could get going for the day.

After that rough start, we were blessed with a beautiful sunrise in Illinois. How often do you get to see the sunrise followed quickly by the sun going behind clouds giving you a simulated sunset in the morning? That was today - check out the pics.

We went through Illinois and Indiana, which claims to be the place where Lincoln spent his formative years. There was yet another diversion near Louisville, KY where they had closed a key bridge between IN and KY. The diversion took us over another bridge over Ohio river. We were at the IN/KY border when BAM! I rear ended a pickup in front when I took a second to observe the border crossing. One moment, all was beautiful and well. The next, all well laid plans were laid to rest and whole set of new problems had to be solved. For the next hour or so, we were in a crucial freeway / bridge crossing waiting for the fire dept and police to show up to do the paperwork and clean up. My radiator was totally busted going under the bumper of the pickup, leaking fluid all over that had to be mopped up by the fire dept. Thankfully, Apollo, the driver of the other car and I suffered no injuries. The pick up was also in a driveable state. Not my viggen. It had to be towed away to a lot and spend the night, possibly several nights there.

We all take life for granted. Life can change in a split second. Imagine what Jaya would have gone through when I called her 4000+ miles away to tell her that I was in an accident. One phone call can change the complexion of a day!

Clearly, the 48 state road trip hit what seems like an irrepairable stop today. I am wading through the paperwork and other logistics today. And I don't know what the future entails, at least of the rest of the road trip tonight.

Thankfully, the incident happened 100 miles away from Cincinnati where I was intending to spend the night at my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's place. Sundar had to drive the 100+ miles to pick me up and Apollo from the tow lot.

Apollo was having a field day at the new home, running and sniffing like crazy. Neha was adoringly following Apollo who was only too happy with all the attention he was getting. All of us, Sundar, Uma, me and Neha were tired for different reasons. Yet, we had a great evening together. Uma had also made my favorite dinner. I am signing off tonight, with the hope that tomorrow would bring more clarity.

Day 8 pics

Day 7: IA, NE, KS, MO

I had to spend lot of time last night to figure out the best way to re-route myself and yet do NE & KS before reaching MO. I-29S was closed for repairs and I didn't want to tack on another 100 miles of drive to an already long day. With multiple options up my sleeve, we set off early at 6:30 am on today's adventure. The drive from Des Moines, IA to Omaha, NE threw a new challenge in the morning - dense fog. For two hours, it was so thick that I wondered if it would ever burn off. Eventually it did, just as we drove into Nebraska. We spent some time by the IA/NE stateline border that is divided by the mighty and majestic Missouri at Omaha. Apollo got to run to his hearts content - it was so early in the morning that we were practically the only people in that area.

I had re-routed myself to drive via US-75S thru rural NE and cut across to I-29S at Auburn, NE using 136. But the bridge across Missouri was closed on 136. So we drove down south on US-75, into Kansas and joined I-29S driving the Pony Express Highway - US 36. While US-75 goes across both NE and KS, for almost identical driving conditions, KS had upped the speed limit to 65mph from 60mph that NE allowed. But then, in KS, as well as in NE and IA, at times there were more trucks on the highways that cars.

Lunch today was cold pizza. Thanks to my friend Adam who had mentioned that cold pizza has its own unique and enjoyable taste, I had the left over pizza from last night, kept in my ice-box at Troy, KS when the temperature outside was a balmy 80 degrees. When I ordered the pizza last night in Des Moines, the girl at the counter offered me a large pizza for the same price. I told her a medium would do, as I was traveling by myself. She was shocked! She promptly called the manager and asked her if it is ok for me to get a medium for the same price as a large. Once the manager gave her the permission, the order was baked in!

After lunch, we drove east on I-70 to St. Louis crossing Missouri couple of more times. That river has created havoc in mid-west recently and the road damages are still being repaired. Yet, it seemed so calm and majestic everytime I crossed it. The last time being just as we were entering St. Louis.

In the last rest stop in Missouri, I ran into another Californian who was driving cross country with his dog. What are the odds of you running into someone from the same state some 3000+ miles away from home who is also traveling with his dog? George was traveling to help a friend of his move some heavy equipment and chose this journey to bond with his dog. He was quite amazed and impressed at my journey across all 48 states. Apollo and Annie bonded well allowing us enough time to chit chat in some remote rest area in Missouri!

Day 7 pics

Day 6: ND, MN, WI, IA

It was a remarkable beginning today. I didn't yearn for the sun, yet the day stated with me driving east and viewing the sunrise just as we were entering Minnesota. It was a beautiful sight after multiple days of rain / snow. It reminded how blessed and fortunate I was. For reasons that I can only feel, but not articulate, I broke down and started crying. It was a profound moment that was deeply personal - while there wasn't anyone to witness it, as I recollect the day, I felt that I must admit this in the day's blog. After all, I was hoping to discover something about myself in addition to America!

Some of you must know that Minnesota is considered the land of lakes. 15,000, I learnt today. Yet, the MN license plates were mentioning 10,000 lakes. Wonder why 5,000 were left out by MN DMV. The fall colors were showing nicely and the temperature had climbed up to 70s. An enjoyable shorts / t-shirt day. I drove across Minnesota, skirted Minneapolis / St. Paul and entered Wisconsin and stopped at the border town, Hudson. It was a quaint and beautiful town by the St. Croix river and lake Mallalieu. We spent some time walking by the river, the park and library. And drove back into Minnesota and onward to Iowa.

Every morning, Apollo is absolutely eager to get back into the car. While his bed is little larger than the crate we have at home, the only reason I can think of for his eagerness is that while he is in the crate, his master is on the other side of the same crate - doesn't matter that the crate itself is moving along highways!

The weather forecast for Des Moines had predicted some thundershowers for the day. After almost 8+ hours of sun or cloudy sky, we did get some rain closer to Des Moines. But the high point was an opportunity to take an impromptu hike by the Prairie Remnant Trail in Story county, Iowa. Both Apollo and I loved it.

Day 6 pics

Day 5: SD, ND

I should stop yearning for sun. I had to brave 6 hours of rain in today's trip from Rapid City, SD to Fargo, ND. There were several occasions when the rain was so torrential that I felt my driving skills and judgment were being put to serious test. Apart from the first couple of hours and the last 45 minutes, every mile of the way was rain. It wasn't one of those small systems that you get out of in few minutes. 6 hours / 350 miles of rain means the storm system was huge - or I was following the storm's path totally. Oh! Well! When I drove into Fargo, I was thankful that it was dry and 55 degrees. Apollo and I celebrated by going for a run, albeit a small one.

Earlier during the day, we passed by Pierre - the state capitol of SD. It was a non-descript city, except for the majestic Missouri river flowing through it. It was drizzling when we came there, but the chance to run in a trail by Missouri with Apollo was too tempting. Apollo was only too willing, rain or slush has never bothered him. Taking a leaf from the fellow, I shrugged off the reasons why we shouldn't run and we went on a great jog by Missouri. The river was majestic - but I said that already. We got to see an island in the river that is an ecology study site.

SD is a serious pro-life state. There were several bill boards advertising pro life. I have one in the pic album.

To make matters more interesting, Hwy 83 was closed and I had to take a detour that added nearly 50 miles to my trip through rural SD. Well, every unplanned turn has its own rewards. We went to Eureka! Wheat capital of the world. Whether it is self proclaimed or not, I don't know now. But I was impressed by the Eureka Information Center. It was a building that invited travelers - and inside, the room had a library like setting with a large table and several chairs. There wasn't anyone manning the place. Just a guest book, a very nice restroom and several reading material one could avail themselves. Now, where else would you find a place like this other than Eureka?

One thing is certain. Each and every state I have driven through thus far has some road construction work going on. American tax dollars are being spent - or is it Bernanke's printed money that is being spent? I don't know. Either way, this is keeping the jobs in America. Until the Chinese find a way to manufacture cheap pre-made highways that can be rolled out like a carpet, these jobs will remain American. Knowing the state of Indian roads, I am certain India will not compete with China on this one :)

Day 5 pics

p.s. Each of Day 1 .. 4 now have that day's pics accessible with a link. The captions are little dry, but I haven't had much time to work on them.

Day 4: MT, WY, SD

I visited few rest areas in Montana. One particular rest area had a restroom that was pretty much that - a rest room! The only thing missing in the room was a shower! Otherwise, each room had a wash basin, air dryer, w/c, men's loo, baby changing station... I am not sure if Wyoming tops that or not - there was one that advertised free wifi. Well, it was clear that resources were plentiful in these western states.

I am yearning for a day without rain or snow. It is the 4th day with fairly heavy rains yet again in Wyoming and in South Dakota. I-90E was such a pleasure to drive - both in MT and WY. There were several stretches where my car was the only one as far as eye could see. On those occasions, both in MT and WY, I had to see how fast my viggen would go; rather, how fast I could drive her. No, I cannot write here how fast that was - gotta take the fifth! Other than those occasions, I was a well behaved driver, keeping my speed no more than 10 mph over the limit. So, I was surprised when I was pulled over in Wyoming by a state trooper. True to his name, had Officer Hunt found a prey? Well, Wyoming, the Forever West state was very forgiving. He mentioned that he clocked me at 83 and warned me to drive safe. Well, I was driving safe, but I wasn't going to argue with an officer who was not going to cite me. My goal now is to have no more trooper stories.

The high point today was the visit to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. If Yellowstone National Park was a remarkable place filled with natural beauty, Mount Rushmore is a man made wonder that proves what humans with big vision can accomplish. If you want to feel proud of America and what our great nation has contributed to the world, visit Mount Rushmore and learn about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. I know you can read up these things on the web, but it is something special when you see those more than lifesize faces of the four Presidents in person. It is a shame that we have no statesman of the calibre in our times.

I can't believe I have done 4 days of the trip and am in Rapid City, South Dakota. It seems surreal to be doing this trip. Apollo is charming everyone who gets to see him. I went to pick up some curly fries in Arby's here. The boy in the counter claimed I have an accent - I told him so did he, and that I was not from here (in SD). His supervisor saw Apollo with me and instead of telling me dogs are not allowed inside, he gave Apollo a piece of roast beef. Needless to say, he gobbled it up happily.

Day 4 photos

p.s. I've added each photos at the end of each days blog for the first three days as well...

Day 3: MT, WY

Here is the wrap on the trooper story. When he asked me for my license, registration & insurance, I gave him all that and my 48 state road trip story. He was so impressed that he let me off with a warning. That was a good break - and a warning well ahead in the trip to practice safe driving.

True to the John Steinbeck quote, the trip showed that it had a mind of its own today. I drove 300+ miles to enter Yellowstone park from the west entrance with the intent of leaving from the east side and reaching Cody, Wy for the night. The ranger told me that the Hwy I was planning on taking to reach Cody was closed leading me to make the first tweaks to my well laid plans. I got to see the geyser basin, including the Old Faithful and the breathtaking beauty Yellowstone has to offer, even if you see but a fraction of it. We also saw a herd of bison from very close quarters as well as an elk. Unfortunately, I was not dressed for how cold today was there - the temperature ranged between 32 degrees and 36 degrees. Apollo enjoyed frolicking in the snow, although I wasn't too comfortable letting him be especially when I saw him shivering a bit. When he saw the bison (he was sitting in the car) while I had stepped out to take a photograph, he started growling. And the bison turned to towards us giving us a non-chalant but threatening look. I quickly got back into the car and drove off.

Our time today inside the park was measured - in addition to the low temperatures, there was 70% chance of snow and I clearly didn't want to get caught there. Snow tires were required today. I thought to myself that my all season tires will have to do (winter being inclusive in all seasons). But I clearly didn't want to push my luck and left by 2:30 pm. As I was driving out, I got some snow flurries, but nothing the all season tires couldn't deal with.

So, instead of driving to Cody, Wy, I had to come back into Montana and I'm staying the night in Livingston. This would leave me with an additional 80 miles or so of driving tomorrow.

I must say I am thrilled at the opportunity to drive in Montana for three days in a row. Keith - I do have few AC/DC albums and will try them tomorrow. But you can't take away the fun from Runnin' down a dream.

Day 3 photos

Day 2: OR, WA, ID, MT

BTW, I spelt snowploughs the British way when I wrote yesterday. The signs here actually say snowplows :). Another comment I missed making - there was a curious billboard I saw on I-505. It said Let us vote them ALL out. I thought that was cool; although, there were no alternatives prescribed.

Had a disturbed sleep last night in the motel. Apollo was getting antsy everytime he heard some noise outside. On top of it, he woke me up at 4 am. I took him out, it was freezing outside. Didn't seem to bother him though! We hit the road early - given that we were driving 50 miles more than the previous day. Right outside Bend, there was an awesome spot - P.S.Ogden spot which is a breathtaking gorge created by Crooked river (yes, that is the name of the river). I also drove past Madras, Oregon. Hmm... best kept a secret from Tamil Nadu politicians lest they insist on renaming it to Chennai, Oregon!

US-97 is a beautiful hwy. Just that it is not an interstate and there are times one would have to pass slower traffic driving over the dotted yellow lines. I was considering passing a car in front of me twice - by going to the left of the dotted yellow line, decided against it and kept driving behind the car. Out of nowhere, an Oregon state trooper shows up, pulls me over and points out that I was driving too close to the car in front of me and he noticed my car go over the yellow line twice. I will update tomorrow how this particular episode turned out - did I get a ticket on day 2? Did I get a break? Why? Care to speculate? Do comment - but I will update tomorrow how this one turned out.

Washington state was boring - at least, where I drove. As I came close to Spokane, it also started drizzling, coupled with construction delays, made the exit to Idaho a welcome relief! It was still raining on I-90E in Idaho, but the moment I crossed over into Montana, the skies cleared up, the speed limit got lifted and it was simply a pleasure to floor the pedal quite a few times as I breezed through the last 150 miles or so to Missoula.

I am fan of Tom Petty. And the song, Runnin' down a dream is a classic drive song. I had always wanted to play that song and drive in Montana flooring the gas pedal. I can check that one off today!

Day 2 photos

Day 1: CA, OR

I set off sharing a quiet moment with Jaya. By then, Jana had left for school, shouting good bye to us as she left. Kavya left yesterday for a 3 day science camp. So, it was just a quiet moment with Jaya before leaving. By then, she had loaded me up with enough food for a week!

The first storm of this season had passed us by the night. Just as I started driving, it started drizzling and at the same time, the sun was shining bright. I thought that in itself was a beautiful message. Good and bad, positive and negative are just two sides of a coin - that it is best to be prepared to take them all in the stride. Little did I realize even the first day itself was going to reasonably packed with excitement.

At the first rest stop, I did what all good dog owners do - let Apollo do his thing and stretch his legs before deciding to go the restroom myself. I took Apollo in - after all, he is a boy :). And when I was in, Apollo decided that he hated the smell - and started pulling back, got out of the collar and ran out - while I was still "standing" there :) I hurried out and thankfully, he was happily sniffing around, sans a collar and leash.

I know one should be prepared for vagaries of the weather when taking a long drive like this, but this much variation? When I was driving across Mt. Shasta on I-5, it was raining like crazy; turned on US-97 and at a vista point overlooking Mt. Shasta, it was cold - 40 degrees. As I drove into Oregon, there was a hail storm - I hadn't been in a hail storm in ages! Just when I thought that was it for the day, up ahead in Oregon, the temperature dipped to 34 degrees and there were some snow flurries at the 6000 ft level. The roadside signs, "do not pass snow ploughs on the right" was ominous from my perspective - you see, I was expecting fall weather, not snow, not when I am driving my Saab 9-3 Viggen which is quite ill-equipped to deal with snow. Anyways, the flurries stayed just so and I was delighted when the temperature climbed above 40 degrees again.

Mt. Shasta was beautiful - with the snow capped peaks that was getting covered by clouds on and off. Klamath lake was outstanding - it was quite large, very much like Hwy 1 drive, except it was lake on one side and mountains on the other.

Apollo was great. He slept through most of the journey. And was quite his beagle self when we reached the motel. He had a field day sniffing around and he just settled down.

Day 1 photos

T -1

Thanks to my friends and family for all the positive thoughts and wishes. Here is a quote that my friend Frank shared with me that I found is quite profound:

“Once a journey is designed, equipped , and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the-glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley

I didn't realize I am doing what John Steinbeck did in 1960 - a journey through America with his dog Charley. On that note, my travels with Apollo to discover America and more commences tomorrow morning...

Route Map & Itinerary

This planning exercise has been very much like programming. Every night, I thought I had it nailed. Next day, when I looked at it, I would tweak the plan ever so slightly - with one more performance optimization! I knew I had to draw the line at some point, stop planning and do things that need to be done away from the computer. So, here it is!




Each day, I am intending to drive about 500 - 600 miles. On those days where there is something interesting on the way, I have chosen to drive less. I will be passing through Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Niagara falls, Four corners monument and Las Vegas. Girish mentioned that 3 weeks is too short. Well, I could've chosen to spend lot more time on a trip like this and include lot more places of interest - but this is the most practical timeframe we could manage now, when I am not working and everyone else around me is! Here is the detailed itinerary...





It has been surprisingly easy to identify pet friendly places along the way - I'm experimenting with Econo Lodge, Super 8, Red Roof Inn during the first half and am still to identify places to stay the last 5 nights.