9562 Miles and we're finally home.

[TomNPat]

Why couldn't I sign on to the board?  Kinda miss the old board where the information flowed easily and more people had better answers.

Returned a week ago from quite a trip in our NJT 9.  Finally have regained our sanity and done some calculations.

From home up 101 to Tillamook, OR for early Christmas with the 6 grandkids there, then on to Kansas to visit Pat's dad and family, on to High Point NC for the other two grandkids Christmas season, down to Orlando to get the 5 & 7 year olds to Disney World, then up to have the healing hands of Luke and his band of Experts at US Coach on the bus, back to Hollywood, MD to pick up a 23' boat, then home by way of Quartzsite, Yuma, San Luis Obispo (where the boat stayed) and home.

9562 miles, 1600+ gallons of fuel for a trip average mpg of 5.91.  Best segment was 7.56, worst was the California and Oregon 101 coast at 4.66 mpg.  But we and 6 grandkids live on 101 so it's almost worth it.  I think NJT should be punished for using 'smog' engines.  Less Power means more third and second gear driving so you burn much more fuel.  How can burning a gallon of diesel every 3 miles be better for the environment than one every 7 miles?

Towing a 2 ton boat made little difference in mileage, but the headwind from Memphis to Albuquerque sure did!

Plenty of cool weather too!  7 in Wyoming, 5 in Kansas, and that was back in December when it was warm.

Used 3 gallons of oil on the trip to Luke's, 1/2 gallon on the way back.  Think those guys aren't good?  Better think again!  And quite comforting to know that the best in the business said it was ready to go home!  I think US Coach should have a western shop also!

Did part of this trip 4 years ago and found that Arkansas had the poorest roads.  They still have a rough section near West Memphis, Tenn. has a rough section in the West, Oklahoma from Checotah to Oklahoma City is a wash board, BUT, ahem, have to admit the worst roads were in Southern California.  Thank you Jerry Brown for ruining Cal Trans so many years back.  It will never get better.


We'll go back to flying for a while considering the cost of diesel.  Prices ranged from 2.27 to 2.89 per gallon.  Again, California is at the very bottom of the comfort range!  Sure wish Kansas wasn't so cold.

Along the way, I had some interesting recollections.  Miss the good information from Mallie Lennon and recalled that when we crossed Eufala, miss Scott the dish guy too, thought it would really be cool to be able to spend some time in Florida looking up Fast Fred, thought about Two Dogs and El Sonador as we crossed Texas, Many others all along the way.  It's too bad that we have lost so many of the great minds that used to populate the old board.  Guess I'm getting old too!

TomNPat
OFFICIAL Flying J Frequent Fuelers!

[JerryH]

Tom & Pat:
Welcome home ... nice reading, glad you had a nice trip.
Jerry H.

[Lee Bradley]

Hi Tom & Pat,

A real pleasure to read about a long conversion trip without a series of breakdowns. Hope to be down your way in the not to distant future; I have a good friend in Gold Beach and Kris & I like to take a couple of long weekends a year at Newport. Hopefully the Cityliner will be ready for some road trips this summer even if its not a finished conversion.

Lee & Kris