The longest longest day. 25-hours at nelson ledges
Ready to go!
Posts
Traveling - after log
The 2ZZ spyder was one hell of a car. I sat at 80 mph for hours on end. Then she gave me speeds that would get me put in jail in some parts of the country. And to all the pussies that complain that the Spyder is not a car that you can travel with because it does not have room for their tampons, well they just don't know shit! I hauled two weeks worth of clothing in two duffle bags, DSLR camera bag, Dell projector, 3 sets of shoes, a few bags worth of trinkets for the kiddies, spare tire, tools kit, gallon of prestone coolant, gallon of prestone windshield washer fluid, two quarts of Castrol Titanium something or another oil, 100CDs in case, small ice chest for cold drinks, three bags of pretzels and a few bags of doritos. Sleeping bag, and a 6'x6' blanket. And my computer bag. and I still had room if I needed it. When I was in my twenties I traveled across the USA a lot between Bradford Pa and Phoenix / San Diego. It was a lot easier back then. I would drive from Bradf...
Totals for the trip
$751.24 spent on fuel 193.036 gallons of gas used 6074.9 miles (actual was 6097.4 as I forgot to reset the trip meter a few miles in a couple of times. I left Trip B on for the whole trip which got the higher number. My totals were gathered from my blog postings.) and I managed 31.47 mpg on the whole trip.
Last fuel
144.5 miles $16.38 4.245 gallons I made it!!! I love my toyota mr2! 10 years old and not even a hickup! 6097.4 miles! 10 more mile til I am home
Wytheville Fuel stop
245.5 miles $27.08 7.402 gallons weather is much cooler. Car seems to have a lot more power in these conditions.
Tennessee fuel stop
272.9 miles $32.45 8.563 gallons Longtown tn. Woohoo! Back to the land of 93 octane
Ozark Mountain fueling
254.6 miles $34.76 8.277 gallons Really muggy in arkansas. But no rain this morning.
Hauling ass!
Woke up to this... an empty parking lot! My goal today is to make it to and a bit past Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Memphis would be better, but that is seventeen hours away! Todays cartoon of the day was passed to me by Scott Hainstock on Facebook...
Return to Virginia, Day 1.
Left San Diego this morning around 9am local. Now sitting in a Holiday inn express in Grants, New Mexico. I got some bad fuel in Gila Bend Arizona. Under load on initial throttle input the engine would pink like crazy for about a second or so. Temps in the Valley of the Sun were around 98 degrees F. So I stopped at a WalMart in North Maricopa County and picked up some 104 Boost. It worked. I am averaging 80MPH with sprints to higher speeds. I also had a hell of a head wind for most of the late afternoon trip. I'll fill up in the morning, but the odo is around 240 miles and I have 1/2 a tank left... so that should be in the 30-32mpg area for the Flagstaff to Grants NM run. Rain developed as I was coming into New Mexico. I was in a three-car caravan, we were doing some nice speeds. I made up HUGE time with that run. But when the rain fell, they kept going, I slowed as my wide 235s and 215s and the light weight don't make for fun rain driving. They did well, I just ...
Desert fuel stop
El centro $34.80 8.152 gal 241.1 miles Hotter than something very hot here in el centro. Lunch at the box. Everyone speaks Spanish here. I have yet to hear english. I had never seen the border wall. Pretty darn big and you can see it from the highway. Only seen a couple of chp. But have seen at least 15 border patrol cars and a homeland security bus. I love the desert more than anywhere. Well except for france. . Love france.
San Diego
More specifically, Mira Mesa. I grew up in this small community in the north of San Diego city limits. We moved to this area from the North Clairmont area (just 5 miles south) in 1971. Mira Mesa Wiki I left in 1981 only to return a few times over the last thirty years. The changes to the area over the last twenty years have amazed me. Though the neighborhoods have not changed that much, the demographics have. A few people still live in the home that they purchased new on my block, my father included. Visited a longtime friend that has lived in their home since new, and her home was they same as it was the day I left in 1981, still neat and tidy, of course some things had been updated over the last 30 years. But the overall feel was the same. It was a bit surreal. Now my fathers place looked the same, except he had replaced the weeds in the front yard that I meticulously took care of as a teen with a desert look with cactuses and sand. Looked a bit out of place in the green of Mi...
Mira Mesa fueling
$31.77 7.984 gallon 246.2 miles From California Trip 2011 I arrived in Mira Mesa, wow, it has really grown. I really have not been back and looked around the place since 1993. Big change. They put speed bumps on Capricorn Way! That was a surprise. I was not looking. Airborn in a sports car sucks! Went and visited my other Dad. He did not recognize me. In fact it took repeating it several times... it was a weird meeting, though we have not seen each other in almost 20 years. He looks old, wonder how I looked to him... Saw some old family friends. That was a joy. Talked about old times, brought up to day on their children. Fun times with them. Camped out at a local Hampton Inn. Tomorrow I head out to my brothers on the other side of the county.
Setting alarms and fuel
Set off car alarms pulling unto shell! 268.2 miles $35.30 8.697 gallons Spyder trip so far... my MPG went down a bit. I suspect the crappy fuel that California gets is the reason. I detect detonation at low RPM. Since I use 93 and 94 octane maybe the ECU just needs a good reset to use the 91 stuff here. So far I have spent $402.21, traveled 3298.5 miles and averaged 31.83 MPG with a Toyota 2ZZ-GE in a 2001 MR2 Spyder. I honestly stuck the speedo at 70 all the way down I5. From California Trip 2011
Part two... heading down to San Diego
William D. Strong, Jr.'s location@6:44am,7/4 California http://m.google.com/u/m/AnQtdz
Sleeping CHP
I wish I had my camera on me... Went up to see my grandmother early this morning. She live a few miles up the road. On the way back I had to get ice for our fishing trip today on the Feather River. I stopped by the wrong store so when I got back on the highway I decided to test my MAF cleaning fix. So I floored it through 3 gears sending the 2ZZ to 8000rpm at each shift. As I slowed to turn it at the proper store I caught a look of a CHP officer sitting in his car with his head back and mouth open. Asleep. It was funny. Plus I was lucky.
Finally arrived in California
Got here last night 7pm local time. The drive from Reno was eventful compared to the rest of the trip. First off, the traffic... Reno people need to learn to drive! Dumpshittiness abounds in that area. I almost got ran over by big SUVs multiple times. Saw a white MK1 MR2 on the highway. Gave the guy a beep and a wave, he looked perplexed. The came around me, then when he passed be at my exit he gave me a thumbs-up. That was cool. Headed up on US395 towards US70 and had to stop at an inspection station... forgot about those. They just waved me through. Got stuck in traffic in Vinton. Once through I went to pass a semi truck in the passing lane, as I passed him my Check Engine Light came on, oil pressure good, temps good... later we tested the code and came up with a P0171. Lean mixture. MR2 guys said to clean the MAF sensors. So have to go find some cleaner today. That could explain the issue I had leaving Virginia when the car stumbled on itself while I was pulling away from a st...
Fuel
185 miles 5.739 miles $22.61 Needed a pee break and some lunch. Tuna on wheat for you people looking after my health. Another fuel break in reno. 6.441 gallons $25.24 200.7 miles Next stop... yanked hill
Heaven
On my trip to see my family, I had to make an even more important stop, a stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Last time I came through here the wife and kids were with me and we were in the mini-van. I did ask to go on the flats to look at the cars, and she said "no". so we looked at the cars on the flats from affar. This time I was "in charge". as I was alone... I fueled up at the speedway gas station. Went inside to ask if there was a way to go out on the flats... no one was inside. I needed to use the little boys room, so I went back there and there I saw a mexican guy mopping the floors. I asked him if there was a way to put my car on the salt so I could get some pictures. He told me the salt was too wet that I would probably get stuck. I kinda knew that. But he told me that I should go down to the end of the access road and look for my self. So I headed out, following the signs to a little two lane blacktop access road. It went beyond the horizon. Y...
Finally found i80. Now i am headed west.
The detour was long but kinda cool getting back into real rural america. Saw real cowboys with the tight jeans and hats. I have a friend that would have loved that... sorry no pics though. Oh. And aimee would have loved it too! I have yet to see another mr2. Still have a long way to go. Weather is nice here. Breezy and cool. I am about 1/2 an hour from lincoln ne. Should stop by campus hub and ask why they broke the cavalier computer website! On to cheyenne. I may just stay there tonight.
Flooding and closed highways.
Wow. I have never seen flooding like this before. The last ten miles all around me on i29 has been under water. Now I have to go east again. Lots of detours. Sad for the folks around here. Lots of homes and farms under water.
Elko or bust.
Up at 530 central. Took my pills. That was for my wife. Goal today is to get to elko nevada. 18 hours...
Hotel and Tornadoes - days recap
I have made it to Saint Joseph Mo. Just north of Kansas city Mo. Just watching the news... may have tornado action around midnight. But if I head north like I need to to hook up with 81 I will hit the big storms. I am guessing that if you see storm chasers that would be a bad thing? 1st fill-up 31.45 MGG @ 80 mph though Virginia and West Virginia Mountains. 2nd fill-up 32.14 MPG at 80 mph Flat land Trip has been uneventful... except 2 miles into my drive... I accelerated away and the ignition fell on itself. I think I shoved my shoes and bags up against the ECU. I resorted stuff and it never did it again. But it was scary. She just loves sitting at 70. I saw one Va state trooper, one Kentucky trooper and a whole bunch of Missouri's finest. I screwed up and made the wrong exit over the Mississippi at St. Louis. So it had me go straight on I70. I did not trust my GPS so I got off the highway in St. Louis, Mistake... My droid wanted me to go another way, but I just stuck with t...
Gas time
$43.18 10.798 gal 347.10 miles. Cut it close. Fuel light came on out in the middle of nowhere. Had to turn a/c off too. And it is sofreaking humid. I am about 30 miles east of st. Louis right now.
California or bust!
6am... Sunday. just finished breakfast. The wife is making coffee. Gotta have coffee. Kids are waking up to say goodbye. Cool clear morning outside. Perfect day to head out to California! Follow me on Google Latitude sn- wdstrongjr
All packed... clothes, electronics, maps, GPS updated, tools... already to go. Going to leave after work, drive 8 hours, stay in Lexington Ky, then get some sleep, then attempt to make it to Cheyenne, Wy, sleep, then drive to Yankee Hill Ca. Got my two day fishing licence from California. Going to do some fishing on Lake Oroville. Can't wait for that!
Version 7 exhaust for this car!!! drones at 3000rpm. not bad and should get better with age. But the sound at speed upshifting and down shifting is awesome. Not quiet like v6. More sporty. I like it so far. and I really like the four tips. From Spyder weekend work From Spyder weekend work From Spyder weekend work short video of of a walk around at idle.