Post-GONE: Day 5

Today was a short day of driving, but it wasn’t without it’s surprises. Twice today I found myself driving down a “road” that I shouldn’t have been. While I thought I had verified the Google route with the GPS software, something just didn’t mesh in the end… but for the most part, the planned route was quite enjoyable.

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Temperatures today were quite cool again; it was even below 50°F at times. I had a little concern that it was going to be too cold for my “Summer Only” tires, but everything worked-out fine. With the cold temperatures came more fires, but this time the smoke lingered in the mountains… it was very cool. Fortunately there was no rain and all of the roads were nice and dry.

I’ve been very impressed with the speed limits on the roads in Kentucky (and previously in Missouri), as everything seems to be posted at 55 mph! It’s completely different than California… it’s almost like the state decided that the drivers are smart enough to change their speed based on the road conditions. Either that, or they don’t want to police speed limits… so set them high enough for even the craziest of drivers.

This area of Kentucky is really big into coal, and on almost every road there were very large trucks. While I did need to be careful of them, I was also really grateful to them… as without the big rigs hauling coal, none of these roads would have existed (or have been as well maintained). Also, the only places to stop for breaks were the little coal towns.

An interesting thing I’ve not seen before were a series of rope bridges leading to people’s homes. At first I thought they were just something for adventurous types, but then I realized that they were the only way from the road (over the river) to the house. Sounds like a difficult way to get home in the dark!

Most of the roads in this area are carved into the rocks, and it was interesting to look at the different layers. There are many places where there are towering vertical walls of rock on both sides of the road… I can only imagine how much material needed to be moved!

The first time I knew I was on the wrong road, it started out narrow… and before I knew it the pavement turned into dirt.

At this point my GPS was telling me to continue on the dirt road for another 5 miles… I disagreed! After turning around I jumped back on the “state numbered route”, which was actually the way I wanted to drive all along.

The second time I had to make a “detour” from where the GPS was telling me to go, I again turned off of a “state numbered route” and onto a narrow country road. I was feeling a little weird driving down the road, and the locals giving me strange looks didn’t help, but when my car bottomed-out on a bump in the road I knew I was turning around. This resulted in me just taking the interstate, but I was able to see a really large coal facility (where all those trucks were going to/from).

Towards the end of the day, I started to think about tomorrow’s long drive. When I arrived at my hotel I quickly looked to see if there would be another hotel that would allow me to knock-out some of tomorrow’s drive. Unfortunately, the only hotel was 4 hours away (based on my planned route), so I guess I’ll start early tomorrow for the long drive.

Post-GONE: Day 4

The past few days I’ve been meaning to write things in this blog, but after 8 hours of driving I often forget what I was thinking of earlier. Today I figured it would be a smart thing to start taking notes of the day’s activities!

The weather this morning was quite cool (mid-50’s), and the smell of real wood fires was very enjoyable. The overcast skies made the morning drive nice, as most mornings I’m stuck driving while looking into the sun. The first hour of driving was on the interstate, but it didn’t take too long to get out onto the backroads of Kentucky.

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While much of today’s driving was on backroads, I never felt like I was really in the middle of nowhere (like I prefer). All along the roads from today were houses and farms, so I was consistently looking around at things. There were lots of old dilapidated barns and buildings… I’m sure my Mother would have wanted to stop every few minutes to take pictures.

I also saw a new plant in the fields… tobacco. I didn’t know what it was at first, but after seeing several barns with large brown leaves hanging from the ceilings, I figured it out. I tried to find a barn to take a photo of, but none of the buildings had areas near the road where I could safely pull-off.

After stopping to take some photos of old buildings, I mistakenly turned the wrong way. I saw that the GPS had added over an hour to my arrival time (why it didn’t just tell me to make a U-turn I will never know), so I knew I’d gone the wrong way. It took me a little while to find a place to turn around and to figure out where I’d made the wrong turn. After getting back on course I was feeling a little unmotivated, so when I reached Kentucky 60 I decided to shorten my route a little. Fortunately, most of the drives I’ve planned have “shortcuts” for when I’m not feeling like driving.

My afternoon was plagued by P2135 codes in completely random and unrelated circumstances… I even got one while using cruise control! I think I had to clear the code a half-dozen times, each one requiring me to stop the car to clear-out “limp mode”. While I have been told there isn’t a chance of damaging the car, it is really annoying to be put into “limp mode” all the time.

While on the road today I found the cousin of the driver I described yesterday… this one is known as the “I was going 5 mph under the speed limit on a two-lane road, but I’m now going 10 miles over because you passed me” guy. Not only is this guy annoying before you have to pass, he makes the drive after the pass feel like you’re being chased by an unhappy driver. To make things even worse, just after making the pass my car decided to throw a P2135 code again and I had to find a place to pull-off the road.

While getting lost, sitting on the side of the road clearing codes, or getting a quick lunch from my trunk… I’ve started to meet all sorts of nice people. It seems like almost everyone in these small towns waves at everyone else, and many people gave me worried looks when I was stopped. Now, while there look to be lots of friendly people… I also got the feeling that the people in many of the houses would have shot at me if I had stopped.

Despite the risk of shotgun blasts, I just had to stop and get a photo with a barn full of rolls of hay.

While most of the driving wasn’t too exciting, the final section of today’s drive was truly EPIC!

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The pavement on Kentucky 478 was super smooth, there was zero traffic, and the atmosphere was very unique. Unlike the Google Maps Street View, at this time of the year, the trees were full of green, yellow, orange, and red leaves. The road was covered with wet leaves and there were wisps of steam rising-up from the asphalt. The colors and everything just made for an awesome place to drive… the twists/turns just made it better.

This section of road was tighter and more technical than what I’ve been driving for the past few days, and with the addition of the wet leaves I had to stay on my toes. While it would have been great to have dry pavement without leaves, having to tip-toe between the slippy spots made the drive even more fun.

The only downside of this stretch of road was the dogs! There were two separate situations where I had to slam on my brakes because a dog came running out after my car. I felt really bad after the squirrel indecent yesterday, and didn’t want to take-out another critter. Fortunately I have great brakes and tires… but what’s the deal with dogs chasing cars!?!

After driving on KY-478 I was feeling invigorated and was ready for another hour of driving, but when I looked at my map I just couldn’t figure out how it was going to take an hour to finish the drive… then I remembered I was in a new time zone!

Today was another long day of driving, even with the “shortcut”. I really enjoyed the scenery and the epic finally. Tomorrow is scheduled for a shorter day of driving, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s not like I don’t enjoy driving, but 8 hours behind the wheel is a lot.

Post-GONE: Day 3

Today was a long day of driving on twisty roads. For over 8 hours I was in the driver’s seat twisting myself through the hills of Southern Missouri. Like yesterday the roads were quite well maintained and undulated through the hills. Unlike yesterday, there were no detours!

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For the most part the roads were clear of other drivers, not too surprising since I was in the middle of nowhere, but there were a couple of other cars that were a pain. I finally found something I dislike more than left lane campers… the “I’m going to speed-up now that you are trying to pass me” people! Just because you are driving the speed limit now, doesn’t mean that you were 5 minutes ago or that you will be for the next 25 miles. I didn’t want to just blast past you at full throttle (that would be rude), but why do you feel the need to speed-up just as I get along side of you? Thankfully my car has no problem passing even the most stubborn driver.

The landscape of Missouri was covered quite densely with a forest of leafy trees. I think some of them are beginning to change colors, but I can only imagine what this area will look like in a couple of weeks.

I have to say that the biggest surprise for the day were the animals. I was driving along, just cresting a hill, when out of no where there was a small object in the middle of my lane. It looked like a rock, but was a bit too symmetrical… it was a turtle! Seriously, WTF is a turtle doing in the middle of the road? (insert corny joke with an answer having something to do with a chicken) It was too late to adjust course, so under my car it went… fortunately it made it out the back without making any contact. A few miles farther down the road I spotted another turtle off to the side of the road. I guess that’s one reason not to have a slammed car when you live in Missouri!

Unfortunately, later in the day a squirrel didn’t fair the same as the turtle. I was driving in the twisties and the road was wet. As I crested a hill, mid-corner, I see the squirrel dart out into the center of the road… stop… turn around… stop… and then run directly into my lane. It was too late to slow down or swerve without sliding off the road, so… without regret… I stayed my line. I always hate it when I can’t avoid a critter on the road, but I’m not going to veer off the road (risking my life) for a squirrel. Hopefully this will be the only time I have to make this decision this trip.

On a happier note, the rain stayed away for almost the entire day. Earlier in the morning it looked to have rain in some places, but most roads were starting to dry-out by the time I drove through them. The roads were fairly grippy and I was able to push quite hard through the turns… the banking on all the corners didn’t hurt.

With about 2 hours left before I reached my hotel I started to get a little tired of driving. Yes, it happens! I pushed through and made it to my hotel (after grabbing some dinner) just before a large thunderstorm passed through the area.

Tomorrow the weather is looking good in the morning, but there might be some rain later in the day. Hopefully it will stay away long enough for me to have some fun!

Post-GONE: Day 2

Now that I’ve made it to the National G8 Meet (GONE), I have some time to kill before GoatRun later this month. I figure I’ve made it this far across the Country, so why not keep going? Seriously, how often do I get to this side of the USA with my car? Since I’m looking to see the Country, why not drive as many twisty roads as I can!

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I started-out the day on Missouri 94 (aka. Lewis and Clark Trail) and was pleasantly surprised by a wonderful stretch of road. The road had recently been refinished, so was silky smooth. While there were not any “mountains” to climb, the topography included lots of hills and valleys that made the sweeping corners even more exciting.

Unfortunately, my morning was plagued by P2135 codes… requiring a couple quick stops to clear codes. I really need to give a shout-out to Rick at Synergy Motorsports for all of his support with this issue. Every time I contact him about something he is very quick to reply with information and advice. He is even sending me some hardware/software so he can remote diagnose any future issues!

After a short trip on the main-drag I reached Lake Ozark (and had to pay my first bridge toll of the trip). I had hoped the trip around/through the lake would be more scenic, but there were too many trees blocking the views. I also found the area far too touristy… I didn’t need to find a dozen places to get “old time photos”.

After another stunt on the main-drag, I stopped to get some food. At this point I had been driving for almost 4 hours and really needed a break. At lunch when I ordered my sandwich, I was mistaken for a truck driver… mostly because I asked for my sandwich on “flat bed” instead of “flat bread”. I hadn’t even noticed, so I guess it was a good time for a stop!

The next fun part of my drive was scheduled for Missouri 125, but unfortunately today was plagued by detours… which really put a sour finish on the drive. After having to make a major detour just to get to MO-125, I had to take another one that kept me from driving the last part of the road (and eventually lead me away from my hotel).

Even with all the detours, the driving on MO-125 was totally worth it! Just like the other fun roads I drove today, the sweeping corners combined with elevation changes made for an exciting time. There were several times when the hills resulted in negative G-Forces (and a light headed feeling). I was really happy that the foretasted thundershowers didn’t decide to arrive (but it was ~103°F when I arrived). I only wish I could have driven all of MO-125, without the detours.

Tonight I’m staying in Branson, MO… which is a really weird town. It’s almost like Vegas, but filled with tacky min-golf courses. My hotel room is at a Marriott “Vacation Club” facility, which is kinda like a condo/timeshare.

When I went out to grab some dinner I think I was the only one in the place that wasn’t eating off the senior menu and didn’t have blue hair.

Tomorrow I’m heading out on more twisty roads… hopefully there will not be any detours! Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t look like it’s going to be cooperating.

Post-GONE: Day 1

Today was a short day relative to the rest of my trip, thanks to not driving all the way back to Bettendorf, IA. I figured it was a good day to recuperate after the exciting weekend, so stuck mostly to the interstate.

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While I was driving down the interstate, I noticed a two-lane road that was running along side. After seeing a sign that said it was Route 66, I knew I needed to exit and drive along the Mother Road.

The drive on Rt66 didn’t last very long, as there was bridge construction that sent me off on a detour. After another stretch of Rt66 I had to take another detour around a freeway off-ramp. At that point I decided that while it would be nice to drive along Rt66, it would drive me crazy to have to make detours every few miles… so got back onto the interstate for the rest of the drive into St. Louis.

At this point the road was quite boring, so I tuned the XM Radio to some tunes from the 90’s. Some might not be able to imagine me singing along to the songs of the 80’s… I’m sure they would be shocked to find me singing and “dancing” along with such hits as I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred! While my Rest Reminder was turned-off, I figured this was a sign that I needed to stop and stretch my legs.

Before crossing St. Louis I needed to play tourist for a little while. I looked at the maps last night and plotted a route to a scenic spot to get some photos of the Gateway Arch.

While taking the photos I left my car running (just in case someone didn’t like me parking on the sidewalk) and I heard it start running really funny… like it had a misfire. I figured it was another P2135 DTC resulting in the car entering “limp mode”, and I was correct. Just like last time everything cleared on its own… but I’m starting to get a little more concerned about this code. Fortunately, I’m only receiving it when sitting at idle.

Being the middle of the day, I figured I’d take a shot at trying to get a little closer to the Gateway Arch. After driving across the river and along the river I was able to briefly stop my car and jump out for some quick photos.

The rest of the drive to the hotel was across the urban areas of St. Louis, and it reminded me just how nice the rest of my drive has been so far.

Tomorrow is a long day of driving twisty roads, so I’m heading to bed early. Hopefully the weather holds-off so I can drive the last bit of roads… but as of now there is a 40% chance of “Scattered Thunderstorms” in the evening.

National G8 Meet: Day 3

Today was the final day of the 2011 National G8 Meet, and the only scheduled activity for the day was an awards ceremony. After yesterday’s late night, it felt good to sleep in a little.

Before getting to the hotel I stopped-off at a parking “garage” next to the hotel to take a few photos.

I headed over to the hotel for the awards ceremony, but first had to take advantage of a unique photo opportunity…

The scene with the (Liquid) Red, (Hot) White, and (Stryker) Blue G8’s… and the flag at half mast… really stood-out. I think everyone who came into the parking lot was taking photos and feeling very American.

At the awards ceremony, various awards were given out in several classes (V6, GT, GXP… Stock, Mild-Mod, Modified) for the car show and for the quickest cars from drag racing. Raffle prizes were also given out from the various event sponsors (SOLO Performance, Adam’s Polishes, Squash Performance, WasSlow, Performance Car Web, etc.). I didn’t win anything, but it was still fun.

After the awards it was time to say goodbye to everyone. It was rough having the event end so quickly, but I guess that’s what next year is for!

Some of the guys I hung-out with in Chicago were headed home via Pontiac, IL. I was really disappointed that I missed their previous trips there, so wasn’t going to miss it this time! The group headed-out together in a tight, quickly moving, convoy. I’ve not been around a car club for a while, and I wasn’t use to the formation driving. We were only going the speed limit, but it seemed like we were going 90 miles-an-hour!

When we reached the Pontiac we quickly headed to the Route 66 mural for some awesome photos!

After photos we even had time to checkout the Pontiac-Oakland Auto Museum!

The museum was really great. They had several rare Pontiac’s and all sorts of historic parts/pieces. One of my favorite things was the display case that housed several DeLorean Pontiac Sales Awards, just like the ones that my Grandfather sent me. After purchasing some swag, we headed next door to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Far too soon, I had to say goodbye to the Chicago boys, as they needed to get home… and I needed to get to my hotel.

This weekend has been a really great time. It is always fun to hangout and “talk shop” with people who have similar interests. It was even better to see all of the people I talk with all the time online. I really hope that next year I’ll have the ability to make the trip to the 2012 National G8 Meet!

National G8 Meet: Day 2

The day started out with a trip to the car wash to finally get all the road grime off. I was worried that on a Saturday morning there would be too many people at the car wash for me to do a proper bucket wash. Fortunately everyone slept in today and I was able to spend over an hour pampering my car.

With a clean car I headed to the car show and parked in the “Modified” section. I know I don’t stand a chance against the other cars with all sorts of appearance mods (wheels, stripes, lights, etc.), but I didn’t think it would be fair for my car to be entered in the “Mild” category (although in hindsight it wouldn’t have been too far off).

My car was really getting some great attention. Most of the attendies were very interested in my Maverick Man Carbon Fiber hood and my Demon8Designs A-Pillar gauge pod. Because of all the help both of these companies have given me over the past year, I tried to return the favor and do a little advertising for them.

The Car Show at the National G8 Meet was very impressive… I believe the final car count was 64 G8’s (71 cars in total)! There were all sorts of G8’s in almost every color of the rainbow (I believe the only missing color was an Ignition Orange Metallic).

After several more hours of looking at cars and talking with owners, I needed to prepare for the cruise that was taking place a little later in the day. The cruise organizer was kind enough to post the route online, so I was able to program it into my In-Dash GPS (this would come in REALLY handy a little later in the evening). I also needed to top-off my gas tank so headed out to get some more 93 Octane… and on the way back stopped to get some lunch.

All of the G8’s started to line-up for the cruise and we headed-out, and it was a very impressive sight.

After getting gathered into groups (to help keep people from getting lost) we headed-out on the cruise.

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About an hour into the drive we stopped at Poopy’s for dinner. The location chosen for dinner was definitely an interesting one. Where else can you get a massive hamburger (called the “Big Poop”) and a tattoo, while you watch cage fighting? Unfortunately it took us forever to get served food and get or bills, so by the time people were done eating it was getting quite late.

As I left the restaurant there was a group of G8’s headed out to complete the cruise, so I rushed to my car to join them. I got into line behind some other G8’s, but they were not continuing on the cruise, so me and one other G8 headed-out to try and catch the first group. We did not know that there was another group of G8’s who left shortly after us…

Remember how I said it was a good thing that I entered the cruise route into my GPS? Well, I needed it! I ended-up being the leader for the two of us, and there would have been no way I could have done it by looking at the printed directions (they were well done, but I even get lost with GPS).

The first part of the cruse took us through some very fun roads to drive. The posted 55mph speed limits allowed for some spirited driving in the corners. Unfortunately, the sun was setting and visibility started to become limited. It was also that time of night when I was afraid of deer crossing the road (here is a video taken by one of the other G8’s on the cruise). I started to spend less time concentrating on driving quickly on the road, and more on making sure there wasn’t anything running onto the roadway.

The sun set quickly and the last 1:30 was spent driving in almost total darkness. I’m sure the rest of the cruise route was very scenic, but with no light it was difficult to see anything other than the road. I kept a faint hope that we would eventually catch-up to the first group of cars, but I figured once the sun went down they would have taken an alternate route home. At this point I just wanted the cruise to be over, but there was not shorter way home, so I just kept pushing forward.

When the two of us finally made it back to the hotel I was shocked to see that the parking lot was full of activity. It seemed like everyone completed the cruise route… and there was even a group that came-in behind us!

The rest of the night was spent swapping stories about the awesome cruise and all of the crazy things that had happened. It was a busy day, but a very memorable one… definitely a day that anyone who was not at the National G8 Meet should be jealous of!

National G8 Meet: Day 1

Today was the first official day of the 2011 National G8 Meet!

Because I arrived yesterday, I didn’t need to check-in this morning… so I slept in for the first time in a while. When I woke-up and checked the various G8 Forums (like I do almost every morning) and saw a post about a local landmark that I just had to go.

I’ve been a big fan of the TV show American Pickers, and with their “headquarters” only 20 minutes away, I snuck-off before today’s G8 activities for a visit.

Antique Archaeology is just a little shop in a quaint town on the Mississippi River. Even with the location entered into my GPS I had a difficult time finding it… and ended-up driving around an circles for ~15 minutes. When I finally made it, I spent a few minutes looking around the shop…

It was really cool to see the items on the walls and remember the TV episodes were Mike and Frank picked them. I kept finding myself saying, “I recognize that thing… and that thing…”; It was very cool. I also took the opportunity to buy some Picker’s swag!

Because I got lost looking for the Picker’s place, I had to rush back to the Isle of Capri for the scheduled lunch. Fortunately, when I arrived there were still a few other people in line for food… so I wasn’t stuck eating alone. After the lunch I headed out to the parking garage and spent a few hours meeting people as they arrived for the festivities. It was great seeing the various things people have done with their cars.

In the afternoon everyone gathered to head to Cordova Dragway for some fun on the track. There was quite a turnout and really impressive to see the train of G8’s on the road. We arrived at the track and got together for tech inspection, numbers, etc.

It was really great to hangout with guys at the drags. There were quite a few first timers who were trying to figure out what to do. Fortunately there are lots of people who knew what they were doing, and it seemed like everyone received a good primmer.

I made a couple of passes down the track, but my car was running quite slow. I was a bit disappointed with the results, but I know that my car wasn’t setup to run at it’s best… heck, I didn’t even empty the bags out of the trunk! Unfortunately things were running slow, and after a GXP dumped coolant on the track, it was over an hour between runs. I wasn’t able to get into a grove where I could figure out how to launch my car, etc… so called it a night early. Not too much later we started to get a little rain, which ultimately put an end to the night (even before the bracket racing could declare a winner).

Tomorrow morning I need to be awake early to get my car washed before heading to the car show. Hopefully things will not be too busy and I can do a proper hand wash, but one way or another I need to get the G8 clean… this is after all the National G8 Meet!

Pre-National G8 Meet: Day 5

Today was my final day on the road before the National G8 Meet in Bettendorf, IA. Like yesterday, I stuck to I-80 and tried to make good time.

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I left the hotel after a quick breakfast and headed East on I-80. Driving across Iowa I noticed that, like Nebraska, there is lots of corn. However, different from Nebraska, Iowa has far more hills/valleys… and the farms tend to follow the flow of the land. Driving on the interstate was a bit more interesting because of this increased variation. While it would have been great to drive some twisty roads, I just wanted to get to the meet.

One thing that I wasn’t able to take care of before leaving California was purchasing an “America the Beautiful” annual National Parks pass. I plan on driving through a few National Parks on my journey, so figured the annual pass would be much easier (and cheaper) than individual daily passes. When planning my trip to GONE I noticed that passes were being sold at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, which is right off of I-80 in Iowa. Today I pulled-in to see if I could get one, but just like in California, they were all out of them… D’oh!

As I approached Bettendorf I became quite excited that the first part of my journey was coming to an end. I was all ready to let everyone know that I had arrived when I saw a road sign that I recognized from a TV show (Modern Marvals… yes, I’m a nerd!)… and I just had to stop.

The Iowa 80 truck stop is definitely a busy place… and holds claim to the World’s Largest Truckstop! Being so close to the end of my day’s driving I didn’t really feel that I needed a rest, but I did walk around a little.

I completed the last of my drive and checked-into my hotel early in the afternoon. It felt good to get situated. After a short break I headed-out towards the Isle of Capri (the home of the National G8 Meet), but not without first stopping by a car wash! I didn’t have time for a complete wash, but I needed to get the big stuff off the car (there was actually gravel stuck to the inside of my wheels from the driving I did in Wyoming/Colorado the other day). Some Adam’s All Purpose Cleaner and a spray from the wash nozzle make quick work of the dead bugs and big chunks of dirt.

After the wash I made a trip to the local Shell station for my the G8’s first ever tank of 93 Octane fuel!

Full of gas I made the short drive to the Isle of Capri and pulled into the parking lot to be greeted by several other G8 owners. I was also greeted by another Check Engine Light (P0507 – IAC Valve duty cycle higher than expected)… but, like before, it doesn’t seem to be anything too alarming. It has been really great to have access to my mechanic in California who can answer the questions about things like this when they pop-up!

I checked-in into the National G8 Meet and got my name tag, T-shirt, gift bag, etc. The next few hours were spent in the parking lot to checking out all of the other cars. It was great putting faces to the screen names that I talk with all the time online. I was surprised how many people were tracking my drive from California… and I’ve unofficially been known as “the corn guy” (for my photo yesterday from in the corn field).

After a little while everyone got together for a drive to dinner at The Machine Shed.

Spending time with a whole bunch of other G8 Owner is really a great time. The dynamics of the community is quite an interesting one. There is a wide range of ages, experiences, etc. There are several owners that are my age, several that are a little younger, and quite a few that are a bit older. During dinner I spent my time sitting with some of the older folks… and surprisingly had lots of things to talk about (even outside of our cars).

My journey to this point has been a long one (2140 miles), but I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it. I can hardly wait until tomorrow when the National G8 Meet officially starts!

Pre-National G8 Meet: Day 4

Today was a very unexciting day of driving on I-80, but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing. The National G8 Meet is only a few days away, and at this point it is my priority. I’m sure I could have found a twisty road someplace in Nebraska, but right now I just want to get to GONE!

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My day started with a quest… a quest for air! When driving twisty roads I like to have my tire pressures set for when they head-up. As a result, I’ve been driving with ~40 psi (once warm) in my tires (checked via a nice gauge I received for Christmas last year – Thanks Dad!). This means that when I start the day (cold tires) my Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is reading ~35 psi. With an all freeway day scheduled, I wanted to bump the pressures up to ~40 psi (when cold). Yes, I know I’m being crazy… but a couple of psi makes a difference.

So, I head to the Shell station where I filled-up yesterday… no air. I check another station… no air, then another… no air. I find a car wash with vacuums, but no air. Maybe Walmart has an auto center? Nope! I was finally able to find air at the next exit (~20 miles away) and spent the rest of the day admiring my TPMS reading all four wheels at 42 psi.

Once on the road I spent most of the day with the cruise control locked-in at 75 mph. Traffic was a little heavier than it had been in the past few days, which resulted in having to work a bit harder to get a clean piece of the road. This brings me to my first gripe of the trip… what is the deal with people who are going a fraction of a mph faster than you, but don’t speed-up to make a quick/clean pass?

Seriously, it was really bugging me today! I was going 75.0 mph (verified by GPS) and there was someone doing 75.5 mph right behind me. It’s no big deal to look in your rear view mirror to see a car (very) slowly catching you. It’s no big deal to have a car pull-out to make a pass. But when the car just inches along side of you, and essentially starts to cruise… that is just unacceptable. To make the situation even worse, one car wasn’t using cruise control, so actually started to SLOW DOWN next to me… falling back into my blindspot!

At this point, I just couldn’t take it anymore. There was at least a half-mile of empty road behind me, perfect for me to relax in, so I stomped on my brakes and let the car rocket past me (thank you Baer!). I’m sure I must have startled the other driver, but he deserved it! When you pull-out to make a pass… make the pass!

Oh yeah, since I’m making gripes, what is the deal with the “Rest Reminder” in my car?

I get it, I should drive for many hours on-end without taking a rest… but does the reminder have to make the same tone as a Check Engine Light!?! Not only that, but if I cancel the reminder… it pops-up a little while later. I will likely turn it off, but I almost want to make a game out of it… how many times can I cancel the Reset Reminder before I have to stop? Yesterday I canceled it three times before I stopped. Can I reach four?

Ok, back to positive stuff. I’ve decided that every day I’ll try to take a photo or two that represents the area that I’m driving through. I’ve been able to find some cool locations for snapshots so far, but today nothing really jumped out at me… until it hit me. With all the corn fields, I needed to fine one I could drive into!

For ~100 miles I drove keeping my eyes out for a suitable location. While there were several fields that were next to the interstate, none of them had frontage/service roads. Eventually I found what I was looking for… First I had to drive down a dirt road (with a 50 mph speed limit) at 10 mph, then I had to back into a tractor path (scraping my sub chassis braces on something)… but it was worth it.

Overall today was a “cover ground” day, but it was enjoyable. I had fun singing along to 80’s tunes on XM Radio while chomping on Atomic Fireballs (they must have changed the recipe on these things, as they are way hotter than I remember them being when I was a kid).

Tomorrow is the final day of “Pre-National G8 Meet” driving, as I’m only 300 miles away from Bettendorf, IA and GONE!