Post-GONE: Day 9

Today was a strange day… it started with the best drives of my trip, and ended with the lowest feelings (by far) of the trip.

When I woke-up I looked out the window to see that the parking lot was completely soaked, but by the time I made it down to my car the rain had stopped. I wanted to clear my windshield of dirt/bugs, so turned-on my wipers… but there was no fluid! So my first trip ended-up being to an auto parts store to get some windshield wiper fluid. After the pit stop I headed out onto the road for my drive.

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The first roads that I drove on today were fun, but as I was driving the GPS told me to turn down a “road” that was definitely unacceptable for my vehicle… especially in the wet. I’ve double checked the route and it wasn’t a GPS error, so I guess I didn’t do all my homework on this one. The detour wasn’t too complicated, and I was able to join-up with my planned route rather quickly.

Yesterday I didn’t really see anything that I felt was photogenic enough to warrant stopping for photos. Today when I was driving around Hungry Mother Lake, I knew that I needed to stop to take some.

After the photo shoot, it was time to get into the twisty stuff! I think the best word to describe this section of road is “WOW”! When starting on the road you are greeted by a great sign saying, “Trucks over 35 feet long prohibited”… and a few feet later another saying, “Trucks last chance to turn around”. When you see something like that, you know you are in for a fun section of road!

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I’m going to break this section into four parts… The first part was a very steep climb up the first mountain. The roads were freshly paved and perfectly smooth (I know I sound like a broken record on this, but it’s true). The corners started out as gradual sweepers, but quickly became tighter. There were several hairpins that really wanted to be driven in 2nd gear, but due to the wet roads… and a lack of traction… I had to stick to 3rd (and with traction control on). The combination of torque and wet roads resulted in some very fun corners!

The second section was a tight and technical descent of nearly 1600′ (at between -5% and -10% grade). Most of the corners really should have been tackled in 2nd gear, but that was absolutely out of the question. Being on the inside for most of the corners was a little tricky, as sight lines were obstructed, but everything turned-out OK. This section had a posted speed limit of “only” 40 mph, but trying to maintain that speed was impossible.

I was still decompressing from the first two sections of the road when I was slammed with the third… another intense uphill climb. This time the posted speed limit was up to 55 mph, but trying to go that fast would have been insane. The asphalt here wasn’t great, but there were no times when I was worried about bumps. At this point I found myself driving through some low clouds, making things a little more challenging… the gravel on the road in a few of the corners didn’t help either.

The final section of the drive was another thrilling descent. The corners were more “sweeping” than the previous one, resulting in higher speeds… making it quite fun. After both of these descents I was really glad to have a strong set of brakes!

To make the drive even better… I didn’t have any slower traffic. None at all! The only distraction was a low flying Turkey Vulture that decided to bounce off my hood (seriously). After finishing this drive, I’m honestly questioning how other roads (eg. Tail of the Dragon) are going to compete with this one. If all of the roads driving over the Appalachian Mountains are like these (and the ones yesterday), I think I might need to start looking for a summer home/garage in this area!

Unfortunately, this was the last of the fun that I had today. Shortly after coming out of the mountains, my car decided to start throwing the P2135 DTCs again. After clearing the first DTC, I tried to continue, but didn’t make it far before another code was thrown. Unlike before, today I had a difficult time clearing the codes and taking the car out of “limp mode”.

At this point I gave-up and pulled into a scenic view point and tried to think about what to do next. One thing I had not tried yet was a “battery reset” to clear-out long term adjustments/tables within the car’s computer. I figured it couldn’t hurt, so disconnected the battery and let things sit for 30 minutes. (Note: when going on a long road trip, one should bring at least basic tools… fortunately I had a Leatherman, but a crescent wrench would have made removing the battery terminals much easier).

While I was waiting on the battery reset I disconnected the cables into the throttle body and the MAF, just to make sure everything is connected properly. I also removed my air intake to inspect the insides of the throttle body… and everything looked “normal” to me (not that I really know what I’m looking at). I also took a look in my catch can and found another ~1 teaspoon of oil (I think it’s just leftovers from yesterday). Everything with the car seemed OK, so after the reset I got back onto the road.

While I would have loved to completed my planned route, I just didn’t feel into it. I decided that I was going to take the most direct route to my hotel for the night. While I never received another DTC, I honestly have to say that this was one of the first times I’ve ever had where I just didn’t want to be driving my car.

My schedule has me staying in the same hotel for two nights, so fortunately I don’t need to cover any ground tomorrow. I had planned to make a 4 hour loop, but I think tomorrow will be a recovery day. My mechanic has shipped me some hardware/software, so hopefully tomorrow I can get this issue figured-out.

Post-GONE: Day 8

I’ve had really awesome luck so far when it has come to weather and road conditions, and today was no different. There were showers forecast for this afternoon, but other than a few little drops on the windshield, there was no rain to spoil the drive.

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This morning I started a little slow, and was actually having a difficult time wanting to get going in the twisties. Fortunately I was awake enough to avoid the group of turkeys foraging along the side of the road… and the family of bears (Mamma and three cubs) crossing the road. Seeing all of the wild animals has been very cool… especially the things that I don’t normally see in California.

By far my favorite part of today’s drive was on Highway 311 between West Virginia and Virginia.

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The best this about this part of the drive was that I had a completely empty road for the ascent and decent. Paired with the 55 mph speed limit… I was able to fly through the corners! Most were sweepers, but there were also a few tighter corners and even a hairpin or two.

The G8 really performed perfectly through the corners, going both up and down the mountains. The torque from the TVS1900 supercharger was great out of the corners, and holding 4th gear (due to the 3.45 ratio) made maintaining 55 mph on the decent easy. The Bridgestone RE-11’s worked very well, despite cooler temperatures (~60°F), and I had zero traction issues… even with some gravel on the road.

After Highway 311 the driving went down-hill (not literally), as I ran into a whole bunch of road construction. I guess being Monday all of the road crews are back out, and I think I hit a half-dozen areas that were reduced to one lane controlled by a flagger or stop light.

To make things worse, after one of the construction zones my car threw another P2135 DTC. I was able to quickly pull off to clear the code, but getting back on the road I completely bottomed-out on my sub-chassis braces… I seriously doubt that there is any paint left them. Fortunately, that was the only DTC that I received today.

I think I’m getting an idea of when the DTCs tend to happen, and I was actually was anticipating the one that occurred. It has always happened when the car is being driven near idle, especially after longer stretches behind slower cars. Today I took some care to keep the RPMs higher, run in a lower gear, blip the throttle every so often, etc. I believe it made a difference, but I’ll see over the next few days.

Just to make sure there wasn’t something “stupid” causing the DTCs, when I stopped for gas I spent some time looking under the hood for any problems. I also took some time to check the oil level (everything was good) and to empty my catch can (for the first time). I’ve driven quite a while without looking in my catch can, and was shocked to see almost 1/4 cup of oil in it! Normally all of that oil would “spit” into the intake to be burned-off in the engine, so I’m really glad that I installed the catch can.

Towards the end of the day I ran into another issue with the roads my GPS was telling me to drive on. After turning onto Virginia 785 (aka. Blacksburg Rd.) I had a feeling like I was not on my originally planned route… when it turned into a one-lane road I knew I needed to turn around. After spending some time checking maps, I decided that I should just head directly to my hotel on the interstate.

Tomorrow there is a very high likely-hood of rain. No matter how lucky I have been so far, I don’t think I’ll be able to dodge all the thundershowers tomorrow. The weather for the rest of the week doesn’t look so great either, but hopefully that will keep the “tourists” off the roads.

Post-GONE: Day 7

Today I traveled to the Shenandoah National Park for a trip down Skyline Drive! The drive went by quite quickly… I don’t really know what it was, but it didn’t seem like I was on the road for 7 Hours.

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I’ve been trying for weeks to obtain an “America the Beautiful” Annual Pass, and I was finally able to get one! It really wasn’t as big of a deal as I was making it out to be… just paid the person at the gate on the way into the park, signed the card, and away I went. Now I’ll be prepared for then I get to my next park (there will be a couple around Las Vegas for sure).

The weather this morning was very cloudy and grey, and that resulted in many of the scenic views from Skyline Drive being obstructed. However, I wasn’t disappointed, as the low clouds were lots of fun to drive through.

As the day went on the sun started to break through the clouds, and the views from the outlooks became much more scenic. Fortunately I think the weather also kept the people away, as most areas within the park were empty… allowing for some great photo opportunities.

The other great thing about having few people in the park was all the wildlife that I saw. Driving along the road, I rounded a corner to find two black bears standing in the middle of the road… a mother and her cub! Further down the road there was a SUV stopped watching a large buck eating breakfast. A little ways from there I spotted a smaller buck and jumped out of the car to get a photo (boy do I wish I had brought a longer lens with me).

Cruising on Skyline Drive is not something you do to make good time, as there is a 35 mph speed limit. I was having some difficulties maintaining the speed, without going too fast, so decided to turn on the cruise control. It was definitely different driving along twisty roads with cruise control engaged… your car doesn’t slow down in the corners!

The roads in Shenandoah National Park were pristine, and I noticed several signs talking about “your recovery money at work”. I guess I did get something for my tax dollars… a smooth ride! It would be great if California took the hint and repaved some of the back roads, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

The best part of my day was the drive on US-33 through the George Washington National Forest.

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This wonderful stretch of road was full of twists and turns, as well as a very steep climb and decent. To make it even better, I had fun chasing down a “local” 4×4 had impatiently passed me before the climb. I was relaxing behind several slower vehicles when the 4×4 blew past me (and the others)… while still on the flat I passed the slow vehicles and charged up the mountain. Each time I caught the 4×4 I would slow down… then catch him again. Having a large piece of empty road to myself (between the 4×4 and the slower cars) made the drive very enjoyable.

The past two days have been free from the P2135 DTC, but towards the end of today it popped back up again… and in the worst times. I think it happened 4 times in an hour, and twice I had to stop in the middle of the road, as there was no place to turn-off and “limp mode” made driving (at any pace) impossible. Fortunately I was able to get the codes cleared quickly, but I’m starting to get frustrated with it. I’m actually finding myself not wanting to pass people (especially on two lane roads), just in case I get the DTC a little while later (now with someone behind me). ‘Sigh, hopefully it decides to behave… I’m still a long ways from home, with a bunch of diving to do!

Tomorrow I drive back over the Appalachian Mountains, and based on the drive from today I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully the forecaster rain holds-off for most of the day so I can enjoy the twisty roads a bit more.

Post-GONE: Day 6

Last night I made the decision that I was going to drive a shorter route today than I originally planned. While I’d love to drive every twisty road I can, there is only so much time in the driver’s seat that I can take in one day (and over 9 hours was just too much). Even though I decided to take the “direct route”, it was far from boring.

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While I was driving on the interstate I couldn’t help but compare it to I-80 through Nebraska… compared to that, these roads are like the Nürburgring (Nordschleife)!

For the last few days, I’ve been chomping on Atomic Fireballs while I’m driving. They are a great piece of candy to keep my mouth/mind occupied during less exciting stretches of road. I typically chew on hard candy, but these are too hot if I do that… so I’m forced to eat them slowly. The bag that I bought in Wyoming was running dangerously low, and I couldn’t find more in a couple grocery stores, so I got to the point of rationing them. Today I stopped to get gas and noticed they had 50¢ bags… so I bought as many as I could carry!

Tomorrow I’m going to the Shenandoah National Park, so I really need to get my hands on an “American the Beautiful” Annual Pass.

One of the nice things about the direct route I drove today was that it brought me past three different places where I should have been able to get the pass… unfortunately, the only one that was open didn’t have any passes… Ug! How difficult is it to give people money!?!

At least when I visited the Senica Rocks Discovery Center I was able to take a photo of the beautiful scenery.

I’ve started to notice something when I enter the small towns in West Virginia… they are very proud of their high school sports. Under each of the “Welcome to” signs, there are lists of the State Championships. Just how into their high school football are these guys? Last night I was searching for a radio station in my hotel and I found the same high school football game being broadcasted on two different stations, with two different commentators!

Today I entered the radar detector unfriendly state of Virginia!

I feel it’s a little unfair that they are allowed to determine my speed with radar, but it’s illegal for me to determine if they are determining my speed with radar. Oh well, it’s not like I’m speeding… but it just felt weird driving down the road without the “beeping” from my Valentine 1. Just to make sure there was no question if I was using my radar detector, I removed it from my rear view mirror and put it into my trunk.

Shortly after checking into my hotel I received a phone call from my Uncle who lives in Virginia. I was only an hour away from his home, so made the trip out there for a visit. After turning off the interstate I traveled through lush green pastures… and wow there were some nice estates out that way! It was great to see my Uncle again, and the conversation over a home cooked meal sure was better than sitting alone in a hotel eating food from the “deli” at Walmart!

Tomorrow will be the first day of my return trip, as this is the farthest East I will venture on this Cross Country drive. So far I have racked-up 4578 miles and seen many new places. I’ve had a blast so far, and I’m looking forward for the rest of my trip back towards the West Coast!

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!