In which Sid and Doris realise belatedly that it is going to be a really, really long way.
So far we have driven the Yet To Be Named Car 790 miles over 4 days, and we reckon that 200 mile days are very do-able down reasonably wiggly roads.
As we clear the coffee table, and then the living room rug, to spread out the map in the living room of the rented house in Pacific Grove, we realise that the Yew Ess of Ay is quite a wide country. And, as we move the sofa, the bookcase and some occasional tables to clear some more space, quite a deep country north to south as well. The coasts do not run directly from north to south, the hills are not parallel with the coasts and the scenery is generally disobliging for anyone hoping to find an easy route for an old car.
Here is our current thinking, having had lots of helpful suggestions from friends old and new over the past three weeks:
- Chicago: Too far north (mentally, if not physically)
- Southern California, Death Valley and New Mexico: Too hot
- Texas: Too big
- The Southern States, aka the south eastern corner: Puts a big kink in the route if you are planning to return the car to its home garage in NJ, also contains lots of interesting stuff which we’d like to save for another visit
- Route 66: Too hackneyed
- The Interstate highway network: Not really suitable for an old car wanting to see interesting places, but might be useful to zip across some corn fields
- The Rockies: Can be steep, wiggly and high. Try to find routes across which are only 2 out of those 3.
- The Flyover Zone: Has a reputation for being mind-numbingly boring, with I-Spy reduced to Corn and Harvested Corn for around 1,000 miles. Worryingly, three separate people have recommended visiting the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, which implies that there is not a lot else to see.
This has helpfully ruled out a few places but not really defined a route.
We’ve planned a 17 day, 3600 mile route to get us started:
- Start in Pacfic Grove
- Yosemite National park
- 5 days taking it reasonably slowly across Southern Utah and Southern Colorado to Colorado Springs
- Dash quickly across the corn for 2 days to Kansas City where Doris has barbershop friends
- Another 600 mile dash to Nashville which should be the end of the Big Square Fields
- Chattanooga, Gatlinburg and the Smokey Mountains
- Follow the line of the Appalachians until we get to New Joisey.
Here it is, with the elevation shown at the bottom. And yes, it does go past the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.
