Now we have ‘Big Blue’ the pickup truck the time has come for Wendy to finish her adventure and head back to the world of driving on the left hand side of the road. But before she departs for shores of old she has one last trip to do - San Clemente State Beach (Pacific West Coast) to Dundalk Marine Terminal, Baltimore (Atlantic East Coast). Once there then it’s a nice boat trip all the way back to Liverpool, on the River Mersey in England.
Google Maps says it’s 2,749 miles coast to coast which means a 5 day driving trip averaging 550 miles a day, which is roughly driving from Shaldon to Montrose in Scotland, every day. Of course the roads might be slightly better as it’s nearly Interstate highways all the way and not a mix of Motorway, dual carriageways and A class roads back in the UK.
After the long process of transferring stuff to the new transport (we brought too much stuff!) and securing what remains in Wendy ready for her sea cruise, then I set off around 3:00pm on the Tuesday heading East. Navigation should be simple(ish) as it’s basically the Interstate 40 East from coast to coast. Of course we have to navigate our way to the I-40 through the environs of Los Angles and its suburban sprawl. And that’s a real pain! The first 80 miles takes over 4 hours due to sheer volume of traffic on 7 lane highways, road works and the occasional accident or vehicle fire. To put it into perspective it’s taken 4 hours to do roughly 75% of the way around the whole of the M25 (which is 117 miles around) - so I suppose it’s equivalent! But, the average of 550 miles per day is well under threat, luckily we have planned 6 days (5 1/2 really) for the journey to allow for such issues. But to get the delays right at the start….!
After the slow start then it’s relatively easy driving, but in the dark, and a lot is uphill, and Wendy and I finish the day around 10:30pm having put 246 miles under the belt/hood (sorry, bonnet) and we overnight in a rest area near Ludlow on the I-40 (not Ludlow in Shropshire). Alex had put 2 beers in Wendy’s fridge so one is consumed and then off to sleep with ear plugs to reduce the noise of truck air conditioning motors running all night.
An early start to the second day sees me driving through semi-arid high desert (around 4,000 to 5,000 feet high) and having reached 7,000 feet to get over the mountains, we are following the old Route 66 and also backtracking on where we’ve been previously. There are lots of deserted places such as motels and petrol stations which are collapsing and covered in graffiti - perhaps a different look about them. Quite like to photograph some of them but that would add so much more time … but driving the old 66 before the interstate highway was built must have taken an absolute age.
The landscape is vast, monotonous, the roads straight to the horizon and then straight on to the next horizon, but traffic is light. My favourite thing is watching the massive trains (Santa Fe railroad) and seeing how many locos they need - max was nine, 5 at front, 2 in the middle and 2 pushing at the rear. The train was the best part of a mile long.
We pass Needles, Flagstaff, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest National Park, Albuquerque all of which we have visited then it’s on to new territory and eventually stopping in the middle of nowhere - Tucumcari! That’s 690 miles over 14 hours of driving (plus stops). The second beer Alex had left really helps with the sleep!
Day three and another early start just as the sun is rising. The landscape is starting to change as we head towards Texas and Amarillo, becoming flatter and more ranch like, still plenty of bush though. Amarillo is surrounded by enormous wind farms with one stretching over 30 miles before I get there and another over 20 miles after Amarillo - complete with a burnt out turbine as well!
After Amarillo we start to see more arable farms, greener landscape and several huge steer feed lots, over 1,000 head of cattle and the associated smell! Phew!! Then it’s into the state of Oklahoma with gentler plains and farms. Passing through Oklahoma City we go around Tinker Air Force Base - loads of gate guardians flash past my window, glimpsing a B-1, B-52, B-47, B-29 and even a Dakota - but no time to stop as it’s rush hour here. But it’s also goodbye to old Route 66 as it heads more North East from Oklahoma City and we are still heading East.
Oklahoma State is driven in a day, they have rivers with water in them and trees alongside the highway - having been so used to arid regions or mountains for the past two months it’s quite a change. As we move into Arkansas, heading for Little Rock, the weather puts on a display of lightning and torrential rain/hail as we climb up the Ozark Mountains in the dark. The day is done, 586 miles driven over 14 hours and time to overnight in a rest area.
Sleep was more difficult this time, perhaps a lack of a beer, miscalculation there! Waking up to the gentle patter of rain reminds me to do a little hand washing with the few items of laundry festooned inside Wendy to dry. And starting off in the wet is different - we haven’t driven in drizzle for more than 3 months since before we left Canada.
The I-40 just continues for mile after mile with traffic getting heavier as we push into more populated areas. The Arkansas slogan is “Drive slow and enjoy the view” which consists of farms, more farms and even bigger farms. Think about the flat Lincolnshire Fens just multiplied 100 times! But there are trees delineating the fields, which the Fens don’t have.
After Little Rock, quite some time after, suddenly there are skyscrapers on the horizon. Then a massive bridge. Then it’s over the Mississippi and into Memphis, Tennessee. I manage to glimpse a Mississippi stern wheeler on the river - just for the tourists, but no time to stop. The I-40 continues eastward, but has an additional name, the “Music Highway”. Maybe it’s in honour of Elvis but most likely it’s because the next big city is Nashville. Of course, the radio is flooded with country music stations with a slight spattering of religious stations for some variety. Finding pop or classical music - forget it!
The I-40 continues. Except now it’s through endless forest which rather limits the view but it does have curves and bends and hills to give a little interest to the driving.
Being alone with my thoughts makes me realise just how much I love and miss Emma and Alex as I drive. Emma is having to deal with issues with the truck camper on her own and look after Alex for which I’m so grateful, she’s such a resourceful woman xx
Nashville is negotiated in the Friday rush hour, challenging, then it’s on cross country to eventually stop near Crossville around 2,000 feet up in the hills. Day four done with another 522 miles in 12.5 hours driving and no time zone changes - that’s just down the road. And no beer to finish with … must do better!
It’s Saturday, had to remind myself as days float by whilst long distance driving! So driving the Tennessee highway is much the same as yesterday - long long roads between forests so not much to see, just the occasional glimpse of a township as they rush by. It is up and down, rather than desert flat so some variety. Then it’s out of Tennessee and into Virginia. The route heads more north and it’s now the I-81 as the I-40 is heading more easterly.
We’re travelling up the side of the Appalachian Mountains and there is slightly more open spaces to glance at. Being a Saturday the traffic is - you’ve guessed - just as busy! But there are a few familiar signs from a previous trip to the USA, Louray Caverns, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive. But I won’t see anything as the weather has turned foul, lots of heavy rain and temperature as low as 14C meaning the air con is off and the heating on! The poor weather slows us down and we pull off slightly early in the dark and pouring rain - difficult driving conditions.
Anyway, we want to negotiate Washington DC in the daylight so it’s a sensible decision to stop. That’s day 5 finished with 417 miles done in 10 hours.
The final days travelling dawns overcast and still raining. It’s a relatively easy drive to Baltimore except for negotiating the concrete jungle of toll roads around Washington. Even the Sat nav got confused! However we are in Baltimore and not far from the port. The low cloud and rain is not painting Baltimore in a good light, really just grey light, so it’s time for the final tidy up and ready for the shipping process tomorrow. Then I can fly back to San Diego whilst Wendy waits for her sea cruise. That last leg was 157 miles making a total trip distance of 2618 miles from West coast to East coast.
Perhaps some statics about Wendy whilst we have been travelling to date might be of interest. She has travelled 22,000 miles across Canada and the USA. She has gone from sea level right up to 11,000 feet in the Rockies.
In doing so she has consumed about £4,000 ($5,000) of diesel which, assuming an average price of $5 per US gallon means somewhere around 4,000 ltrs of fuel (fuel is very expensive in California, $6.50 per US gal and expensive in the mountains and park areas - but still cheaper than at home!). Wendy has also consumed about 190 ltrs of DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) to keep her emissions nice and low. She has had one puncture requiring a flatbed truck to take us to a garage, puncture repair was $50 and breakdown insurance paid for the tow! And of course she has damage to the fender (sorry bumper) where a deer ran into her.
The final handover to the shipping agents is nice and straightforward - get the documents, pay the fees, find the port escort service and then drive into the port. Mind you we had to wait until the lunchtime closure was over - port workers get 1.5 hours for their lunch and nothing moves during that time. Once customs is cleared then it’s to the final handlers, a quick look around then hand over the keys and goodbye.
It’s a strange feeling, standing on the dock looking at Wendy and thinking that one part of the adventure is over. Wendy has been great. She’s kept us going, been warm and cool, through rain and the heat, been comfortable, spacious, secure and safe. Now she can have a rest back in the UK. Thank you Wendy and see you next year!
Guy
Your Chausson has done you proud. Did you find you used much of the spares you took?
Let's hope ours stands up to the rest next year.
Aw a bitter sweet goodbye to Wendy; you’ll be reunited soon (ish). And so the great adventure continues. Have a great Xmas and Happy New Year travels. xxx
Great description of the journey, must have been monumentally tedious at times, but well done for persevering! But no beer?? Really!!! Good luck with the next leg!