SUMMER 2004
3. Eastbound
August 22 - Alameda, CA to Needles, CA
Departed promptly at 9:00
after a comfortable breakfast with Tom and Stefanie. Took freeways to Bakersfield,
mostly I-5. Light traffic, moving quickly. From Bakersfield took the excellent and often scenic SR 58 to
Tehatchapi.
Connected with I-15 near Barstow, and finally jumped over to I-40 for a quick
drive to Needles.
In order to get some shade at the Needles KOA, had to take a full hook up site
for $26.68. The setting was quite attractive with shaded, well-separated
sites. The bathhouse was in poor condition, probably the worst I've
experienced at a KOA.
Afternoon
temperature was above 100F and I measured 107F at 6 PM, quite a
change from the 65F we enjoyed in Alameda in the morning.
Drove 550 miles, was en route for 8 3/4 hrs. Bought gas at $2.139/gal.
August 23 - Needles, CA to Grants, NM
Awoke at 6:00 AM. The outside temperature was 78F, the inside thermometer showed 72F.
The shower was disappointing, too little water pressure. Departed at 9 AM and stayed on I-40 all day. The interstate was in poor condition in California, but improved in Arizona to rate a "good to very good." It was very good and excellent in New Mexico.
At times the Arizona scenery was quite attractive as we climbed from the desert to higher elevations and forests. Forests gave way to high prairies and views of buttes as we approached the Arizona/New Mexico border.
Got a comfortable site at the Grants, NM KOA. $22.98 for full
hook-up. They provide a modem connection, and also offer WiFi access for
$4/hour or $8 for 24 hour access.
Drove 460 miles and was on the road for 8 hours. Bought gas in Arizona for $2.249/gal.
August 24 - Grants, NM to Elk City/Clinton, OK
Enjoyed a good night's sleep with the outside temperature dropping down to 56F. Woke up at 6:00 local time and decided to stay in my warm bed for another hour. After all, yesterday morning it would have been only 5 AM.
We
were on the road by 9:00 AM and it still was only 62F. I-40 seemed to stretch
forever and little scenic beauty broke the monotony. When we entered Texas
it started to warm up, with the thermometer registering high 90s. By the
time we reached the Elk City-Clinton KOA in Oklahoma, it was 100F.
The Elk City-Clinton KOA is very conveniently located right off the interstate.
$24.25 got us a shady site with full hook-ups.
Drove 525 miles today, all on I-40, at an average speed of 65.5 mph. Bought gas for $1.939/gal in New Mexico and for $1.799/gal in Oklahoma.
August 25 - Elk City/Clinton, OK to Allen, TX
The nighttime temperature didn't drop below 80F.
Enjoyed a good continental breakfast courtesy of the campground.
W were on the road by 10 AM and stayed on I-40 as far as Oklahoma City. I-35 south took us south to the Dallas area. At Denton, TX picked up US 380, then US 75 south to Allen.
Allen, TX is the home of long-time friends Tom and Pat. We had last enjoyed their wonderful hospitality during our 1999 cross-country trip. Great people, great food, great entertainment.
Antje enjoyed sleeping in the house, in a regular bed, in air-conditioned comfort. The poodles and I stayed in the van, and the outside temperature didn't drop below 82F until 4 AM.
Drove 316 miles today. We were on the road for a bit over 6 hours. The Westy got a lube job and we bought gas in Oklahoma for $1.799/gal.
August 26 - Allen, TX to Baton Rouge, LA
Had a super breakfast, including Tom's special pancakes. We were on the road by 10:00 AM and the temperature already was in the lower nineties. It would climbed to above 100F before noon, with high enough humidity to make one's skin itch. I'm not used to this anymore.
We took US 360 to I-635 East, US 80 to I-20 to Shreveport, then I-45, I-10, and I-12 to Baton Rouge. Nothing particularly scenic along the way.
Got a site at the KOA in Baton Rouge/Hammond, LA for $27.85, which included full hook-ups and access to a great pool, a very pleasant hot tub, and a spotless bathhouse.
Drove 485 miles, was on the road for 8 hours. Bought gas in Louisiana for $1.819/gal.
August 27 - Baton Rouge, LA to Lake City, FL
It didn't cool off much during the night: Temperature outside the van dropped to only 79F and the humidity remained probably close to 100%. The air conditioner wasn't much help, the best we could do was to lower the cabin temperature to 76F.
By the time we departed at 8:30 AM it was already 85F and very muggy.
Took I-12 and then I-10 to Alabama and Pensacola, FL. Detoured to Pensacola Beach and Florida SR 399 for the gorgeous drive along the gulf. Rejoined I-10 near Eglin.
Had planned to spend night at the KOA near Tallahassee but got there too early in the day to call it quits, especially since temp was still 92F. Instead we continued on to the Lake City KOA. They charged $27.47 for an OK site without a picnic table. Nice pool, OK bathhouse.
Bought gas in Pensacola for $1.749/gal. Drove 565 miles, was on the road for 9 1/2 hrs.
August 28 - Lake City, FL to Key Biscayne, FL
This is our last day away from home on this trip.
The 390 miles and 6 1/2 hours drive on I-75, the Florida Turnpike, and I-95 was fast and uneventful, except that we experienced the one and only major rainfall on this trip about an hour from home. Thunderstorms in Florida can be intense, and this one was a gully washer that pretty much stopped traffic on the turnpike for almost an hour.
We were home by 4:15 PM. We had drawn the hurricane shutters before we left and kept the air conditioning set to 80F. Everything was in perfect condition.
Statistics:
We were away from home for 53 days - our longest trip so far.
Drove 12,860 miles. The Westy's odometer now show 182,502 miles.
Changed the oil three times, didn't need additional oil in between changes.
Spent $ 1,620 on 829 gallons of gasoline, averaged 15.4 mpg.
Stayed at 33 campgrounds at a total cost of $720.
