The Journey Home: Two-Day Drive in One

6-7 July 2013; On the Road Again --

Getting up at 0530 after a late night out last night, Grumpy packed his belongings, intending to drive about half-way (~550 miles) toward the attraction of his own bed. I left the cabin, after checking out and getting my final bill, at about 0830. I topped off the fuel tank in the Red Rocket in Belle Fourche, having consumed less than a tankful during my entire visit here in the Hills. Belle is where I refueled when I arrived in the Black Hills on the 29th of June, after having driven from Deer Lodge MT.

I was supremely confident that, by driving the same way on my return trip (cruise control set on 65 or 70), I would only have to refuel once before arriving back home. I planned to do that refueling in Deer Lodge where I also planned to stay overnight. [33.38 mpg on freeway driving -- three 550+ mile legs. I didn't have a full tank out of Renton at the beginning of the trip (and I took 18+ gallons at the end of that 561-mile stretch).]

But when I got to Deer Lodge,and after a good Montana steak in my stomach, with the daylight still full, and my "traveling energy" still high, I decided to keep on for a few more hours. I could always take a nap in a Rest Area, I thought.

As I got past Missoula, I spotted the setting sun, so decided to capture this view, which identified about where I was at this time (2126 MDT). Beside, I thought this would be a good ending to what I still intended to halt for the night somewhere along the road.

Well, after a couple or three one and two hour naps and I found my way home at about 0445, the wee hour of the 7th. Total driving time, about 17 or 18 hours. Not bad for an old duffer!

I was going to get a photo of the Pungent Sound sunrise to finish off this post. But, well, you know, sunsets over the Cascades are rarely worth memorializing. This morning was no different and besides, I was tired and that bed felt so good after my shower ...

Where in the World has Wandering Ward Gone Now?

30 June 2013; Spearfish Creek Inn, SD --

Last afternoon, Grumpy arrived here after a gruelling 17 hours (1111 miles) of freeway driving from his Castle to this vacation Mecca. In previous years, especially when accompanied by the Grand Mother, Grumpy set the cruise control on 65 and patiently waited for the miles to roll by. This year, due to a reminder of a good old-fashioned Dupree (my one-time hometown) reunion and picnic, Grumpy rather hastily left his digs in order to arrive in time to participate in this reunion. So the cruise control was set at 70 mph.

As the reader may recall, a few years back, at the behest of the aforesaid Grand Mother, Grumpy reluctantly reduced his usual "race car" habit, of driving 70-90 mph, to the cruise control moderated 65 mph. The resulting 34 mpg was astounding (to Grumpy at least). This year's cruise at a steady (mostly) 70 mph was equally astounding: Grumpy topped off the Red Rocket at his favorite fuel stop on Grady Way and needed to refuel only once all the way to Spearfish! He also learned that, filled to the top of the filler pipe, the tank holds about 18.5 gallons (yes, I was just about down to fumes!). Average, 33+ mpg.

The weather during the two day drive was typically hot -- both in Western and Central Montana (92 degr F)  as well as Eastern Montana (92 degr). It actually got a little cooler as South Dakota neared (85 degr F). However, with the A/C turned on (not full blast), Grumpy remained comfortable -- and awake. Grumpy stopped for Friday night at a familiar motel in Deer Lodge MT; also the location of his refueling stop, a little over halfway to this destination.

Pastures across Montana and South Dakota (as far as I have gone so far, anyway) are all verdantly green. Cousin J.Z. tells me that they have had a lot of rain since I was here last month (see Prairie Safari). The pleasant morning, celebrated on the porch with a hot cup of coffee, promises to continue into a moderate to warm afternoon.

More later. With pictures this time.

Summer 2008 Auto Trip: Days 1 and 2

The Grand Mother and Grumpy [not too grumpy to start out with], left home at about 0500 hours Saturday 21 June 2008. Grumpy filled up with gasoline (at $4.269 per gallon) and set the trip odometer to zero. The GPS numbers [including the top speed!] had all been set to zero before we left the home place up on the hill. We stopped at Perkins Restaurant in Ellensburg for breakfast.

This picture of the Grand Mother eating her breakfast shows how happy she was with Grumpy's driving this first 100 or so miles -- he had set the Cruise Control at 65 miles per hour and had passed only three trucks so far; no passenger cars or other smaller vehicles had even come close to being passed by the Grump.
As this next picture indicates, Grumpy was not altogether happy with the prospect of this "snail's pace" of travel: 1700 miles more at this pace!! [Grumpy wasn't sure but that he would go berserk watching the slugs cross the road as he approached them!] But Grandma cheerfully and sweetly said, "You could set the Cruise Control to 60 miles per hour!"

We tooled on, arriving in Missoula, surprisingly [to the Grand Mother as well as Grumpy!] at about 3 in the afternoon!! And this after stopping for lunch and an hour or two of shopping at Lincoln's Silver Dollar Bar in Haugen Montana. The cruise control still being dutifully set at 65 miles per hour.

Grumpy received his reward when he filled up with Conoco gasoline in Missoula: first of all, gasoline was only $3.999 per gallon here and secondly, and even exciting, was the fact that the slower pace enabled Grumpy's V6-powered Red Rocket to acheive 34.66 miles per gallon on this tankful! Well, Grumpy remained somewhat skeptical -- another tank or two would bear out whether this was a case of a poorly-filled tank or some other kind of data variation.

We had reservations at a fairly decent-looking motel out of the downtown high-rent district. Grumpy had reserved a first floor (no stairs for Grandma, if you please), non-smoking, senior-citizen, air-conditioned room. It even had full provisions for an even more disabled person! Well, it turned out to have some distinct disadvantages. First of all, the Internet didn't work -- I could connect to the motel wireless network but couldn't get onto their internet. Next, the hand shower for the disabled was -- well, disabled!! It was broken. Then, during the night we realized that the air conditioner wasn't really doing much. In fact the next morning, it was cooler outside that it was in our room!! Finally, unlike almost all motels these days, there was no "complimentary breakfast". Well, let us just say that it was an experiment and next time we will NOT stay at the Brooks Street Motor Inn.

Today, Sunday, we woke at about the same time [Pacific Daylight Time] and, after getting dressed and packing the luggage in the back of the Red Rocket, drove down the street to a Denny's Restaurant where we enjoyed excellent service [Grumpy opined that they apparently weren't managed by the same people that managed the one in Renton on Rainier Avenue], and good food. We were on the freeway with the Cruise Control set at 65 mph by about 0800 PDT.

We toyed with the idea of having a one-o'clock lunch in Billings, but with a nice tail wind and light traffic, and with the absence of anyone speaking up to say, "I'm hungry!!", Grumpy kept his pedal to the metal --well, not really. Remember, the Cruise Control!? So we came on to Miles City Montana, arriving here at about ten minutes before three in the afternoon. Grumpy drove directly to a good restaurant [that served beefsteak and other good foods].

Next we stopped at the nearest gas station and filled up for the trip tomorrow. WOW!! This second tank was even better than the first: 38.01 mpg!!] Grumpy was starting to think that maybe this slow driving was going to pay off after all -- if he didn't go stark raving mad, first, that is!]

Then to bed here in a Super 8 motel, complete with Internet that works and air conditioning that even now, threatens to cause these two old folks to snuggle next to each other tonight!

Stay tuned!! Next stop, Mobridge SD. We may not have Internet there, either. If so, the next time we will post will be from the Sheep Shedde in Olivia MN.