drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  526,807

Day Distance:  1,090 Miles

North Carolina to Arizona in two days.  Seems almost impossible, even to me!  But, I am living proof that it’s possible. Boy does it ever feel good to be back at home!  As much as I love life on the road, after this adventure I’m completely exhausted.  The 4,073 miles of memories were totally worth it, though.

My day started in Dallas, Texas at 5:30 in the morning with a wake-up call that made me want to throw my iPhone out the window.  Between traversing multiple time zones, my sleep patterns are all out of whack and I was far from rested.  I told my Garmin Nuvi GPS unit that I wanted to “Go Home.”  A few minutes of calculation later, and it said I would arrive in 15 hours, 10 minutes.  Sigh.

But what was unique about those hours?  They were all on the same. exact. freeway.  Check it out (below picture, top left corner).  Once I got underway on I-20, my next turn was in a whopping 1,048 miles.  This is where I basically activated autopilot mode for the duration of the drive.  As long as I kept the car between the white lines, I’d be at my home by later in the evening.

Sunup to sundown.  That’s how I roll.

One nice thing about west Texas (and perhaps, the only nice thing?) is that the speed limits are high.

I spent several hundred miles staring at this:  cruise control activated around 87-89 mph.  I had a tough time feeling “okay” about driving at such a rate of speed without fear of police intervention, but I was grateful to make the drive pass by quickly.

This is about as interesting as the scenery gets out there.

I rolled through the small towns of Abilene, Midland, Odessa.  The primary industry out there is oil & gas.  Along the vast landscape you can see dozens of oil pumps bobbing up and down.  Midland, by the way, was home to former U.S. President George Bush as well as his wife Laura.  I learned that from a road sign at city limits.

Picking up some lost time!  I crossed two time zone boundaries (Mountain & Pacific).

Fuel in Willcox, Arizona after finally entering my home state again.

And back on the interstate to continue the westward journey.

Those nice looking blue skies soon transformed into something a bit more gloomy.  As I neared Tucson city limits, things looked pretty ominous.

It warmed my heart to see “Phoenix” on a sign at last.  I was getting so close.

Until…. I entered a total parking lot on the interstate!  Extreme weather had contributed to a 6-car pileup.  Imagine having driven 1,000 miles and being only 50 miles from home, then coming to standstill.  I was discouraged.

Those remaining 50 miles were tedious and scary.  A torrential “monsoon” rainstorm had torn down trees, overturned an 18-wheeler, and stripped some of the road signs right out of the ground.  Rain was still coming down very heavily as I made my way into the Phoenix valley. But I made it!

It is so good to get home.  I extend a huge thanks to everyone who checked in on me throughout the journey!

Here are a few fun facts about my trip:

• Total Distance:  4,073 Miles in 6 Days
• Average Daily Distance:  678 Miles
• If I drove 678 miles per day, every day for a year, that would be 247,000 miles in a year
• 11 States Visited:  Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
• Crappiest Roads:  Toss-up between Jackson, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana.  Roller coaster ride, broken pavement, and potholes the size of the Grand Canyon
• Most Road Construction:  The entire Interstate 40 corridor in northern New Mexico
• Best Food:  Zaxby’s fried chicken in Asheville, North Carolina.  WE NEED a Zaxby’s in Arizona!
• Worst Food:  Chobani yogurt from the Love’s Travel Center #475 in Sweetwater, Texas.  It looked like soup.  Also, the chocolate milk that I got there expired on May 31st, nearly a full 3 months ago.  Gross.
• Best Scenery:  Interstate 40 from Knoxville, Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina.  2 tunnels and some of the most amazing curves I’ve ever driven.
• Worst Scenery:  Everything from Abilene to El Paso, Texas.  That 453-mile stretch is forgettable.
• National Acura Legend Meets That My Legend Has Been To (Starting 2005):  Dallas, Tulsa, Las Vegas, Chattanooga, Branson, Morristown, Salt Lake City, and now Asheville
• Other Car Sightings:  Legend (1)  ILX (0)
• Favorite Pit Stop:  Conoco classic service station in Shamrock, Texas along old Route 66
• Clever Place Names:  “Chair Crusher” restaurant and “Sherlock Homes” mobile home retailer in Henryetta, Oklahoma.  “Mom & Pop’s Pyro Shop” fireworks dealer in Lordsburg, New Mexico.  “Belly Acres” real estate in Abilene, Texas.
• My Car Issues:  Check engine light on day 1.  Low power steering fluid on day 2.  Worn out driver’s side wiper blade.  Otherwise, NADA.  I have not even had to add any engine oil to keep the level full.
• Best Song That Came on my iPod Today:  “Chariots of Fire”  I loved cranking this to max volume and picturing a slow-motion race to the finish line as I neared home in the Legend.

🙂

Once again, thanks to the NALM Ground Team for putting on a phenomenal event.  It was worth every mile of the drive.  And thanks to all of my great readers for the support and encouragement along the way.

Final Video:

This entry was posted on August 26, 2013 at 9:01 pm and is filed under Legend, NALM, Road Trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.