Finally had some time and wifi to organize and post the update from the final 2.5 days of the Road Trip. Also included a summary of stats at the end.
DAY 3: the third day was the highlight of this trip. Instead of following the GPS’ straight route to the northwest, I intentionally skewed my route westward to include a drive-by through the desert and rock formations of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah (with the additional perk of driving a few miles on Route 66). The detour would add just under 300 miles to the trip overall which, given its proportions, seemed to be a good deal. And boy was I right.
I spent most of the third day zigzagging across the desert, mostly within Arizona and Utah. Some places were desolate, others sparsely populated. And as I moved North, the scenery gradually changed from dry, flat desert fields covered with yellow bushes, to the typical “Mesas” of this region, and finally the more vertical, canyon-like formations of Utah.
I will let the photos give a sense of what a trip it was (pun intended).
DAYS 4 & 5: after accomplishing the objective of the scenic drive of day 3, the following day and a half were a straight push north. From Utah I entered Idaho, then Oregon and finally Washington.
Trip Key Facts & Stats:
- Distance: 3,633 Miles (5,846 Km)
- Fuel: 147 Gallons (556 Lts)
- Average Consumption: 24.7 mpg (10.5 Km/Lt)
- Days Driven: 4.5
- Most Miles Covered: 869 Miles (1,398 Km) – Day 1 (Miami to New Orleans)
- Highest Elevation: 7,477 Ft (2,280 m) – Soldier Pass, UT
- Lowest Elevation: -2ft – Pesto’s main salon
- Highest Temperature: 101F (38C) – Bliss, ID
- Lowest Temperature: 66F (19C) – Layton, UT
- States Crossed: 11 → Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
- Best Highways: Texas and Utah (excellent pavement, plenty of fuelling options, 75-80 Mph speed limit)
- Worst Highways: Louisiana (pavement sucks), Idaho (too many, long road work areas)
