Hi, everyone,
For those who are interested, here's a final "recap" of my trip:
I got home Saturday night, as planned. This is a map of my final route (I hope the resolution is good enough to see well):
http://www.sl113.org/forums/uploaded/davidapease/200589161812_TripMap.jpgThe route started and ended at the red circle (downtown Redwood Estates, CA). Each night's stop is a yellow dot, with the first being in northern Nevada and then clockwise until the final stop near Chico California. Overall, the trip included 15 states (in 15 days).
For those interested in statistics, here are some more:
Trip out distance: 2952 miles
Around Blacklick: 133 miles
Trip back distance: 2881 miles
TRIP TOTAL: 5965 miles
The total amount of gas used (for 5899 miles) was about 322 gallons, for an overall MPG of 18.3. Ignoring the obvious anomalies, the low gas mileage reading was about around 16 MPG, the highest a little over 20. Overall, considering the speeds at which I drove much of the time and the mountains we climbed, I consider this quite a respectable average.
The lowest elevation was about 20 feet (Fremont, CA), and the highest was about 11,300 (Monarch Pass in the Rockies). We had another pass over 9,000 feet, and so many over 7,000 that I lost count.
On one day of the trip out and one day of the trip back, both VERY hot and under heavy load, I had a short period of fuel delivery problems. I will start a separate thread to discuss this. In any case, it did not affect my progress.
Except for that problem, I didn't have any mechanical issues, not even adding air, coolant, or oil. (Joe did discover that my differential was low on fluid due to a leaky pinion seal, but that was not trip-related.) The only apparent result of the trip on the car is a lot of paint nicks from rocks, especially through road construction in Yellowstone. (Speaking of road construction, the sign "Road Work Ahead" became a dreaded sight; the sign "End Road Work" was always a lie.
If I had one overall impression of the car on the trip, it would be its capableness (yes, that really is a word). We (my friend Michael, the car, and I) drove through sun and rain, day and night, low and high elevations, mild and HOT weather, and the car handled it all well. Wipers, heater, vents, soft top, seats, and lighting, as well as the drive train itself, all did their job very well. I never felt like I was in a outmoded vehicle.
I can't count the number of times I heard "Nice car!" on the trip, often from young people. Interestingly, except for Tech Session attendees, I never saw another Pagoda.
I guess that's it. It was a great trip in every way. The drive was enjoyable (if sometimes long and hot), and the Tech Session was terrific. Would I do it again in two years? I don't know - perhaps if several cars went. Can we hold it in the spring or fall when it's cooler?
-David Pease
'66 French 230SL
