The Panamera's unusual Eastward trip across the US (part 2)
Discussion
At the end of the year I posted a story of the Westward trip from Canada down to Arizona using the Panamera for the journey which had just hit 50,000 km. (Link here
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Spring came and it was time to return. However this would be a very different trip into new places, and not just another exploration of Route 66. As it happened, the trip would intersect the 2024 Total Eclipse if we plotted a new course and had good luck with the weather..
Before getting on the road, the usual chores of closing up the Arizona house had to be done including storing the winter cars. Summer temperatures get very extreme and there are long periods of 120 f which can be very hard on cars. Wiring harnesses crack, leather dries out, plastics get brittle and tires flatspot in the heats. All was looked after and it was time to say goodbye to Arizona for the winter.
Spring is nice in AZ and the garden was reflected in the glass of the Jeep:
A final meal at the outside at the local restaurant and the trip would begin next morning:
A serious concern was that Shiloh my Great Dane was ageing greatly and there was some doubt that she would be able to do thousands of kilometres in the back of the car. She had a few worrying symptoms , hardly a surprise for a large dog in her eleventh year. However, when it came time to hit the road she had recovered and was ready to roll as she had done all her life.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Spring came and it was time to return. However this would be a very different trip into new places, and not just another exploration of Route 66. As it happened, the trip would intersect the 2024 Total Eclipse if we plotted a new course and had good luck with the weather..
Before getting on the road, the usual chores of closing up the Arizona house had to be done including storing the winter cars. Summer temperatures get very extreme and there are long periods of 120 f which can be very hard on cars. Wiring harnesses crack, leather dries out, plastics get brittle and tires flatspot in the heats. All was looked after and it was time to say goodbye to Arizona for the winter.
Spring is nice in AZ and the garden was reflected in the glass of the Jeep:
A final meal at the outside at the local restaurant and the trip would begin next morning:
A serious concern was that Shiloh my Great Dane was ageing greatly and there was some doubt that she would be able to do thousands of kilometres in the back of the car. She had a few worrying symptoms , hardly a surprise for a large dog in her eleventh year. However, when it came time to hit the road she had recovered and was ready to roll as she had done all her life.
The plan was to run shorter stints than usual which would be less stressful on the dog and to meet the eclipse in Arkansas, a state I had never been to . Driving out of Scottsdale on a glorious sunny morning was deceptive, as within a couple of hours we clmbed from 2000ft above sea level to over 7000 ft at Flagstaff. Cactus gave way to pines, and we overnighted in Gallup NM. Next morning that was snow on the car and a vicious wind that would follow us most. of the way to Canada.
There was huge publicity for the Eclipse, with predictions of massive traffic jams, food shortages, and so on. Immediately called the Great America Eclipse I assumed that it occurred between the Less Important Mexican Eclipse or LIME, and the Not Important Canadian Eclipse or NICE.
Accommodation is always a little more complex with a large dog. Tucumcari is still in New Mexico close to the Texas border, and has a wonderful range of old motels on its main strip of Route 66.
I had stayed the before without a dog, but this time we went for the most dog-friendly place I have ever experienced. The RoadRunner motel is dog heaven and is very much a sixties place. In the room there is a dog bowl, treats and a greeting for the dog. A large dog run is conveniently outside and the room are spotless and vintage with a great sense of what it was like wench Route 66 was at its peak.
Opposite on Route 66 sits Del's restaurant which serves dry good Mexican food among other items. The customers in general look as if they belong in the period.........
Been a while since I saw a working public phone too:
Tucumcari is a great little town of you ever head down Route 66- have stayed here many times;
There was huge publicity for the Eclipse, with predictions of massive traffic jams, food shortages, and so on. Immediately called the Great America Eclipse I assumed that it occurred between the Less Important Mexican Eclipse or LIME, and the Not Important Canadian Eclipse or NICE.
Accommodation is always a little more complex with a large dog. Tucumcari is still in New Mexico close to the Texas border, and has a wonderful range of old motels on its main strip of Route 66.
I had stayed the before without a dog, but this time we went for the most dog-friendly place I have ever experienced. The RoadRunner motel is dog heaven and is very much a sixties place. In the room there is a dog bowl, treats and a greeting for the dog. A large dog run is conveniently outside and the room are spotless and vintage with a great sense of what it was like wench Route 66 was at its peak.
Opposite on Route 66 sits Del's restaurant which serves dry good Mexican food among other items. The customers in general look as if they belong in the period.........
Been a while since I saw a working public phone too:
Tucumcari is a great little town of you ever head down Route 66- have stayed here many times;
It was time to head into the state of Arkansas for Eclipse day. One of the only states below the Mason-Dixon Line that I had never visited. If you asked me in advance what I thought of Arkansas I would have said “ Clinton , Christian, Conservative, Poor, Police chases, Pickup trucks and of course WalMart which was founded there”.
What I missed was that it is beautiful with rolling roads, forests , lakes, and is generally uncrowded with very friendly and helpful people. There are many small towns here and the communities are very self-sustaining. A lot of the function of the many churches is the provision of community support.
Larger towns which are the county seats generally have an imposing courthouse- the civil war is also acknowledged here:
Like much of rural US and Canada, the small towns are depopulating. and frequently have few services or stores. You can generally tell if the only store is the Dollar General which is the most basic supplier:
The planned town for the eclipse was Russellville, a small place dead centre of the eclipse path. Unlike predictions there was not a wild traffic jam and there was no problem in checking in and parking.
The sense of anticipation was everywhere with many people wearing commemorative T shirts.
Noticed a most American plate on a car in the parking lot - In God We Trust but Come to my Tupperware party.......
National Lampoon's Vacation also contributed to a good mood:
Next morning, Eclipse Day was slightly cloudy, and it was not clear what would happen. The sky slowly cleared over the morning to perfect cloudless blue. This was going to be a great eclipse.
And then.............disaster. My camera malfunctioned and the shutter became inoperative. I tried everything, and the moment of totality arrived...the light faded to darkness, the birds stopped singing and the temperature dropped. It is an absolutely magical thing to look up and see the black disk in the sky surrounded by a corona.
As it happens I photographed the 2017 eclipse IN Tennessee and the shots I took below are very similar to what I saw in Arkansas;
So a disappointment but still a magical experience.
There was, however an opportunity to see a little more of Arkansas and next day we set out to explore
What I missed was that it is beautiful with rolling roads, forests , lakes, and is generally uncrowded with very friendly and helpful people. There are many small towns here and the communities are very self-sustaining. A lot of the function of the many churches is the provision of community support.
Larger towns which are the county seats generally have an imposing courthouse- the civil war is also acknowledged here:
Like much of rural US and Canada, the small towns are depopulating. and frequently have few services or stores. You can generally tell if the only store is the Dollar General which is the most basic supplier:
The planned town for the eclipse was Russellville, a small place dead centre of the eclipse path. Unlike predictions there was not a wild traffic jam and there was no problem in checking in and parking.
The sense of anticipation was everywhere with many people wearing commemorative T shirts.
Noticed a most American plate on a car in the parking lot - In God We Trust but Come to my Tupperware party
.......National Lampoon's Vacation also contributed to a good mood:
Next morning, Eclipse Day was slightly cloudy, and it was not clear what would happen. The sky slowly cleared over the morning to perfect cloudless blue. This was going to be a great eclipse.
And then.............disaster. My camera malfunctioned and the shutter became inoperative. I tried everything, and the moment of totality arrived...the light faded to darkness, the birds stopped singing and the temperature dropped. It is an absolutely magical thing to look up and see the black disk in the sky surrounded by a corona.
As it happens I photographed the 2017 eclipse IN Tennessee and the shots I took below are very similar to what I saw in Arkansas;
So a disappointment but still a magical experience.
There was, however an opportunity to see a little more of Arkansas and next day we set out to explore
There are some very attractive places..Arkansas was famous for its warm springs and towns grew around them providing spas to many visitors. One of the nicest towns in Eureka Springs a Victorian town which is a bustling place and well worth a visit. It was impressive to see Rainbow flags which were not typical of the state.
Outside the town is a stunning glass church designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Sitting in a forest is is nondenominational with no iconography or statues:
The next port of call would be dramatically different......
..and so into Bentonville, home of Walmart. It was founded here by Sam Walton and remains headquartered here. Walmart likes to have its suppliers close, so around 200 companies had substantial offices here. This mean the average household income is $166k
and there is a building boom. Traffic is dense and you get the feeling of a large municipal budget.
As the city has expanded more and more agricultural land is being consumed, but the view from the hotel was unspoiled:
The origine 5 and Dime store still exists but was closed for renovation. A temporary Walmart museum was open which featured an AI powered Sam Walton to answer questions in his own voice:
The city has excellent restaurants , a superb hotel called the 21C and a world class gallery of American Art which was established by Alice Walton. Billions were spent and it is currently doubling in size.
First, the hotel.
The lobby and a series of anterooms all display modern art:
]
Outside there are some installations including this '62 Caddy which is meticulously covered in coins;
[url]
|https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/77298/202404277815006[/url
Had a excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant , one of several very good places:
and there is a building boom. Traffic is dense and you get the feeling of a large municipal budget.
As the city has expanded more and more agricultural land is being consumed, but the view from the hotel was unspoiled:
The origine 5 and Dime store still exists but was closed for renovation. A temporary Walmart museum was open which featured an AI powered Sam Walton to answer questions in his own voice:
The city has excellent restaurants , a superb hotel called the 21C and a world class gallery of American Art which was established by Alice Walton. Billions were spent and it is currently doubling in size.
First, the hotel.
The lobby and a series of anterooms all display modern art:
]
Outside there are some installations including this '62 Caddy which is meticulously covered in coins;
[url]
Had a excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant , one of several very good places:
The Crystal Springs Galleryy of American Art is outstanding. Donated by Alice Walton it has a every representative collection of first class American Art right up to the present day:
The architecture is impressive, designed by Moishe Safdie but was unfortunately a bit of a construction site due to a major expansion:
The architecture is impressive, designed by Moishe Safdie but was unfortunately a bit of a construction site due to a major expansion:
Leaving Arkansas it was clear that there was more to see.
There is also the fearsome ASP the state patrol. Famous for pit manoeuvres they will crash runners right off the road. It is not a gentle process. Here is a vid from last week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsKh13n2gK8
Occasionally people will bait the cops and make sa run for the bridge to Memphis ...once they get halfway across the bridge the chase is over.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD59ZM-L6a0
I was fairly careful about speeding in Arkansas.
Next stop was Tennessee.
There is also the fearsome ASP the state patrol. Famous for pit manoeuvres they will crash runners right off the road. It is not a gentle process. Here is a vid from last week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsKh13n2gK8
Occasionally people will bait the cops and make sa run for the bridge to Memphis ...once they get halfway across the bridge the chase is over.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD59ZM-L6a0
I was fairly careful about speeding in Arkansas.
Next stop was Tennessee.
The next stop was the extraordinary and very strange Lane Motor Museum in Nashville TN- I posted a complete writeup on this unique place in the Yesterday’s Heroes section- link here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Definitely unlike any other car museum and I only saw a fraction of the cars in the collection.
I spent no other time in Nashville as we had to press on.
had to pick up some wine in NY so made a long detour into Syracuse NY , a town that has seen better days. It does have an interesting past though, and there is a stunning Art Deco building , The Niagara Mohawk Power building that has miraculously survived intact. Amazing that it still exists in such wonderful condition:
And now ,for something completely different:
Syracuse had a large Irish working class immigrant population 100 years ago, and there are still many Irish pubs and names.
When traffic lights were first introduced the Irish were furious. The red-orange-green sequence meant that the orange was on top of the green - can't have the orange on top of the green, no sir!!..
So, on Tipperary Hill in Syracuse sits the only traffic light in North America where the green is on top, followed by the orange and red:
Will do the concluding stuff tomorrow;)
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Definitely unlike any other car museum and I only saw a fraction of the cars in the collection.
I spent no other time in Nashville as we had to press on.
had to pick up some wine in NY so made a long detour into Syracuse NY , a town that has seen better days. It does have an interesting past though, and there is a stunning Art Deco building , The Niagara Mohawk Power building that has miraculously survived intact. Amazing that it still exists in such wonderful condition:
And now ,for something completely different:
Syracuse had a large Irish working class immigrant population 100 years ago, and there are still many Irish pubs and names.
When traffic lights were first introduced the Irish were furious. The red-orange-green sequence meant that the orange was on top of the green - can't have the orange on top of the green, no sir!!..
So, on Tipperary Hill in Syracuse sits the only traffic light in North America where the green is on top, followed by the orange and red:
Will do the concluding stuff tomorrow;)
Edited by RDMcG on Saturday 27th April 22:22
kevinon said:
These road trips are compelling. Thanks for taking the time to post them.
I particularly like the range - the reports seem very open to whatever is notable or curious. Not fixed. If that makes sense. It makes for a very calming read.
There are always odd things just about anywhere...you just have to look and do a bit of research. I never go on organized trips because I want there flexibility to suddenly change direction if something catches my attention. The world is a very interesting place. I particularly like the range - the reports seem very open to whatever is notable or curious. Not fixed. If that makes sense. It makes for a very calming read.
Finally , a word on road food and road accommodations:
Hotels fall into two categories for me...
-functional where I want a predictable clean placwe with good parking and which takes dogs. The vast majority of hotels fall into this category on thei type of trips. I typically use Hilton brands but there are lots of choices.
-destination where the hotel is itself an experience. There are original and beautiful hotels at a variety of prices, from reasonable such as La Posada in Winslow AZ to very expensive like the Inn at Five Graces in Santa Fe. Just depends on what you want and how much you want to spend.
La Posada:
Inn at Five Graces ( this was the room)....
:
Road food is trickier.
In general whatever the hotels has for breakfast is fine, and lunch in a drive-in if we are on the move.
Chick Fil-A has grilled chicken breast on a wholewheat bun which is much better than the big chains. it also has quite entertaining
little walking boxes for the servers outside when it gets cold
Dinner varies from basic to very good restaurants indeed with great service and perfectly prepared food. Well worth checking in advance though.
The next road trip will be very different. I am shipping my 992 to Europe for a September event in Zell am See followed by a track week.....the Panamera will have a well-deserved rest. Until next time.
Hotels fall into two categories for me...
-functional where I want a predictable clean placwe with good parking and which takes dogs. The vast majority of hotels fall into this category on thei type of trips. I typically use Hilton brands but there are lots of choices.
-destination where the hotel is itself an experience. There are original and beautiful hotels at a variety of prices, from reasonable such as La Posada in Winslow AZ to very expensive like the Inn at Five Graces in Santa Fe. Just depends on what you want and how much you want to spend.
La Posada:
Inn at Five Graces ( this was the room)....
:
Road food is trickier.
In general whatever the hotels has for breakfast is fine, and lunch in a drive-in if we are on the move.
Chick Fil-A has grilled chicken breast on a wholewheat bun which is much better than the big chains. it also has quite entertaining
little walking boxes for the servers outside when it gets cold
Dinner varies from basic to very good restaurants indeed with great service and perfectly prepared food. Well worth checking in advance though.
The next road trip will be very different. I am shipping my 992 to Europe for a September event in Zell am See followed by a track week.....the Panamera will have a well-deserved rest. Until next time.
Edited by RDMcG on Sunday 28th April 16:08
The Leaper] said:
Please take care of the dog!
R.
The dog was not pleased with the cold Canadian Spring weather so almost stuffed herself into the fireplace, but she is doing OK..had her vet visit and the diagnosis is...Old Dog.R.
Probably has a tumour, not bothering her, quite happy. Might even make her 11th birthday in October
........
RC1807 said:
That was another interesting read. Thank you for taking the time, once again, to do this.
You're welcome. You really get to know a car with long drives. This car has done track at Spa and Nordschleife, driven the German Baltic Coast and up to Denmark, driven across the US, offroaded in the desert and been driven through vicious snowstorms and tornado thunderstorms. Give you an appreciation of the quality of the engineering!Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff