66 replies to this topic

[E-AT_me]

so how many gallons did it take? haha

[ballade]

Apox 25 full tanks of gas. 

 

I averaged around 35 mpg my best was 38.6 mpg at around 6000 feet above sea level. 

 

Weird thing was I was NOT running an LS Fifth gear. 

so I spend most of the time at 4700rpm @ 75mph (120kmph)

Last big trip I did I ran an LS Fifth and only saw a slight gain on the MPG. 

[kess]

You were running 4700 rpm in the desert with a hot radiator? This must be a stout car!

 

As usual, EPIC pictures! You guys have a lock on finding the most emotional settings. Kinda like Norman, only with a camera...

[ballade]

Day 13

 

After exhausting drives over the past few days we decided to sleep in a bit before embarking on the final day of our 13 day journey. Home was approximately 6 hours away. 

 

At 11:00 a.m. we bid Toledo goodbye and continued on. As we worked our way north towards Detroit the condition of the roads that we were taking took a turn for the worse. We had gotten used to the remarkably smooth and well maintained roads throughout all of the southern states. They were a pleasure to drive on, especially when in a small sports car in which were were only about 4 inches or so off the ground. Evading bumps and potholes is mandatory if you are to survive a trip like this one across an entire country. We were now in the northern states which are exposed to the harsh elements of winter and its freezing and thawing that destroys asphalt.

 

We bumped and bounced along all the way to the Canadian border and exited the United States of America at 1:14 p.m., after a few mandatory questions by border officials. Not much to declare, just a toy doll for Mark’s daughter and a Corvette book for his son.

 

We had made it! 

 

After a determined drive to get to our homes in time for dinner, we racked up 10,880.8 kilometres over 13 days going from Barrie to Nashville, across to Las Vegas, winding our way through the desert states, then back to Barrie. It was a tiring but extremely rewarding trip where the people we met were just as fascinating as the scenery we drove through.

 

We worked very hard at documenting all of our journey and tried to get to as many interesting places as we could. We obviously could not have done it if it wasn’t for the dependable little workhorse of a car that we had. We did all of this in Mark’s 1985 Honda Civic CRX. It’s a two-seater sports car that just wouldn’t quit, whether it was fighting through traffic in a Phoenix rush-hour with temperatures soaring to 100 degrees or more (we had no air conditioning), climbing mountains to over 9,000 feet, or taking on the interstate highways for 12 hours straight. It was the third member of our team and its most valuable. The car only used up one quart of oil. Mother nature threw everything it had at us short of a midwestern tornado. We faced heavy rains, flash flooding, high winds, hail, locusts, and even a boulder that lay in the road.

 

As for mileage, our best day saw us get up to 38.6 miles-per-gallon, while the worst day was a very respectable 34.3.

 

Our only complaint about the little CRX is that it really needs a bath. After plowing through locusts and grasshoppers in the desert along with countless moths at night everywhere else, the front end looks awful. Each time that we parked the car it attracted a swarm of hornets that picked away at the bug guts and body parts plastered across the front end like it was a buffet.

 

Overall we were not very surprised by the beauty of the scenery that we saw. We knew that it was going to be awe inspiring. However, what was surprising was how friendly and outgoing everyone was wherever we encountered them. Canadians are known to be nice people, but most of the Americans throughout our journey that we met could sure teach Ontarians a lesson on how to greet visitors and make them feel welcome. Strangers in our everyday lives here at home seem to be walking around with a wall up in front of them and generally do not acknowledge others. In America, we felt welcome in virtually every situation that we found ourselves in.

 

The only way to finish this entry is to thank our families for allowing us to embark on this trip, and to our friends for rooting us on throughout our adventure. It kept us going. A special thanks also goes to Highcrest Automotive in Barrie where Matt Radman gave the Honda CRX a thorough once-over and a clean bill of health prior to beginning the journey.

 

Thanks for following along.

 

 

Comfortably at home,

Mark and Kevin

 

Few extra photos from the trip. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[IMG]http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll67/BalladeSports/DayThirteen16_zpsf37f9ec1.jpg[/IMG

 

 

 

[ballade]

 

 

 

 

[ballade]

The car never over heated nor really ran hot, just a hair over half while sitting in traffic. At 4700rpm she was actually just above cold. 

I was very cautious about the heat. I didn't want to risk anything, so I made every atempt to keep her cool.  If it was running even slightly past 1/3 I was turning on the heater, through the defrost and out the sunroof. LOL