Start: The Woodlands, TX 05:30, 5/7/2015
End: The Woodlands, TX 21:30, 5/18/2015
Odometer indicated 6,545.0 miles. GPS shows almost exactly 100 miles less, to top it all off not 1 single speeding ticket or even a road side conversation.
This was our route, you can zoom in and use satellite view along the route if your curious by viewing it on Spotwalla.
Mom's 2015 Honda Pilot performed flawlessly, I believe we were all very comfortable and we had space to stretch out and keep our "goodies" with us. I was totally taken by the cars fuel economy. We averaged over 22 MPG for the entire trip. Best tank was 25.6 MPG and worst was 19.9 MPG. To be fair that 19.9 MPG tank was when we were in stop and go Montreal traffic for 2 hours of our life that we will NEVER get back.
We traveled through 25 different states, primarily on the smaller roads which was a treat, even if some of the mountain roads in North Carolina made us want a straight road for a little while. Only a short little while, but Rudy was getting dizzy in the back seat and 25 MPH might as well been 120 MPH. I will return to do these roads on my motorcycle one day.
We all loved the stretch between Niagara Falls and Augusta Maine the most. Lake George, NY was a hoot, a neat town but nothing open, please come back Memorial Day was lesson learned. But to be honest I don't think it will be as nice then with all the people, as it is, we will remember it as a town we had to ourselves.
Vermont and New Hampshire were unlike any where else I had been in the USA before. US Hwy 4 between Interstates 87 and 93 is one of the most scenic byways I have traveled. It is on my list to return to some day.
As road trips go, this is one that I will never forget, with 122.06 hours of vehicle time, one of my longest road trips yet. Being able to spend that much time with my Mom & Dad though, truly was priceless.
Day 12: Salina, KS to The Woodlands, TX - 812.7 Miles
Well its official, we are ready to be home. Approximately 650 miles to Mom and Dads in Woden, easily doable. We keep hearing on the radio and reading in the news papers of all the tornados and heavy rains in front of us. We have been very fortunate so far to have only had to drive in rain for maybe 4 or 5 hours total of our entire trip.
None of us are on roads we have not driven before, and the real mission is to get out of OK and into east Texas before the afternoon thunderstorms pop up.
One of my biggest annoyances on this trip is Toll Booths. We would be on an interstate making good time and then with no exits or alternate routes that were obvious you find yourself at a toll booth. I-35 in Kansas is a perfect example of this. Just south of Wichita, still traveling on I35 we must stop and pay our tax.
But will all things considered the toll booths were our most excitement of the day. Rudy had made this drive he guesses 40+ times.
But we are making progress, I just about missed the sign and the picture is terrible, but if you look closely enough to the right just above the corner of the GPS you will see the Oklahoma sign the we needed for Flat Stanley. (ok yes, it really is a bad pic)
It is along this stretch that the car becomes really quiet.... my co-pilots have left me.
But they perk up (and me too) when we see this sign...
Now its just a matter of time, as the miles count down to ZERO on the miles to go display on the GPS. Surprisingly I didn't take anymore pictures than I did on this last day of travel. We talked a lot about the towns we were driving through and were wide eyed at all the creeks and rivers out of their banks. But we didn't tank any more pictures.
Well I took this one just south of Paris, TX and sent it to my Sister and Niece to give them our ETA of arriving Woden.
No we were not getting excited about getting home at all. In fact at one point I was doing the math on the possibility of me just dropping my co-pilots off and continuing on to my house 150 miles further down the road. Hmmm... If we get to moms before 7pm I am going to get my truck and keep on going. That was the deal I made with myself. Sure enough with 1 last gas stop 20 miles from Mom's (I sooooo could have made it), we arrive Granna & PawPaws at 6:52pm on the 18th of May.
I had picked them up 8am on May 6th, 12.5 days on the road for Mom & Dad and I was a blast, but I am going to keep on moving. I hug them both, tell them I love them and move my things from her car to my truck.
The drive to The Woodlands was uneventful, and I arrive home around 9:30 pm, having myself left at 5am on the 6th. Dianne was actually happy to see me, and it feels good to finally be out of the car/truck!
Day 11: Hot Springs, SD - Salina, KS - 611.4 Miles.
This morning was a special treat, we all slept in and it felt GREAT. Today we are going to go visit Harlan & Mae Neidermeyer, my great aunt and uncle. We arrive their home at 11am and have a lovely visit and luncheon with them.
Mae just turned 99 and Harlan will be 97 in a few weeks. They are more active than I am, which I really should get off my butt!
Mae & Harlan also sent us home with some Rhubarb and a recipe to make a Rhubarb cake. Neither Mom or I have ever had Rhubarb before, Rudy thinks he has had it when he lived DC and was working at the Pentagon. We are all excited to try this recipe soon.
With hugs given and promises to hurry back we left just before 1pm (Mnt Time), maybe 30 min later we are in Nebraska.
And the drive ahead was sort of a wash rinse & repeat of yesterdays journey.
Except for the Rainbows.
The drive was uneventful, just windy but the speed limits were 75 for most to the way and, well, you can see the traffic we had to deal with. We made real good time all the way down to Grand Island where we stopped for fuel for the car and grabbed a bite for us too. Upon exiting the restaurant we were greeted to this most amazing sunset. (real picture not photoshop!)
We kept moving south and crossed over into Kansas after nightfall.
We drove on to Salina, KS and grabbed a room for the night. Last night on the road for us, tomorrow we will be home.
Day 10: Willmar, MN to Hot Springs, SD - 784.6 Miles
Todays mission was to make Montana and then head for Rapid City, SD, maybe on to Hot Springs where I have a Great Aunt & Great Uncle residing.
We actually get on the road just before 8am to weather that is overcast and intermittent rain showers and quite windy.
Just before we leave Minnesota we see a park on the south side of the road with historical markers, and well, we couldn't pass that up. In this park we found Pall Bunyan's Boat Anchor.
I think this stone is quite humorous and even Mom & Dad get a chuckle, but then we realize that my Niece and Nephews likely don't even know who Paul Bunyan is (was). I called Dianne and asked her if she knew and got a very non-confident response of, "didn't he cut down Johnny Appleseeds trees"?
So I did a little bit of digging and found this gem on youtube which tells the story of Paul Bunyan!
Anyway, back to being west bound, we make sure Flat Stanley gets his picture taken in front of Minnesota & North South Dakota signs.
The weather was not really picture perfect for us this morning. It has been grey and overcast with spits of rain here and there, but we had to slow down when we drove into this:
A benefit from slowing down was Mom's car really started to sip the fuel, and our MPG was the best we have seen thus far on the trip.
We saw a lot, and I mean A LOT of this, I can't imagine what living up here would have been like in the late 1800's. Barely any trees for fire wood or windbreaks and the winters are so cold!
Roads are now getting pretty straight and the scenery is, well, its beautiful but its quite repetitive, can see for miles and miles, plowed and planted farmland for miles and miles.
Mom & Dad promise that they are not bored, not sure I believe them though.
Nearing the North Dakota line now in the town of Lemmon, SD we get distracted:
And of course Flat Stanley wanted to check out the petrified wood park too, who wouldn't want to check this out?
We cross into North Dakota, only one state left for Rudy now!
North Dakota looks much like South Dakota and as we keep moving westerly we start to find some hills and can even start to see the "Badlands" some. The bird density is so thick now that I think we are in a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Seriously there have been half a dozen or so try join us through our windshield, how on earth we didn't collect several is beyond me.
The skies have cleared up and the weather was positively gorgeous for the past 40 miles or so. We are now right near the border of Montana and I am familiar with area enough, having been on rigs in the area before. I take a quick detour to the north for a few miles on a small road, just to show Mom & Dad something different. This picture is taken with my iPhone and I did NOTHING to it other than pull it off the phone. Yes the sky really was that blue for us and this is exactly how we saw it too.
I turn around at the bottom of this hill and head back towards Montana.
We've Made It! This makes all 50 of the states now for Rudy!
We have reached the northwestern terminus of our trip now and are making the turn south back towards home. First though we are going to swing by Hot Springs, SD to visit my Aunt & Uncle Harlan & Mae Niedermyer.
We are making good time and while the weather looks ominous in spots, it is dry all the way. But his is pretty much what we look at for a couple of hours.
We see lots of antelope along the way.
Sturgis, SD was next on the drive through list. This little town is the host of over 1 million mostly Harley Davidson riders every summer, but on a Saturday eventing in the middle of may there is not much going on. We saw the Full Throttle Saloon, the Broken Spoke, and even One Eyed Jacks, none of which would be appropriate for Flat Stanley I don't think. But we did find a museum so he took his picture in front of it.
Saw some more wildlife on the way towards Rapid City.
Eventually arriving at Mount Rushmore!
From here we head into Keystone and have dinner at the Ruby House Restaurant (worst meal of the trip) then drive the 60 miles or so down to Hot Springs to our hotel for the evening.
Tomorrow we get to sleep in as we plan on meeting Harlan and Mae at 11am (Mountain Time).
Was a long day today but even the scenery was not too overly dramatic for 95% of the miles today, I do love 80, 75 & 70 MPH speed limits!
