Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Suggestions for cross-country trip

[ken rentiers (rentiers]

On Jul 13, 2009, at 9:47 PM, clyderomero [at] worldnet.att.net wrote:

> Stay north the heat is a bitch in aug
> Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T



That is true. If you run 1-10 across TX and through Phoenix to Palm  
Springs you will hit 110 - 115^ during the day. Elevation is very  
low. I - 40 goes through Flagstaff and near Santa Fe,  both of which  
are 7,000 feet plus. Go early when the traffic is light, and the heat  
of the afternoon has not set in. Stop by mid-afternoon. Take a dip in  
the motel pool, grab a nice steak and leave at 4:00 AM. By breakfast  
you will have 300 miles under your belt.

I am writing this from Nashville TN where I is at just now. It hit  
85^ yesterday. Cool! My son in Houston saw 105*.

If you hammer north across Ohio, Michigan and Illinois in the traffic  
and still have a suspension left you are now faced with dragging  
through Nebraska, Iowa and eastern Colorado before you hit the  
mountains in Denver. The Rockies are a chain that extends under  
various monikers from Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego. You won't miss any  
fun by running further south I promise - the premise here is to  
eventually hit the left coast, not just run all the twisties.

You can easily spend a week just doing the canyonlands in Utah.  It's  
true that a lot of the roads between Denver and Utah are prime, but  
once you exit SLC you now have to drag you ass across Nevada. Oh  
Whoopee. I used to live in Utah. Had a house in Park City. I have  
driven all these roads east and west, north and south.

If you want good driving roads, consistent high speeds across the  
country and lots to see, go I-40. The two lane roads of northwest  
Arkansas are legendary if you want off the interstate awhile. AR  
State Highway 7 runs right by Ferrari Bubba's place and is a  
deservedly famous driver's road.

 Ferrari Bubba and the world famous Shit Box GT4 208

New Mexico rocks - you can always dip down to Socorro, take a left  
past the VLA to Springerville and hit some VERY high speed fun in  
relatively empty NE AZ. Used to exercise the 328 there. Besides Santa  
Fe is a helluva lot more fun, once you get out of the car, than  
Winnemucca. NM doesn't have [legal] whorehouses of course, but I  
suspect Dennis is taking his SO. Have some green chile stew there.  
Some cold Dos Equis. Stroll the plaza, built in the 1500s. Buy silver  
from the Navajo.

You can also have a great time in MT , ID, and WA but then you have a  
900 mile run south to SFO. Dennis wants to go to the week at  
Monterey. BTW, Dennis, the parade on Thursday is worth your effort to  
arrive in time to see it.

But don't ask me. I have only driven these damn roads the past 40  
years . Fwiw I-10 across south and west TX imho is a blast. It's  
posted 80 for over 600 miles and you can cruise near 100 without  
molestation, not just for short bursts but for the whole six hours it  
takes to get to El Paso.  What your car was designed for. Stop at  
Chuy's in Van Horn for gorditas. Visit The John Madden Haul of Fame.  
Swing south to Fort Davis overnight and if you do I'll send you the  
secret roads of that region which are truly breathtaking and, again,  
deserted.

But cLyDe is right , I-10 is for the spring and fall. Too damn hot now.

love and kisses
kensie