Transcontinental Road Trip Redux

**Cintos** · #1 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 12:36 PM

Greetings Fellow Travelers!

Last June, Kathy and I drove a newly-acquired Alfetta GTV from Seattle back home to Connecticut. The experience was documented in a BB thread alfetta trans-continental recovery.

The itch to set out on a transcontinental road trip has once again taken hold on us, and the result is a trip from Connecticut out to the AROC Convention in Portland. The planning was recently discussed in this post: Portland Convention Trip

If all goes well with weather, mechanics and luck, we will be posting this new road trip in this thread. For starters, here is a look at our S4 Spider all gussied up with new shoes and ready to trot, along with a map of the intended route. We are off at first light tomorrow morning!

- Michael

**Wille R.** · #2 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 01:32 PM

Quite a distance. Keep up the good work and use the Spider. Great tour.

Cordially Veloce and Wille R.

rgrimm · #3 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 01:39 PM

Interesting route...do you know someone in the Twin Cities or North Dakota?

Not that I would ever trash my state, but I'm surprised you wouldn't go across South Dakota just to drive the Black Hills (some wonderful roads--and sites--if you want to spend a half-day exploring.

Both I-94 and I-80 will be straight, flat and boooring. Medora and Teddy Roosevelt park is interesting in the western part of ND, but I'd probably give the nod to the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower along the I-80 route.

You could probably push to Sioux Falls on the third night, then Rapid City the fourth and up into Montana and your planned route.

Regardless, I'm not much of a wrench on Alfas, but let me know if you need anything (my apologies, but I didn't follow your first thread all the way to the end...)

MidLifeCrisis · #4 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cintos

Greetings Fellow Travelers!

If all goes well with weather, mechanics and luck, we will be posting this new road trip in this thread.

**Cintos** · #5 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgrimm

Interesting route...do you know someone in the Twin Cities or North Dakota?... but I'd probably give the nod to the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower along the I-80 route.

You could probably push to Sioux Falls on the third night, then Rapid City the fourth and up into Montana and your planned route.

Regardless, I'm not much of a wrench on Alfas, but let me know if you need anything (my apologies, but I didn't follow your first thread all the way to the end...)

**Subtle** · #6 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 04:03 PM

You will like the route from Kamloops to Cache Creek to Lillooet and then to Whistler Mountain and Vancouver.

Have a good one and if possible--keep us posted.

Bob

**Wille R.** · #7 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 11:17 PM

Hm, I thought that the distance was longer. Just checked. We still beat you from Sicily to Cape North and back in a Duetto.

Veloce and Wille R.

**Cintos** · #8 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wille R.

Hm, I thought that the distance was longer. Just checked. We still beat you from Sicily to Cape North and back in a Duetto.

Veloce and Wille R.

**Roadtrip** · #9 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 07:05 AM

Be sure and stop for a day or two at Roosevelt National Park in the western part of the Dakota Territory. Drive up to the north unit too. Take some hiking shoes. You'll love it. Also, absolutely don't miss the big show in Medora ("Medora Musical") one night. It's a great show. Not the politically correct, foul mouth pap that passes for Hollywood entertainment nowadays. Just a great traditional American show. They have a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with gorgeous views. If you want to stay in Medora itself just outside the park, be sure to reserve a room ahead of time. Otherwise, it less expensive to stay in Dickinson, but it's a bit of a drive. Also, if you know what day you'll be there, reserve some tickets to the Musical ahead of time too.

If you haven't been to the Custer Little Bighorn Battlefield, that well worth a short side trip down towards the Wyoming border. If it works stop at the visitor and catch one of the lectures on the battle, especially if you can get it by one of the Native American park rangers who can give you an account from the Indian perspective.

**Cintos** · #10 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 09:45 AM

Roadtrip: with a handle like that, you must be offering great advice. We have reached our lunch stope at Belefonte PA, and are making great time. No plans in ND yet, so the Musical may do the trick. Thanks.

-Michael

**Cintos** · #11 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 09:46 AM

Roadtrip: with a handle like that, you must be offering great advice. We have reached our lunch stope at Belefonte PA, and are making great time. No plans in ND yet, so the Musical may do the trick. Thanks.

-Michael

**Cintos** · #12 (**permalink**) 07-03-2009, 07:29 PM

Greetings: Weather and traffic cooperated today, and we made it all the way to South Bend, IN. It took us about 14 hours to do ~750 miles, with a number of breaks and two full meal stops.

The spider is running strong, and giving us well over 30MPG, with one segment at 37.

Photo here is from historic downtown Bellefonte, PA.

- Michael

**multicam** · #13 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 12:40 AM

Hi Mike and Kathy

Well glad you and Kathy are posting your trip.
Your making good time. It's , rain , rain , rain , here in Connecticut.
How is the A/C?
My plans changed and I'm flying out.

We all are taking this trip vicariously with you.

See you out in Portland.
Frank

**lgbalfa** · #14 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 08:42 AM

you decided to keep the S4?

rgrimm · #15 (**permalink**) 07-04-2009, 11:34 AM

Michael:

I'm in Fargo. Looks like you'll be driving through Monday?

The Roger Maris museum is in the West Acres Mall--just north of I-94 and west of I-29 on the 13th Ave South exit. It's in the east (Sears) end of the mall. Lots of restaurants in that area. I work in that area as well...

The downtown is making a comeback and would be interesting to drive through--go a little further north to Main Avenue, take it east and watch for Broadway and explore it to the north. Toward the north end of Broadway is the Fargo Theatre, a restores art deco theatre. And if you want to meander around the river, we "still" have flooding with recent heavy rains. We love to bicycle the trails along the river, and I think they were open for perhaps a week between the Spring snowmelt flood and subsequent rains--it's been a very, very strange Spring and early Summer...not much for convertible driving weather until recently.

Speaking of which Monday should be partly cloudy and 81, some chance of showers beginning later on Tuesday, so you might hit some light rain going west.