5000 Mile Trip, Porsche Parade or Bust!

[ModdedEverything951S]

Better hurry up! In about 4,000,000,000 years it won't exist!

[ramius665]

Originally Posted by Ronin-951

Gorgeous stuff, your probably a sucker for the Grand Canyon next, everyone NEEDs to see that at least once. OH, and a night under the Stars in the Desert - unforgetable!

Minta and I have done the Grand Canyon before... And as for nights under the stars in the desert, we did a year in Iraq. I've had enough of starry desert nights.

[ramius665]

Yesterday we woke up in Albuquerque, NM and set out toward Oklahoma City, OK. The vast majority of I-40 between Albuquerque and Oklahoma City is part of the historic Route 66. You can still get off of the interstate in places and drive through towns that were on Route 66. In the interest of time we just stopped once but it was definitely worth it. Some of the PCAers from Maverick Region said they stayed at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM (near the OK border) and we stopped there to gas up, find some breakfast and take in the sights. Tucumcari was pretty but it was also sad as well. The decay, the clinging to an age that the rest of the nation has moved past was heavier here than anywhere else we saw. It reminds me of Freemont Street in Las Vegas. Something about it just feels like the residents are still waiting for the Rat Pack to come back. That being said, Minta and I want to take a trip from LA to Chicago along Route 66 before all of this is gone.











We continued on through Texas and into Oklahoma. I'll tell ya, we didn't see much at all but it was good to spend a few hours back on Texas soil. Even if it was the panhandle, it was really hot and there wasn't much to do. We stopped at a roadside diner and curio shop for a late brunch. Neglected to take any pictures but suffice it to say that the proprietors were friendly, the bathrooms were mostly clean and the swag for sale was ridiculous. Oh, and we saw the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. To our credit, we have managed to grab a shot of the "Welcome to..." sign from every state on our trip.








We stopped for the afternoon at the Hampton Inn near Tinker AFB, OK. We had called ahead to make a reservation on-base but were told that they were completely booked. Highly skeptical, I guess they were right when we met some Airmen staying at our hotel because Tinker was booked.



Today we were on the road, headed to Memphis, TN. Minta and I have been through Memphis many times but this is the first time we've ever stopped there for the night. The heat once we entered Arkansas was intense and it just kept getting hotter! I know that 944/968 AC systems aren't generally renown for their efficiency and we were definitely on the receiving end. As we neared 1200, we generally had a choice: continue driving at 70-75mph, turn on the AC or do both and risk overheating. We did a combination of the first two while avoiding the third. We arrived in Millington, TN (just outside of Memphis) feeling ready for a dip in a cool pool and some dinner. The cool pool was outside so it was luke warm and dinner was from the mexican food place in the parking lot of the hotel. We're more than a little worn out but none the worse for wear. I think the cars are in the same boat.

[mudbuddha]

Nice work with the pix, thanks for sharing. Did you and Darwin do a little simulated friendly race? C'mon, there has got to be some of that going on. Looks like a lot of fun.

[ModdedEverything951S]

We did a pull while he was in 3rd and I was in 5th...

[mudbuddha]

It's all good...looked like you guys had a great time. Maybe we can get together for next year's trip...Always wanted to take a road trip to the mid west.

[ramius665]

Originally Posted by mudbuddha

Nice work with the pix, thanks for sharing. Did you and Darwin do a little simulated friendly race? C'mon, there has got to be some of that going on. Looks like a lot of fun.

The difference in power between our cars meant that Darwin was usually walking softly and carrying a Really Big stick.

[JohnKoaWood]

Originally Posted by mudbuddha

Nice work with the pix, thanks for sharing. Did you and Darwin do a little simulated friendly race? C'mon, there has got to be some of that going on. Looks like a lot of fun.

3.2L Mid sleeved, stand alone, big turbo @7psi vs. home rebuilt 2.5, DME, 26-8 @14Psi... almost willing to bet Darwin is making more torque off boost than aaron is making ON boost... but I could be wrong...

Not even a fair comparison (freindly pull...)....

Originally Posted by ModdedEverything951S

We did a pull while he was in 3rd and I was in 5th...

And you still walked away?

Originally Posted by ramius665

The HUGE difference in power between our cars meant that Darwin was usually walking softly and carrying a Really Big stick.

FIFY!

[ramius665]

Hotel doesn't have wifi so we'll update tomorrow.

[ramius665]

This will be our final update from our trek to the Porsche Parade and back. The hotels we stayed in the last few days didn't have wifi so I'm going to sum up our travels since Millington, TN.

We were thoroughly exhausted from our trip into Millington and slept in a bit to let our batteries recharge. We woke up and lazily took our time toward Fort Campbell, KY. We had a brief trip on I-40 before stopping for breakfast in Jackson, TN with a very good friend that we haven't seen in years. Along that short hop on I-40 we saw a heavier police presence than we had the rest of the trip combined but they apparently weren't interested in Porsches. Even better, it was only about 3 hours through the Tennessee countryside, including a trek through The Land Between The Lakes, to Fort Campbell. Minta and I were previously stationed at Fort Campbell for about 3 years and it's where we met. I've always enjoyed the countryside around middle Tennessee and it certainly didn't disappoint this time either. Our only complaint? The heat and humidity were crushing. Our AC systems were barely able to keep up with the heat and keep us from melting.



Once we arrived at Fort Campbell, we decided to tour the Pratt Museum because amazingly, Minta had never been there. Even though it has been years since either of us were stationed at Fort Campbell, once a Screaming Eagle Combat Vet you are considered Screaming Eagles for life. We took some great pictures:











After checking out the Museum we decided to turn in for the night at lodging on post. It was 109 degrees outside with the humidity and we were worn out. We decided to leave at 0500 to beat the heat and arrive in Roanoke at something approaching a reasonable time.



We've driven the I-40 corridor across Tennessee many times but this was the first time we've both been in Porsches. The weather certainly cooperated this time around and we managed to stay cool. Unfortunately, part of the trade was in the form of rain. As we neared Bristol, VA the sky continued to blacken and as we passed into Virginia we had to start dealing with heavier traffic and rain. It was during this point that we noticed a trend that seems to be distinctively east-coast. That is, semi trucks will cut off drivers in the left lane and then just stay there. I swear, it seemed like truck drivers saw us coming and intentionally tried to get in front of us. Humorously, we were only doing 2-3 miles over the posted speed limit so it's not like they were doing a public service.



We arrived at the Hotel Roanoke in the early afternoon. When planning our return trip, I had looked for somewhere to stay that would give us easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway but I wanted a bit of class for our last night on the road. The Hotel Roanoke is managed as a Double Tree property by Hilton but is owned by Virginia Tech. If you have 90 seconds, google the history of the Hotel Roanoke, it's very interesting. I exclusively stay with Hilton when I travel for work so we have some "status" with Hilton that got us a complimentary upgrade to their executive floor. We had a beautiful view of Roanoke from our hotel window and the service and decor were top notch. It was a nice mix of classic Virginia charm with modern ammenities and was exactly what we needed to recharge.







After sleeping in for a couple of hours longer than we have the last couple of days we hit the road to grab some gas and catch the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had done a bit of research on the Blue Ridge Parkway but honestly, the most information I received was via Clarkson complaining about the 45 mph speed limit on Top Gear and extolling the amazing views. Clarkson's comments about the speed limit aside, the views were everything we had heard and more. Even obeying posted speed limits, this road did offer up some driving fun with steep cliffs and awesome switchbacks. Our trip would take us from Roanoke to the intersection with I-64 and then on to Charlottesville and then via the The Constitution Route to Rte 3 and then up US 301 to the house. Just like our trip to/through Moab and Arches National Park, we could waste our time trying to describe beauty but instead I'll let the pictures speak for us:













You'll note the pics where it looks like we were shrouded in fog. Actually, we were driving through the clouds! Once again the euro fogs I installed on the 951 paid dividends and allowed us to see easily. We paused a few times for photos and got some that I think will wind up getting blown up to poster size. One of my goals on this trip was to capture a picture of both cars together that we could blow up to 24x36 and frame next to the picture of the 951.

As we headed north the weather got progressively worse and wet. The drivers on I-64 didn't disappoint either, they were generally clueless and when they weren't staring at the cars they were trying to wreck into them. So, after a short jaunt we stopped in Charlottesville for an excellent lunch and on to the rural highways of Virginia toward home. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures but rest assured, it was a beautiful drive of Virginia horse country.

Once we passed onto US 301 we were again on familiar territory and could finally see that our trip was coming to a close. The weather was gray and boring but exactly what we needed to stay focused on the road and getting home safely. We crossed the Harry Nice bridge and our flawless trip took it's first unscheduled stop. Not even a quarter mile into Maryland we drew the ire of a Maryland Transit Authority officer who was apparently bored and hoping to stop some folks with clear criminal intent. He pulled out and instead of coming after me (which is the obvious choice?) he got behind Minta and hit her with his lights. She radioed me to keep going and gave me the rendezvous point. Any guesses about why she was stopped? Speeding? Trafficking people/drugs? NO FRONT LICENSE PLATE and A REAR LICENSE PLATE OBSCURRED WITH THE INTENT TO AVOID IDENTIFICATION?!? Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Maryland Transit Authority has apparently solved all crime and can now focus on keeping license plates on cars. In the end, the officer gave Minta a warning (really, you want to give a Veteran a ticket for showing Unit pride?), but failed to mention anything about the missing rear view mirror that was strategically placed in the Wal-Mart cup holder, and we were on our way again. A few short minutes later we arrived at our home and officially called our incredible journey to Parade complete.

In the end, we passed through 18 states, 3 mountain ranges, the Mississippi River TWICE, 2 time zones and drove 4,816 miles and the only casualties were an AC compressor (thanks Darwin for the replacement!), a failing door handle linkage and a rear view mirror. Not bad for some cars over 20 years old!!

[racerxrick]

great job on ALL the reports and photos...thanks!

[Crackership]

Awesome trip, guys! Thanks for taking us along as best you could!

[OmniGLH]

Considering you managed this trip with not 1, but 2, 944-based cars, without any major failures, through the heat of the summer... this was a pretty incredible trip. Nice job to both of you!

Though I have to disagree with your comments about the ineffectiveness of the A/C system. Mine (when it works) is hands-down the best A/C of the last several cars I've owned (including several full-size trucks, 2 Audis, and 2 VWs.)

[racerxrick]

Originally Posted by OmniGLH

Considering you managed this trip with not 1, but 2, 944-based cars, without any major failures, through the heat of the summer... this was a pretty incredible trip. Nice job to both of you!

Though I have to disagree with your comments about the ineffectiveness of the A/C system. Mine (when it works) is hands-down the best A/C of the last several cars I've owned (including several full-size trucks, 2 Audis, and 2 VWs.)

agreed Jim...my car on a road trip in Southern heat has to be dialed back. It gets a tit bit nipply in the small interior! . The cooling system has been very effective too!