4 Corners - The numbers...

For those of you that like numbers...

•34 days
•32 states CA OR WA ID MT WY SD NE KS IA MN NY VT NH ME MA RI CT NJ DE MD VA NC SC GA FL AL MS LA TX NM AZ
•2 Canadian provinces – BC and Ontario
•2 partial days of rain (north border of Maine, Miami, Fl
•92 gas stops (missing a few receipts so probably more like 95
•353 gallons of gas (probably another 15-20 in the missing receipts)
•MPG - Highest 42.37, Lowest 25.35. All of this is pulling my trailer. Don’t know were the 42 was but the 25 was probably blasting thru west Texas were the posted limit on I-10 is 80. Sure does make the miles fly by!
•Highest gas prices in US I saw - $3.59 in Blaine WA Chevron - I did not go there!. Highest paid was in Ontario, Canada $4.05/gal. Lowest – Sioux City IA $2.32
•GPS miles – 12,748. Speedo miles – 12707. I suspect speedo error for the difference.
•Average cost per day $97.21
•Camped a lot on the northern ½ , none on the southern ½. Humidity was high, with the worst being Florida and Key West specifically. Humidity was very mild until I hit Florida. Also my modified schedule for the 2nd ½ put me on the super slab so not much in the way of camping
•Mechanical issues – none. Got a new front tire in VA and an oil change.
•Temperature extremes – 29 outside of Yellowstone, 110 Phoenix. – that was a HOT ride

Mission: Accomplished!

9/23 The End...

We spent Tuesday 9/22 with a realtor in Lompoc about 20 minutes from where Michael and Kristen will be working. Budget limitations limited the number of single home properties to a whopping TWO! The first one could only be helped with a match and a bulldozer. It was just horid and would need full gutting and rebuild to be usable. If this was what we had to look forward to things were looking bleak already.

The second house was much better. Someone bought it to remodel and replaced all the windows, interior doors and tiled all the floors except the bedrooms and then walked away. Bank owned and not on the market yet but our agent is an exclusive agent for this bank so nobody knows about it yet. Her contractor is finishing up the interior painting and a few other things and should have a price in the next week or so. The Realtor knows the limits and sounds like it will be priced in that window so with any luck they will be able to get a house 20 minutes from work. Exterior needs paint and the yards are a wreck but plenty of potential. The house next store is listed for 50K more than this one so that's encouraging.

Kristen and I took off for home 9/23 leaving Michael there as he is working this week. he found a room to rent so he'll be back up to collect some things and off he goes again. He and the restaurant owner get along well so hopefully things work out well. For now it's 'hurry up and wait' for the contractor to wrap up and the realtor to price it can call them...

9/20 - the fourth corner!

I departed Phoenix at 0600 wanting to try to 'beat the heat' in Yuma on my way to Southern CA for the forth corner in San Ysidro. It was in the high 70's already so I was betting on a hot ride until I got past El Centro. I guess the weather gods had taken pity on me because it was only in the 90's about noon when I passed thru. Still warm but much more tolerable. After all it's a 'dry heat' :. Once past El Centro I crossed over the mountains and the temps cooled nicely. My GPSy nag routed me off of I-8 and on to CA 125 I believe. Unfortunately this is a toll road. I got raped $9 - double a car rate because of my trailer. I think I went maybe 20 miles. What a rip off! I thought the Jersey Turnpike was bad at $23 and that was for the entire state north to south. Grrrrrrr. Made to San Ysidro and drove around looking for the Post Office. GPSy Lady had them listed but all seemed to be annexes, not the main PO. Stopped at a UPS Store and got pointed in the right direction. got my pix of the fourth corner and headed north about 1330 or so. I was hoping to get thru LA before the evening commute.

Once again I got lucky. Just south of LA proper I was routed to US 101 as I was going up to the Santa Barbara area to meet my daughter. 101 goes right thru downtown LA but I was lucky enough to be a bit early for the commute traffic and only encountered a few pockets of slowed traffic. I made it to Buellton - about an hour north of Santa Barbara and met Kristen and Michael and called it a day 11 hours from starting. All 4 corners are in the bag!

9/17 TX NM AZ

As typical I headed out early as the AZ temps were going to be extreme. The morning started out very mild but I must have been climbing in elevation as there was a heavy fog and the temps dropped to 60. At my first gas stop about two hours down the road I switched to my heavy jacket and gloves. Much better :). The road continues and runs right along the Mexican border. The Border Patrol is VERY visible along this stretch.

A few hours later I crossed into NM with temps still mild but warming. The next gas stop necessitated a change back to my lighter jacket. From there the temps continued to climb and by my next stop in Tucson is was in the low 90's. I pulled out my cool vest that had been soaking in the ice chest. The cooling effect with the air blowing across provides a nice break from the heat but it evaporates quickly at those temps. I had 150 miles to go to my folks house in Surprise, at the north end of Phoenix. The temps were downright blazing and it felt like a blast furnace. The high temp on my thermometer was only 110! Can you say H O T !! The AC at my folks sure felt nice! The heat sure zaps your energy and I dozed off about 2030 and that was it till morning.

I'll be heading off Monday for corner #4. The temps are forecast to be 108 or so in Yuma so it will be an early departure

9/16 AL MS LA TX

Another early start as the temps were cooler and the sun behind me. Made it thru AL and MS with little fanfare. Going the LA there were vast expanses of swamp on both sides of the hiway. At one point the hiway is elevate 30' or so for 20-30 miles. Both sides of the hiway are covered with thick vegetation and trees but there were some clearings that allowed views of the swamp for as far as you could see. Lots of old cypress tres sticking out everywhere and old stumps dotting the landscape. Eventually the swamps ended and the landscape changed to flat open grassy views.

I reached Houston, TX about 1400 and zillions of cars everywhere. The carpool lanes were signed as restricted use from 1400-2000! The commute here must be horrid to have a 6hr carpool lane restriction. No thanks! Lots of traffic but moving and eventually reached the other side of town. Three hours later I was approaching San Antonio just in time for commute hour. GPSy Lady routed me around the city on one of the loop roads and I only had to endure about 5 miles of slow going. Once past town the speed limit jumps to 80 and traffic starts moving very quickly. It's a two lane divided hiway and traffic once out of town thins quickly making the 80MPH speed quite easy to do. There are no restrictions for trailers so I made good time. I did need to stop for gas a bit sooner than usual though! I made it to Fort Stockton and called it a day. The temps were still warm but the humidity was noticeably lower which was very welcome.

9/15 Florida and beyond

The adventure continued early in the morning to enjoy the cooler temps as long as I could. Mostly interstate travel to make time. At I-10 I began the western direction and continued thru the Florida panhandle and into AL. I made it to Mobile, AL and called it a day. It was warm and humid but not like the Keys but it still takes its toll and I was tired so until tomorrow...

9/14 Corner # 3

Headed south from Jacksonville early. It had cooled off some over night but still very mild. I could see dark skies south and the Weather Channel indicated rain towards Miami. Unfortunately they were correct. I stopped earlier to switch to my waterproof gloves and a light rain jacket. Should have put on the full rain suit. Shortly after the stop the rains came with vengeance. I pounded very hard dumping several inches of water on the roads in minutes. Traffic slowed from 75 to 40 and I crept along barely able to see. I decided to exit and find cover the get the rest of the rain gear on. I found a gas station and pulled under their overhang, got the full suit on, filled the tank and by the time I was ready to leave the heaviest had passed. It was still raining but much lighter making it easier to see. It did not last too much longer but I opted to not change just in case. I eventually made it to the south end of Miami to Hiway 1 which is the only road thru the Keys. It's 105 miles of 2 lane 55 mph road. As you pass thru the each of the many Keys the speed drops and so on all the way. It took almost 2.5 hours to get to Key West. The temp was 92 and the humidity must have been the same. It felt like I was riding in a sauna! YUCK!! Aside from the traffic you have to watch for the 100's of small scooters on the road. I think everyone who lives there has one and tourists can rent them on every corner. They also think they are immune from the usual traffic laws such as stopping at stop signs. Once thru town I found the Post Office, got my 3rd corner picture and then headed to the end of the hiway where there is a buoy indicating the furthest point south. Cuba is 90 miles away. I wandered Duvall Street which is the main drag with assorted restaurants, shops and so forth that want to lighten your wallet. I picked up my usual shot glass, magnets and so on and continued thru the town. After completing the loop I began the trek north. The traffic northbound was lighter so I was able to get back to the Miami area in about 2 hours. From there I headed west and made it to Naples and called it a day. It was cooler but still very humid at 2200.