Getting there is half the fun.
On June 2, 2022, I left on a 22-day road trip to the west coast, running three marathons and visiting relatives on the way.
One of the reasons I bought my Toyota Corolla in July 2021 was with the intent of marathon trips west.
In January 2022, while scheduling this trip, I expected to drive 7600 miles and spend $500 on 190 gallons of gas.
Driving, I could take my special diet foods and microwave. I could eat in my room without risking issues causing ingredients.
The first leg was three days to Deadwood, South Dakota, with overnights in Elkhart, Indiana, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. My morning run in Indiana almost made it into Michigan. Both mornings were in the low 50s.
To reserve a reasonable ferry time for June 17, I departed Elkhart after 10 am. My original reservation was on the 6:20 am ferry. Washington state releases 30% more spots at 7 am PDT two weeks before the sailing. I was on the internet at 7:01 am and got an 11:50 am sailing reservation.
My family did many long road trip vacations. The five of us camped along the way. Before I graduated from high school, I had been in 45 states. The missing five were Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, Kentucky, and South Dakota. Working for the Marine Corps, I had a few work trips to Hawaii. I got some furniture from my mom and brother in Colorado and picked the route through Kentucky. In the early 2000s, I had a client in Hanover, New Hampshire, and did a run across the Connecticut River into Vermont. This trip took me through South Dakota.
After the Deadwood Marathon, I headed to Main Street Deadwood to see the spot where Jack McCall killed Wild Bill Hickok. The original building burnt down, rebuilt, burnt down again, and rebuilt again.
I wanted to play some poker, but the spread limits were more than I wanted to bankroll.
Once in South Dakota, I noticed the word “Casino” on multiple buildings, liquor stores, convenience stores, bars, and gas stations. Every location can have slot machines and call itself a Casino.
On my way to Colorado the next day, I stopped in at Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial.
The Mount Rushmore museum explained the granite carvings methods. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, first made scale model busts where 1 inch would be 1 foot on the mountain. Then, with cranes, protractors, and plumb bobs, they could know what to carve away.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a more significant project that may never be completed. They have completed the face craving and raw cut the top of his pointing arm to date. This memorial has a comprehensive Native American museum.
I spent the next couple of days with my brother and sister-in-law in Colorado, visiting Rocky Mountain State Park. My morning run was once again in the low 50s.
The second leg was two days to Helena, Montana, with an overnight in Casper, Wyoming. Somehow the 1030 AM frequency can be picked up anywhere in Wyoming and fades once leaving the state. There must be multiple transmitters across the state. One more low 50s run in Casper, and all days in Helena were just as chilly.
I’ve listened to “Coast to Coast AM” since the Art Bell days. Using the hotel wifi connections, I could pull up Los Angeles’ KFI website, where they broadcast the show for 8 hours nightly starting at 10 pm PDT.
Casinos in Montana were as plentiful as in South Dakota. The poker room web pages were incorrect, and I could not find a spread limit game I wanted to bankroll.
The next day, I headed to Salt Lake City to see Megan. Near Brigham City, the inversion layer over the valley was noticeable.
I lived in Salt Lake City from 1958 to 1970. In all those years, I do not remember seeing snow-covered peaks in the mountains east of the city in June. They were usually bare by early May.
I had a chilly rainy run from Liberty Park, past a former residence, school, and ballpark on Monday. I went over to Meg’s facility for lunch. But, I didn’t ask for an analysis. The rain subsided, and the inversion layer disappeared.
On Tuesday, on another 50-degree morning, I headed up Millcreek Canyon for a short trail run out of Elbow Fork to overlook Lamb’s Canyon. However, the road to Elbow Fork is not open until July 1. So, I went back to Church Fork to hike up Grandeur Peak. I did an hour up, reaching 1000 feet from the top.
This hike may not have been the brightest way to relax and recover for an upcoming race.
The third leg was three days to San Juan Island, Washington, with overnights in Meridian, Idaho, and Burlington, Washington. Both morning runs were in the low 50s. Is there a constant theme here?
I caught the 11:50 am ferry to pleasant island conditions. My Saturday morning run was another low 50s day.
After the marathon, I walked to town in Friday Harbor for dinner. Two restaurants indicated as open on the internet were closed. I finally found a sports bar with food I could eat. I felt I was still in Utah with everything closed on Sunday.
My final leg home started with an 8:10 am ferry ride. The 3000 miles were split over five days, with one day in Illinois to visit my niece and her family.
Because of the long driving days, I only ran one day in Illinois. For the first time, my morning run had a 72-degree temperature.
My final tally was 7515 miles. I only used 181 gallons of gas and got 41.3 miles per gallon. Gas prices were high, and I averaged $4.97 per gallon.
It took me a while to figure out that maintaining 75 mph at 2000 rpm would give me optimal gas usage. Most highways west of the Mississippi had an 80 mph speed limit. At optimal consumption, I was getting 45 miles per gallon.
West coast prices were the highest. There were various blends and octane levels. Some states considered 87-octane as “plus.”
My longest segment without refueling was 511 miles from Lafayette, Indiana, to Frostburg, Maryland. I could not have made this road trip in an electric vehicle. A Tesla on a Supercharger takes an hour for a 300-mile charge. Of course, that charge would have only cost $10 to $15, whereas 300 miles cost me $36. My longest day of over 800 miles would have required two extra charging hours. We need to find the Henry Ford of electric cars, developing an affordable vehicle with an 800-mile range.
While driving, I tended to buy lunch at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru. My typical lunch was two hamburgers and a small fry. In Ohio, the price was under $5, whereas in Washington, the price was over $7. In my youth, that meal would have been 57 cents.
Ohio’s minimum wage is $9.30, and the Washington minimum wage is $14.47 per hour. I saw many “help wanted” signs. A McDonald’s in Montana advertised $17 per hour.
Increasing minimum wages is a cause of inflation.