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Coast-to-Coast Road Trip

StealthGTI

Autocross Champion
Location
Newport News, VA
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Hello,

I meant to start this thread a while back, but life has been turbulent. I live in SE Virginia. My brother (central Texas) and I recently visited my mother in central California for what we were certain would be our last chance to see her alive. Sure enough, she died two days after we left CA. She was 72 and had suffered from a rare neurological disorder for about seven years. We quickly made a plan to return for her memorial service. He and his wife would fly from Texas, but I made a plan to drive so that I could retrieve her cremains and some personal effects. My wife would join me.

I prepped the car by changing the oil and filters and then having the intake cleaned of carbon deposits. The intake cleaning was a bit premature, but it was good insurance that I would not have to deal with potential intake issues while 3000 miles from home. Here's a look at the intake with 106,000 miles of gunk:





They didn't look bad at all! I also had the mechanic inspect key areas that might present a problem on the long road trip. My tires are relatively new... no worries there. My daughter planned to join us from her USMC air station in NC, flying to Fresno. So, I loaded the rooftop cargo box to free-up some room inside the car for her.



My wife has dietary restrictions. Plus, a lot of areas are still locked-down with dining rooms being closed. Therefore, I invested in a 12V refrigerator/freezer that would enable us to travel with our own food and shop in grocery stores instead of restaurants.





Recalling some areas in New England with no 4G/LTE coverage, and knowing we'd see plenty of dead-zones out west, I opted to add a WeBoost cellular signal booster to the car.



I'll report more on that later. I said this is a "coast-to-coast" trip. We don't live on the coast; and neither did my mother. So, about a week before the main trip began, my daughter and I took a side trip to Chincoteague, VA to take a few photos at the Atlantic Ocean.



Look closely and you'll see a porpoise jumping in the background...


We got stuck while attempting to back into this area for a quick photo. A quick, gentle push was all it took to be free...




There! East Coast: CHECK! ;-)

My mother had three cats. They were with a good caretaker. However, that caretaker was having second thoughts about keeping them. Seeing my mother (and good friend) wither away without getting to enjoy retirement had her thinking that she and her husband might like to travel while they still could (he's 80). I don't blame them. Seeing my mother fall ill just as she was leaving the workforce has me wondering if now's the time to enjoy some domestic travel. My wife and I are "cat people." So, we made a new plan that involved bringing them home. That will kill our travel plans for a while, but Mom would be pleased to know that her babies are getting to stay together.

Our plan to pack the cats in three kennels for travel inside the car meant that there was no room for the refrigerator and Mom's personal effects. What to do? That's right: BABY TRAILER! I wired a 12V extension from the trunk to the trailer box and placed the fridge in the front section of the trailer for a smooth ride. We carried our luggage in the trailer, too, opting to put more weight on the separate axle than on the car.



With the trailer along for the ride, I opted to carry full-size spare tires for the trailer and the car. Sure, the donuts are still under the trailer and under the electronics panel, but having full-size spares added a layer of security. I carried the tires and some tools/fluids in the cargo box. My rooftop load, including the rack and box, was right at VW's specified 165 lbs (75 kg).



We quickly ran out of room in the trailer and opted to use the upper cargo deck. That meant using the cargo bag that I had reviewed last year:



Looks like this bag will be put to the test now. :) I'll share more later.

Take Care,

Scott
 
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Corprin

Autocross Champion
Location
Magrathea
Car(s)
A car
What part of Central CA are you going to?
 

swcrow

Autocross Champion
Location
Virginia
Car(s)
7.5 GTI
Legit trip.... well planned and thought through... great job! Unfortunate and sad circumstances, but thanks for letting us join you on the trip!
 

vjmvjm

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Los Lunas, New Mexico
Car(s)
2016 VW GTI S DSG PP
Thanks for sharing. It's been a while since I've driven cross-country, but I really enjoy it. Best trip was probably a round trip to a BMW CCA Oktoberfest in Pasadena. Worst trip was in an overheating (blown head gasket) U-Haul truck pulling a car trailer in the summer. With a screaming Siamese cat in the cab. I prefer the I-80 route.
 

StealthGTI

Autocross Champion
Location
Newport News, VA
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Thanks for the notes, everyone. Our destination is near Fresno. My IG page is more up to date. My YT channel (thanks, @thewanted) will be far behind due to production time and upload schedule. At one video per week, we may be on this trip until February. HAHA! I hope to be able to release two videos a week so we can finish before the end of the year. ;-) For now, I'll play a bit of catch up by posting more below.

Stay out of the sand 😐 Otherwise, amazing pictures! :D

HAHA! Thanks! Believe it or not, there will be one more set of "sand" photos, but it will be gypsum instead.
 

The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
You're a good guy to take the cats. I could be in the same situation soon, but it's only one cat.

I applaud all you've done for the trip, because I would have took the easy route and rented a minivan from a major company. If it breaks down I just call the company and they'll bring me another one.

Have a good trip.
 

StealthGTI

Autocross Champion
Location
Newport News, VA
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Day 1 took us to Morrisville, TN. I wanted a short day so that we could practice the load and unload of the trailer, basically getting our act together for the longer haul. I lucked out and found a nice long parking spot for the night...



Reload in the morning took about 45 minutes...


From there, we went to a car wash. To my wife, I was just being prissy about my beloved GTI. The truth was I was sneaking her onto the Tail of the Dragon, where I knew the car would be photographed. She has balked at riding the TOTD because she was certain that it's a dangerous road that would make her sick. I took a risk and was on the Dragon before she could protest. HAHA!









After stopping at the store, we ate lunch at the Tapoco Tavern and then drove the Cherohala Skyway...









From there, we drove to Chattanooga to take a photo at the VW plant. For my previous visit, I was able to shoot on the weekend when the plant was closed. This was also when the plant was building only the Passat. It was very peaceful. On this night, the lots per packed and we clearly arrived during shift change. People were driving like absolute maniacs, probably because they were late and panicking for a parking spot, and the workers flooded the roads and sidewalks like ants. I found a decent spot to shoot a photo, which happened after sunset since we didn't arrive as early as we had hoped. That was thanks to the long lunch stop, but the food was worth it.



Something I haven't mentioned yet is that my wife is collecting Starbucks' "Been There" series mugs from each state. So, we made a couple of wild detours along the way to get mugs from AL, GA, and MS. We stopped for the night in Columbus, MS. A lot of hotels lack "pull-thru" parking spaces. But I'm usually able to execute a "stunt parking" maneuver to work with what I have...



Oddly enough, I was able to get my trailer and car centered in that spot better than the vehicles that were already present. Go figure! ;-) You'll see more of this trailer witchcraft in practice, for sure.
 

Corprin

Autocross Champion
Location
Magrathea
Car(s)
A car
If you are coming over Donner Pass/Lake Tahoe, do yourself a favor and head through south shore and to Sacramento via 50.
 

StealthGTI

Autocross Champion
Location
Newport News, VA
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Next, our goal was to get within an easy drive of my brother's home in central Texas. My dad's birthday was two days away and I planned to surprise him. Sure, the old man knew that we were driving to CA, but he thought we were taking the most direct route. My wife's mug collection endeavor helped to bring us far enough south to make their place an easier option. We left MS and drove to Starbucks locations in Texarkana, AR; Shreveport, LA; and Kilgore, TX, where we spent the night. Here are a few photos from that day:









MY TURN! :cool:


The next day was an easy drive. Dad was surprised! No pictures of the family. We just enjoy the moments and move on. But I did capture this sunset photo on my brother's property...



The next day, we departed for what I expected to be one of our coolest photo stops, White Sands National Monument, near Alamogordo, NM. I'll share those photos tomorrow. I need time to round-up the images.

Thanks for looking!
 

Corprin

Autocross Champion
Location
Magrathea
Car(s)
A car
Thanks for the tip!

Are you planning on heading further west to hit the coast proper, if so, where? I can assemble a nice route to pick up some of the iconic roads in the region.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
Great write up and pictures. You do such a good job it makes me feel like I was on the trip. If you're going through Arizona and want a great drive and fantastic pictures take highway 89A through Sedona, Arizona.
 
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