Last week I made my vacation plans public by asking Spacing Toronto readers to help decide my road trip route from Phoenix to Toronto (and to point out public space things I should check out along the way). I received a lot of great advice, much of which can be found in the comments section.
Readers chose route three — which was my preferred route to begin with — by a whopping 53%. The route takes me east to Albuquerque NM, north to Denver CO, and then east again through the American Midwest and eventually back into Ontario either through Sarnia or Detroit/Windsor.
I’m not a car enthusiast by any means, but I know I have a sweet ride: a Mercedes C320 that is fully kitted-out. While there are nice touches like driver seat memory settings, a sun roof, and automatic daytime/nighttime adjustments in my rearview and side mirrors, it’s the simple cruise control feature that I love. I’ve had my foot on the gas pedal for about 5% of the trip which allows me to sit comfortably and adjust whenever necessary without it affecting how I drive. It also keeps me from speeding — I went through five traps on the the first day without incident.
But what I’m sure you’re interested in reading about is not my comfort level, but what I’ve seen so far on the trip. The following are some of my observations:
• Phoenix knows how to make bridges look attractive. Most of them are made with cement that is derived from red clay that can be found in the surrounding desert. When the sun hits the surface there is a nice glow that is absent from any form of infrastructure found in Toronto. [ photo by Thad Roan ]
• While I was heading east out of out Arizona, I swore I was witnessing smog. There were no large cities around, so I found this really strange. It took me a minute or two to realize that the “smog” was in fact the effects of a dust storm a few miles ahead of me. A little later, I passed through a small town that was experiencing a dust storm as well, or so I thought. I was tricked: a nearby coal plant was spewing the greatest amount of crap out of a smoke stack that I’d ever seen in my life. The desert is already playing tricks with me and I haven’t even taken peyote. [ photo by Sharon Bloom ]
• Motorcycle drivers in Arizona are crazy. I saw about 10 to 15 of them in a few hours of driving and none of them were wearing a helmet and all were speeding excessively. I know the USA is the “land of the free” and a number of folks do not like any form of incursion on their individual rights, but not having a law that forces people to wear a helmet is ridiculous. [ photo by Joel Mold ]
• The speed limit is 75 miles per hour on all of the interstate highways I’ve used. Converted, that’s about 120 kilometres an hour for us metric-loving Canadians. This, to me, is a reasonable speed since most highway drivers go this fast to begin with. Might as well make the limit that high in Ontario and have a very stingy enforcement policy that allows for little wiggle room. [ photo by Steve Deboo ]
• Arizona and New Mexico allow cyclists to ride on the major highways outside of cities. This is crazy, but makes some sort of sense since most regional highways in the States and Canada are not direct and have little to no shoulder space for riders. [ photo by NP Greenway ]
• The tap water in Gallup, New Mexico was the most horrible I have ever tasted.
Tomorrow: “Albuquerque: no puking or perversion, please”
BACKGROUND ON MY TRIP:
My trip is a “driveaway” for a vacationing snowbird — I’m driving his car back home in exchange for paying my plane fare and gas expenses (read my first post for more info on what a driveaway is). It was arranged by my friend David Smaller and his little organization called Hit The Road. You can join the Facebook group to receive notices of upcoming driveaway opportunities.
13 comments
I’ve driven from Albuquerque to Denver and back. On the way to Denver I took the quick/flat route, and it was beautiful. On the way back I took the scenic/long route through the rockies and it was the most incredible jaw dropping drive I’ve ever been on. So, just wanted to recommend taking the scenic route. You’d also pass through Taos, NM too.
Have fun!
& bring back some new mexican green chili, I’ll pay anything!
Wow, I never thought I’d read about the benefits of cruise control on Spacing, but yes, it’s a great feature for long drives. (You don’t need a $40K Benz to get it.)
And that red tint on cement and concrete is everywhere in Arizona — even highway overpasses look a little less bland thanks to it.
Here’s a story…I once saw a photo of a guy who had fallen from his motorcycle, wearing a helmet but without the lower section that covers the mouth and jaw. The photo was taken in an ER, and they guy’s face looked like somebody had taken a grape and stomped on it. All you could see below the eyes was a row of teeth, and the rest of what used to be his face looked like leftover lasagna.
I never ride ANYTHING without a full helmet since then.
A bicycle on a highway? Perish the thought!
All it would take is one out of control vehicle
and the poor cyclist would have no cushioning
buffer. Concrete has no cushioning effect.
—————
The bridges are not made of cement. Cement is merely an additive to the concrete. It acts like a
bond to the aggregate, causing it to cohere.
For a while in the 90s the asphalt mixed in the Muskoka area included as aggregate the ground up red rock outcroppings native to that area. (Red granite? Quartz?) The result was a pleasingly pinkish highway surface (on, say, Hwy 11 south of Gravenhurst) that looked a little nicer than the usual blacktop. Not sure if this is still the case up there.
Interstates in the US Northeast are typically capped at 55 in urban areas and 65 outside of them. How fast was traffic actually moving on those 75 mph sections? 80, 85 mph? Do watch out for the speed traps, as American state troopers do love them.
“it’s a great feature for long drives”
Not to mention fuel consumption savings – maybe Transport Canada should look at mandating it for all new Canadian cars.
Was the motorcyclist at least blasting “Born to Be Wild”?
Is there any chance you could tell us about the food that you’re eating. I’ve never driven across the US, but I have an idea that the food is terrible. Do you “supersize” everything? Is everything fried? Are you getting any salads? Tell us about the interesting diners.
Any discarded Acme products, exasperated coyotes, etc?
Dennis. the food is awful for the long-distance traveller. Subway and Quizno’s are the only thing close to healthy. tomorrow i’m off to a grocery store so I can make sandwiches and eat fruit. McDonald’s does have salads but they are awful too. I think they dip them in the fries batter.
It’s like America is some kind of foreign land.
Did you actually see any bikes on the highway bike lanes?
what was the drive from Chicago to Denver like? I’m planning a trip in which I drive that same road.