Having bought a Grand Tourer, I figured I'd better check its cred. The wife and I had a European trip "Cancelled by Covid" so I had to come up with an alternative. We sampled some of the best New England has to offer, seeing pre, post and perfectly peak leaf colours. The trip was centered on secondary highways and county roads, and I'm happy to report only about 20% of the trip was on the turnpike or other main highways. We wound through the Appalachian, Pocono, Adirondack, Green and White mountains while also taking in some seaside refreshments on the Atlantic coast. Here is a picture at Height of Land in Maine, an Appalachian Trail crossing and truly one of the most stunning views on the entire Eastern Seaboard.

The car is sublime. We were able to squeeze a weeks worth of attire into the trunk, and loaded up the back seats with a small cooler, more jackets, snacks, masks, and assorted sundries. Eight and ten-hour days behind the wheel and no back, neck or shoulder pain. Snaking through twisties with significant elevation changes was a dream... like thrashing through corners on my Goldwing anticipating that moment of weight change to dive in the other direction... then do it again and again. The XKR has ample power, we all know that, but it also stays firmly planted in sweeping off camber corners. Granted, with my wife on board, I am not in total attack mode but that did not detract from the fact this car inspires confidence in every phase of operation. The chassis just seems to absorb anything you put it through. The odometer went from 39xxx to 41xxx and I still can't believe there are virtually no squeaks or rattles. Our only hiccup was at the end of the first night the CEL came on. A quick scan displayed P0101, I did not clear the code. The next morning there was no CEL. Happy motoring!!

The real kicker... although armed with tech we did not turn the radio on once. Not once. It was awesome. Just like the car.

 

That's awesome. We need more pics!

Ten years ago my wife and I took a 17 day road trip from North Carolina to Nevada and back in our 2003 XK8. It was awesome. We were planning a follow-up drive in the 2010 XKR this past summer, but Covid sabotaged those plans. Next summer maybe...

 

R'amen, Rev.... I'm working on it!

 

That some journey. I think twice on taking a two hour drive!

 

Takes me two hours to settle in! Was in your neck of the woods (Westford) as we headed towards home...

 

Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee Here's the jag at the camp of Ali

At a typical New England Motel.....

At the beach, from above.....