Road Trip
 

Looking forward to my drive from Augusta, GA to Roselle, NJ on Friday, about 800 miles. This will be the longest trip I've taken in the XKR, will be traveling alone, having a little "me" time.

Have fun going through DC! Recommend the Chesapeake bridge tunnel instead.

This! Avoid the DC beltway if at all possible, but...if you can't or don't want to, stay on I-95 and cross the Potomac at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge so that you go around DC on the Maryland side and not the Virginia side. Each time I've gone around the Virginia side I have hit the most insane traffic...almost an hour to go 20 miles or so. Go around the Maryland side, and traffic might not be clocking at 60-70mph, but it is going to remain moving at a reasonable speed, unlike the parking lot "oh no! we better slow down for the curve!" mentality that seems to be endemic on the VA side.

Yeah, bridge / tunnel or time DC traffic between midnight and 4 am. Then you only need to avoid the drunks.

A bit longer but much nicer route is inland, Atlanta to Charleston to Harrisburg, etc. Takes you through the Smokies

Agree, beltway in the evening is actually a pretty cool drive.
Its fun to speed and slow down where fuzz could be staking out.

Bring both sets of key FOBS with you and keep the extra one in your pocket at all times. If you lose/misplace your first key FOB, you can still get home. Check that your spare tire is full with air and if you have the horrible original two piece OEM lugs and crappy wrench, change them out for new one piece lugs and a proper wrench. Just my 2 cents.


Note* The OEM lug is two pieces. The lug has an outer casing (cover) which can strip and make it rather hard to remove. Change the asap. The wrench is made out of tin foil and will bend out of shape the moment you use it. If you get a flat, you will be very happy that you upgraded the lugs and wrench. Search this forum for lugs and wrenches.

And although you'll be alone, every couple hundred miles shout out

"I swear to God I'm going to turn this car around if you guys don't knock it off back there!"

If you're anything like me, it will bring back memories of childhood road trips.
I was the runt in the family so I always got stuck in the middle sitting on "the hump".

Have a good time.

You were lucky, I got the floor.

Avoid potholes in NJ, or minimize the impact by slowing down.
These rims are very prone to getting slightly bent.

Avoid smaller rest area in regions with known meth problems.

If you dont have rock chip protection on your car, you can apply the carpet protector film sold at hardware stores. In minutes. Just take it off when you to your destination and take roll with you. You can have a pro cover your headlights in minutes.
Stay far behind trucks and especially the left lane if there is a concrete barrier. The vacuum created behind a truck lifts grains of stones, concrete barrier concentrates them.

Avoid doggy gas stations.

Other than that enjoy your drive.

I agree, almost any roads through the Smokies is a great drive.....never on the weekend or holiday though. Oh, and fall foliage will make you weep!

I took I-81/77/85 from Harrisburg to Greenville, SC, and back again in May. The trip down wasn't bad, that was on Thursday and Friday. However, the trip back on Sunday...ugh. What is it with people on the interstate when it comes to hills and curves? There were no accidents and no construction, yet whenever there was a downward grade that led to an upward grade, traffic slowed from 70+mph to 20-35mph. It was maddening. The weird thing is that it only happened from just south of Harrisonbug, VA to Winchester, VA.

Odd...

When I drive in PA, I get frustrated at the invisible massive stop signs at the end of entrance ramps.

I think what you're seeing may have to do with driver's spooked by "bridge ice's before road", past experience for them perhaps? I saw this exact same type of driving when it actually was frozen on the bridges, but people would still do it with no bridge.

Its was actually more hazardous to hit the brakes hard like some where doing, as otherwise if they just keep rolling straight they cross the ice with little drama.

So it may be they associate the bottom of a valley, where bridges are, rather than the bridge itself?

I think it starts with the 18-wheelers - they barrel down the hill and have a hard time getting up the next hill.