I plan of having quite an adventure this summer; a 6500 mile trip around the country (see map below). I'm leaving tomorrow, around noon and will be heading for Richland, WA to teach a 3 week nuclear engineering class. In case you don't remember your history, this is where the Hanford Reservation is located, which is the site of the first nuclear power plant and where the Plutonium was produced for the "Fat Man" bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki in August 1945 that ended WWII. After this class is complete, I'll be driving to Syracuse, NY (where I was born) to teach a nuclear engineering seminar (one day) and then visit my family. Then in July, I'm teaching another 3 week nuclear engineering class outside of Philadelphia. After that class is over I'm off to Georgia to visit my niece and then to Jackson, MS to visit my other niece and then finally home in mid-August. I'm sure kitty will be tired by then. I plan on taking lots of Photos and making regular updates to this thread.


Mark

 

Between your stop in GA and your next stop in Jackson, MS, you will be traveling on Interstate 10 through the Florida Panhandle. There is a section of this area that is called the Emerald Coast with some of the most beautiful beaches in the USA. The sand is called "Sugar Sand" and is as white as Sugar and very fine, as it is ground up quartz that came down the rivers from the Mountains Emerald Coast - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://www.google.com/search?q=emer...w=1440&bih=809

There are some truly great places to see and to stay in this area, in particular, you might find Seaside quite interesting.
Seaside, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.google.com/search?q=seas...w=1440&bih=809

 

Mark,
I know you've had some issues lately, however, I'm sure you'll have a great trip. I have to tell you that about a month ago I was doing some work near Pismo Beach, CA, a 3-3 1/2 hour ride from Los Angeles, probably about 250 miles up the coast. In addition, I had to travel to a property we have north of Bakersfield. I would estimate that I put over 3000 miles on my 145,000 mile 2002 XKR in about 10 days. Ran like a charm and was just beautiful driving up the California coastline. Have fun and don't worry, your car will come through just fine.

 

Mark,

Looks like a great trip. Enjoy the drive in between the work commitments.

I'll never get to see these places so am looking forward to your photos throughout the journey.

Graham

 

Thanks guys. I will be sure to post photos and give updates. I will be shutting down the computer after this post and will be leaving within a few minutes.


Mark

 

safe travels, look forward to following the journey!

 

Have a safe trip my friend.. Enjoy and we'll get together for breakfast after you get back.

 

Look forward to the pictures.

Have a great trip!

 

Just a little plug for my part of our country that you'll be passing through;


You'll be Eastbound leaving Chicago ( "A Tall Bold Slugger, Set Vivid against the smaller Softer Cities) entering NW Indiana on I80/I94. This is the most heavily traveled interstate in the country for material handling goods, ( Semi tractor trailer trucks and the Hub of railroading). Remember Carl Sandburg writing "Handler of the Nations Freight"? It's still so over 100 years later. You'll be entering MY county, Lake County, on the Southern most tip of the Great Lakes, bearer of the largest amount of FRESH water on earth. In this one county, you find America's manufacturing might. Home to Two of the three largest steel mills on Earth, AND the nations largest Oil refinery.


I SWEAR we would have lost WWII if this one county was removed from the map. Yes, it's stinky,dirty, gritty and violent.....but we're powerful and strong and the entire free world needs this place to do what we do here.....within eyesight and only minutes from the most beautiful skyline in our country.


LET THE GOOD TIME ROLL !

 

I am familiar with this area. I attended Purdue University and have worked contracts in Chicago many times. One of my best customers is Exelon. I'm glad to hear that you are proud of your part of the country, you have good reason. Perhaps if the timing is right in June when I pass through we could have lunch or dinner.

Mark

 

I left as planned yesterday at about 11:30 am and stopped for the night in Amarillo, TX. No photos yet; for those of you ho have never driven in the Texas panhandle about the only thing here us flat and wind. I should get into some more interesting country today.

Mark

 

Yes, YES, by all means friend, My Collision Repair Biz is one mile from where 4 interstates intersect, I80/I90/I94 and I65. Literally ONE minute at 60mph.


My father is a Purdue educated electrical AND mechanical engineer. He has spent his life contributing to the heavy industry in this area.


I'm a bit peeved to learn that the University of Illinois Engineering program is now rated above Purdue. My lady friend will finish her Executive MBA at Purdue this year. Ironic because she works for the University of Chicago Hospital....lol

 

Hey Mark, be safe...that's a LONG trip! If you want to take a break from driving, and instead of going around Lake Michigan thru Chicago, you should consider using the ferry from Wisconsin side to Michigan...its pretty cool. I did it last yearand it was a great, relaxing nap. I recommend the premium seating area over the 'commoners' section ($97 vs $85) as its much comfier accommodations/chairs and sparsely populated. I had a whole corner of the sitting area to myself (very nice).

 

May take you up on this, pm me your email and phone number.

Matt, I may take your recommendation as well.

Tonight I'm in Farmington, NM. Have a photo but am exhausted and will post tomorrow.

Mark

 

Attached is the photo I took the other day in the high desert north west of Albuquerque. I am currently in Farmington, NM, which in in the extreme north west corner of NM, near Four Corners, NM. Tomorrow I'll be driving through (or at lease into) Utah. I've had a little bit of a delay as my bank account was hacked and Bank of America froze my accounts, so I only had the $100 cash I had on me. I spent all day yesterday and today talking to half of the people working for BOA but have finally gotten this problem at least partially resolved.

I am still getting the restricted performance message and am pretty much convinced it's a vacuum leak because it only appears a city speeds but clears after 10 or 15 minutes at highway speed. I have found an independent shop in Richland, WA that will work on Jags and will take it there next week. They should be able to fix it.


Mark

 

Hope your travels start to get easier and the Jag gets a quick (and inexpensive) fix.

Thanks for the picture and keep them coming.

 

The coupe looks beautiful against the high desert backdrop ! Wishing you good fortune in the rest of your trip my friend !

 

Mark,

I'm following your route. That's an estimated 787 miles covered so far.



Sorry to hear about the BoA issue. It can be complicated enough sorting this kind of problem from home without the added difficulty of being on the road.

Your car is staying remarkably clean considering the look of the road you are traveling!

So the RP has come back. At least it's clearing on the highway and not constant. Your suspicion of an air leak certainly sounds a likely cause.

Graham

 

I stopped in Price, UT last night and tried to post some photos but couldn't get them uploaded. Two of the photos below were taken in Utah, one in south eastern Utah and one in Central Utah near Moab. I stopped for the night tonight in Twin Falls, ID, not far from the third photo (the one without my XKR in it); look at the name on the diner. I have a little over 6 hours to drive before I make it to my destination of Richland, WA, where I'll be for 3 weeks.. So far the restricted performance has only occurred at low (city) speeds. I will be taking it to a European car shop in Richland this coming week. I will keep updating this thread as I learn more and travel.


Mark

 

Well, I have arrived at my first destination, Richland, WA, where I'll be for the next 3 weeks. Even with the Restricted Performance, my XKR still got me here with little trouble, although the vacuum does appear be getting a little worse. Today I felt a little "bucking" while accelerating onto the highway and instead of clearing after 10 minutes and highway speed, it's taking over an hour to clear. As a result I did not stop to take any photos today but when I leave here to go east, I will travel the same route that I traveled today and will get some photos then. I think the vacuum leak cannot be too big because I was able to drive 1800 miles with it and I can't hear it. However, my hearing is not so good anymore; to much sex, drugs and rock & roll (except for the sex and drugs) when I was young. I will be taking it into a high end European Car shop this week and have them work on it and will report back when I know more.


All in all it was a good trip up here, with no rain except for a few showers yesterday going through the Provo, UT - Ogden, UT corridor, which has never been my favorite drive anyway. Too much traffic! I'm looking forward to my drive across South Dakota, the only of the 48 contiguous states that I have never visited. I'm also looking forward to visiting my original front grille, that I gave to Ken Westra a couple years ago and a couple other members along the way.


Mark