Lula Mae
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I recently completed a 5,900 mile round trip from the eastern seaboard to Washington state to visit family for Thanksgiving.
Route:
I traveled from coastal VA to eastern WA near the ID border. I passed through Des Moines, IA to visit a friend before jumping up to I-90 for the remainder of the trip. The post-Thanksgiving snowstorm sent me south to Salt Lake City before heading east on routes I-80, 70 & 64.
Fuel Economy:
Quite likely the entire trip was on winter gas formulation (and chilly/colder weather to match)
Hand-calculated mileage ranged between 15.6 to 26.3
Average across the entire trip was 19.5.
The bulk of my speed was around 75 mph, even in Montana where the posted limit was 80mph.
Poorest mileage was through Montana where the roads were straight, flat and offered a stiff crosswind.
Interestingly, driving other places at similar speeds with rolling, or even steeper, hills offered better mileage.
Mileage suffers quickly as you climb above 60mph.
Points of Interest:
Most of the national parks along that northern stretch were closed for the winter.
I did however spend a layover day in Rapid City SD to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial and hike in the surrounding area.
https://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm
Just outside of Rapid City
Starting from across the valley and moving closer
Looking though a one-lane tunnel on Iron Mountain Rd
After leaving Rapid City, I pulled off the interstate for a pit stop and saw a sign for Devil's Tower.
(Think of the movie Close Encounter of the Third Kind)
Checked the map and seeing that it was just 30 minutes away I decided that a detour was in order. I found out that it is also a National Monument.
https://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm
There's also quite the colony of prairie dogs in the flatlands below the monument
I only spent about 2 hours in the park and would like to return to explore the area more.
On the return trip I stopped in North Platte, NE to visit the Golden Spike Tower which overlooks the world's largest rail yard. The docent said that should the rail yard shut down it would affect 60% of our country's economy.
https://goldenspiketower.com/
(This image lifted from the web)
My final stop was at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in WV.
https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
This is our country's newest National Park (2020). Another visit that was too sort although I was able to squeeze in a couple of miles of hiking.
The local mountain road that I took leaving the park provided a very nice scenic drive from the snows of the previous day.
Driving Experience:
No surprise that this would never compare to the smoothness of my Fusion and I hemmed & hawed for several days over which vehicle to take. I settled on the truck primarily because I'm very stiff climbing out of the Fusion after driving for several hours and I don't have that issue with the truck. Secondary was driving this time of year could get dicey and that the truck's 4x4 capabilities could give me an advantage.
I opted out of Blue Cruise and after trying it I also disable Lane Keeping Assist. I did, however enjoy having the Adaptive Cruise Control. The 360 camera also came in handy on many occasions.
Long portions of I-90 through SD & MT seemed.... desolate? No meaningful traffic to speak of. I often went 5 minutes between seeing anyone else in either direction
My biggest gripe is the seat, in 2 regards. First, I just couldn't find a position that was comfortable long term. It always felt 'unnatural'. Second is the seat bottom itself. It puts pressure across my bottom between my back pockets and seemed to push into my tailbone. Now I understand what folks mean when they say it feels like you're sitting on a bucket.
Vehicle Performance:
It performed as expected. I was glad that I had it on the return trip as the northern snowstorm I was avoiding did manage to reach me as I was passing through Missouri (From Lincoln, NE to Mt Vernon, IL) My 7 hour drive turned into a 15 hour marathon. I had the truck in 4A and in 'Slippery' mode the entire day. The few times I could see pavement was generally just a pair of slick tracks for the tires. Since the interstate was often bumper to bumper, and at one point closed, I spent a fair amount of time on empty backroads. This is where the truck saved me. I was driving about 30 mph and something felt funny so I lifted off the gas & coasted. A few seconds later I started fishtailing. Although I didn't use the brakes, I periodically heard & felt the ABS kicking in as the truck tried to give me a helping hand getting straightened out. Thank you Ford and thank you properly functioning technology.
When it was all said and done, my truck was ready for, and earned, a weekend spa retreat.
Route:
I traveled from coastal VA to eastern WA near the ID border. I passed through Des Moines, IA to visit a friend before jumping up to I-90 for the remainder of the trip. The post-Thanksgiving snowstorm sent me south to Salt Lake City before heading east on routes I-80, 70 & 64.
Fuel Economy:
Quite likely the entire trip was on winter gas formulation (and chilly/colder weather to match)
Hand-calculated mileage ranged between 15.6 to 26.3
Average across the entire trip was 19.5.
The bulk of my speed was around 75 mph, even in Montana where the posted limit was 80mph.
Poorest mileage was through Montana where the roads were straight, flat and offered a stiff crosswind.
Interestingly, driving other places at similar speeds with rolling, or even steeper, hills offered better mileage.
Mileage suffers quickly as you climb above 60mph.
Points of Interest:
Most of the national parks along that northern stretch were closed for the winter.
I did however spend a layover day in Rapid City SD to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial and hike in the surrounding area.
https://www.nps.gov/moru/index.htm
Just outside of Rapid City
Starting from across the valley and moving closer
Looking though a one-lane tunnel on Iron Mountain Rd
After leaving Rapid City, I pulled off the interstate for a pit stop and saw a sign for Devil's Tower.
(Think of the movie Close Encounter of the Third Kind)
Checked the map and seeing that it was just 30 minutes away I decided that a detour was in order. I found out that it is also a National Monument.
https://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm
There's also quite the colony of prairie dogs in the flatlands below the monument
I only spent about 2 hours in the park and would like to return to explore the area more.
On the return trip I stopped in North Platte, NE to visit the Golden Spike Tower which overlooks the world's largest rail yard. The docent said that should the rail yard shut down it would affect 60% of our country's economy.
https://goldenspiketower.com/
(This image lifted from the web)
My final stop was at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in WV.
https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
This is our country's newest National Park (2020). Another visit that was too sort although I was able to squeeze in a couple of miles of hiking.
The local mountain road that I took leaving the park provided a very nice scenic drive from the snows of the previous day.
Driving Experience:
No surprise that this would never compare to the smoothness of my Fusion and I hemmed & hawed for several days over which vehicle to take. I settled on the truck primarily because I'm very stiff climbing out of the Fusion after driving for several hours and I don't have that issue with the truck. Secondary was driving this time of year could get dicey and that the truck's 4x4 capabilities could give me an advantage.
I opted out of Blue Cruise and after trying it I also disable Lane Keeping Assist. I did, however enjoy having the Adaptive Cruise Control. The 360 camera also came in handy on many occasions.
Long portions of I-90 through SD & MT seemed.... desolate? No meaningful traffic to speak of. I often went 5 minutes between seeing anyone else in either direction
My biggest gripe is the seat, in 2 regards. First, I just couldn't find a position that was comfortable long term. It always felt 'unnatural'. Second is the seat bottom itself. It puts pressure across my bottom between my back pockets and seemed to push into my tailbone. Now I understand what folks mean when they say it feels like you're sitting on a bucket.
Vehicle Performance:
It performed as expected. I was glad that I had it on the return trip as the northern snowstorm I was avoiding did manage to reach me as I was passing through Missouri (From Lincoln, NE to Mt Vernon, IL) My 7 hour drive turned into a 15 hour marathon. I had the truck in 4A and in 'Slippery' mode the entire day. The few times I could see pavement was generally just a pair of slick tracks for the tires. Since the interstate was often bumper to bumper, and at one point closed, I spent a fair amount of time on empty backroads. This is where the truck saved me. I was driving about 30 mph and something felt funny so I lifted off the gas & coasted. A few seconds later I started fishtailing. Although I didn't use the brakes, I periodically heard & felt the ABS kicking in as the truck tried to give me a helping hand getting straightened out. Thank you Ford and thank you properly functioning technology.
When it was all said and done, my truck was ready for, and earned, a weekend spa retreat.
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