Great Loop: The Adventure Begins

 

October has always been a month ripe for adventure.  In years past, it’s been a time to hike, surrounded by glorious fall colors, or bike the cool, crisp days of the Sierra Nevada.  This year we are embarking on a different kind of adventure. Excitedly, we are starting a trip which will take a full year and involve a car trip across the country and then a 6000-mile exploration of the eastern portion of north America by boat.  Upon completion, we will have inscribed a big loop bounded by the Gulf Coast to the south, the Atlantic Coast to the east and up the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to the Great Lakes thru the Canadian canals into Georgian Bay and a return to the Great Lakes in the north, Chicago, and then the inland river system to return south to our starting point.

Our journey started quietly on a calm clear day.  We said our goodbyes to friends and neighbors, the boat, trailer, and truck were ready and loaded.  We were eager to begin, with our traditional cry of “Hit-It”, our expedition departed.

The first day’s travel took us to an RV park in Bakersfield.  We followed a path taken many years before when our family towed our ski boat to Lake Powell on many exciting trips exploring the nooks and crannies of that great lake.  Four trips in all had been undertaken as there were so many arches, canyons, and cliff dwellings to see and enjoy.  On this trip the big change was the expansion of urban sprawl from the bay area out into California’s central valley.  Great subdivisions were sprouting up in proximity to commute corridors where vast open spaces once existed.

It was hard to believe we were finally starting a trip we had talked about and dreamed of for so many years.  After a quiet night, we struck out for the Mojave Desert, to bypass the traffic of the Los Angeles, and on to Palm Desert.  Along the way we passed the airliner boneyards and storage facilities of Mojave and Victorville.  Both are former military airfields which have converted to a range of other purposes.  Mojave bills itself as a space port.  Residents include Virgin Galactic Airways and Burt Rutan’s design and fabrication facility.  Victorville is becoming a hub for intermodal transportation, warehousing, distribution and storage and salvage of airliners.

As Sheryl Crow sang, "Every day is a winding road....", with new destinations and experiences along the way.  One key learning we are taking away from our drive through the Tehachapi mountains and desert passes is to think deeper when viewing your fuel gauge.  It's a good tool, but does not anticipate the path you have chosen. Let me explain.  Most cars and trucks today will predict the distance you can travel on your remaining fuel.  The caveat is that this is calculated passed upon your average miles per gallon.  Pulling the boat we average 11 mpg.  Going up a mountain pass our mileage can drop to 3 or 4 mpg as the engine is working much harder.  The 100 mile range you had at the bottom of the hill suddenly becomes only 30 - 40 miles of range.  The learning - make sure you have plenty of fuel, prior to starting a big climb, to get you over the top and on to the next fuel stop.  As my old drill sergeant use to say, "Remember the 6-P's, Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance".  Thanks Sarge, you were correct again!

Our second day ended with a check-in at the Westin Desert Willows Resort.  We are going to relax and recharge here for a week.  The last couple of months has been very busy with preparations and boat projects.  We are looking forward to seeing what this area has to offer.  The last time I was here was back in the early 70’s, when my brother and I meet our parents and younger brother who were in town for their vacation.  Wow, a whole bunch of life experiences have accumulated since them.