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Road trip!

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I just ret'd from a 10,000 km road trip with my daughter.

We were gone 18 days and from London went to Tobermory, around Lake Superior on the Canadian side, and tented till we got to Winnepeg.

It was raining for 3 days on the prairies, so we stayed in a motel for 1 night and then with relatives outside Calgary.

Headed north and had a quick stop at the West Edmonton mall before finding a campsite at Jasper. Had a great time there and travelling to Lake Louise.

Next stop was in Kelowna for more mooching with the relatives.

We headed south and took a day and a half to get to Yellowstone National Park, which was outstanding. We learned that even though it is 38 during the day, the high altitude drops it down to 6- brrrrr!!!

The next major stop was at Mount Rushmore, and then a couple of more days to get home.

I'm happy to say that Gina performed flawlessly with no mechanical issues. However in the mountains and on the american plains she did feel underpowered.

Out in the western states the speed limit is 75 mph and when facing a 20-30 mph headwind with temps in the high 30's there is a tendency to overheat. We did pass one motorhome whose engine had caught on fire. In a later post I can give you some tips on how to prevent overheating.

Anyways, it cost $206 to get to Kelowna and US$130 to return, in fuel.

A trip of a lifetime and one that will have a lot of memories for my daughter and I.

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Hey Glenn,Wow! Awesome photo's!!I did that trip with my parents and sister in "72"....are we that old...gosh!You have to see Mt. Rushmore and such to truly appreciate it all.Glad to hear GINA performed well!Talk more soon.James

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"Hippity hoppity,. there goes the wapiti." ~ Ogden Nash, poet

It was great meeting up with you in Kelowna, Glenn.

Bil :sun:

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Super trip, photos and report! When you say overheat, did the car really overheat, or was it just running a bit hot?

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I'm so jealous!! :D Welcome back Glenn.

I just ret'd from a 10,000 km road trip with my daughter.We were gone 18 days and from London went to Tobermory, around Lake Superior on the Canadian side, and tented till we got to Winnepeg.It was raining for 3 days on the prairies, so we stayed in a motel for 1 night and then with relatives outside Calgary. Headed north and had a quick stop at the West Edmonton mall before finding a campsite at Jasper. Had a great time there and travelling to Lake Louise. Next stop was in Kelowna for more mooching with the relatives.We headed south and took a day and a half to get to Yellowstone National Park, which was outstanding. We learned that even though it is 38 during the day, the high altitude drops it down to 6- brrrrr!!!The next major stop was at Mount Rushmore, and then a couple of more days to get home.I'm happy to say that Gina performed flawlessly with no mechanoical issues. However in the mountains and on the american plains she did feel underpowered.Out in the western states the speed limit is 75 mph and when facing a 20-30 mph headwind with temps in the high 30's there is a tendency to overheat. We did pass one motorhome whose engine had caught on fire. In a later post I can give you some tips on how to prevent overheating.Anyways, it cost $206 to get to Kelowna and US$130 to return, in fuel.A trip of a lifetime and one that will have a lot of memories for my daughter and I.

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In Wyoming the cars temp got up to 114 and the temp light started to flash.

The outside temp was 38 and we facing 49-50 headwinds.

Our solution was to back off the speed to get the temp to drop and then we started drafting trucks.

The engine load was drastically reduced and the engine temp fell below 100.

Of course we also got better mileage and an added bonus of fewer grasshoppers hitting the front of the car.

I learned how to draft from Mixed. It requires total concentration and nerves of steel. Fortunately it worked for us and got us out of the mountains and plains.

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Nice trip. I hope you appreciate the great seats now!

:biglaugh: I know they are GREAT SEATS, I had 150,000 kms on Gina before I even set off.

I never experienced any back pain during the trip, and that is with the stiffer Eibach suspension.

My daughter only complained once, but that was after she had been driving for over 3 1/2 hours.

An incredible little machine all things considered.

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I plan to take a trip to the States this fall. Are we are our own if there is a mechanical problem (i.e. do we need to flat bed it over the border ?) I have a CDI, perhaps the gas models are better supported in the US? I know many others in the forum have gone on extended trips to the US and I am interested in what plan they had in case there was a problem.Looks like you had a great trip by the way, congratulations!

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Welcome back Glen Looks like you two had a great time.Looking at the great pictures cabin fever is already setting in.. can't wait till we get the chance to go.... away.thanks for letting us have a peek at your adventures.Karen

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Wow, 114 is hot! But I guess the critical point would be a little higher. Was the A/C on at that time?

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Fortunately Glenn I'm sure keeps his Coolant strength up to spec. Someone else who may have added water to their coolant to top it up and thus diluted the strength could very likely have blown the rad cap and boiled over. Probably a lesson to be learned to not inadvertantly dilute your coolant.

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I thought the lesson was to always draft transports. No need for less than 1 meter drafting, even traveling 3 or 4 smart lengths behind a transport or big SUV makes a huge difference.

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Even 50 or 60 yards back makes a difference -- just check your instant FE on a ScanGauge. I keep it about 25 back, usually. But I did find it rather hypnotic on I-90/I-81/401, and had to pull off a couple of times when my eyes started to cross after a couple of hours staring at a truck's beehind. I'm considering getting a handheld CB to let truckers know I'm drafting, but my wife's cousin, who is a long-haul trucker, says trucks rarely use them in Canada and the northern tier of the US anymore.

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I plan to take a trip to the States this fall. Are we are our own if there is a mechanical problem (i.e. do we need to flat bed it over the border ?)

We are on our own. The smart dealers in the US are not familiar with our CDI's.

I had towing covered by the Canadian Tire plan and I brought extra fan belts. That's it. Not even a spare tire.

We had no room for extras because we had tent, air mattresses and sleeping bags.

Oh, and for Mike T. I found the AC to be ineffective when it got over 30 degrees, so I wasn't running AC. Looks like I need a recharge. It looks like 120 would be the time to shut her down to prevent overheating. Scan gauge was helpfull yet again.

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My favourite part of the trip was Jasper, and especially the trip to the top of Mount Whistler via the Sky Tram.

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Glenn,Wow! those are grasshoppers on your cars front?They make em big over there EH?Just be glad you were not on a motorbike!

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Great photos, Glenn! Wish we'd known you were going to Yellowstone National Park, as Cliff's sister lives in West Yellowstone! But, maybe you did not go in or out that entrance.Amazing how much you were able to do and see, as well as carry in your Gina! What an experience.

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Yellowstone and Rushmore and other northern States attractions -- memories. We did the Niagara Falls, NY to Idaho trip including the FACES IN THE ROCK in 1991 when my now 21 year old was only 3. We did it in a 15 passenger van on the way back from my brother's wedding in the Gaspe - Mom, step-dad, aunt, cousin, son and myself (brother bailed in Toronto). Did you go to Wall Drugs??? Do they still have the thousands of signs about it?

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Wall Drug still has creative bill boards. I bought a mug there. The store is huge and has everything.

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