June 21: That's All Folks!

A few gathered at the Archie Lewis (center) Museum.

Our trip ended quietly today after a mere 6055 total miles.  Our last day was a short cruise from Tucumcari to home.  We joined some of our friends from VMCCA for a tour of the Archie Lewis garage/museum in Moriarty.  It was fun to see everyone and kick around Archie's eclectic collection of old trucks, cars, toys and more.   It was followed by a great lunch at the T/A truck stop.  We'd really had enough of café food, but this lunch still tasted good.

This trip has been one of the longest and probably the best of all our old car tours.  The adage "getting there is half the fun"  certainly applies.  This was no small task, considering the incredible destination we had in Bar Harbor, ME. 

Thanks to all our friends and relatives who adjusted their schedules to meet with us on this trip.  I can't tell you how much that added to the journey.  It let us literally unload the car and take a break from the monotony of travel.  If you're on the road near Albuquerque someday, please don't hesitate to call.  No doubt, text messaging, e-mail, and cell phones make it possible to connect in odd places at odd times, I am very thankful for that. 

We both ended up impressed with the Mercedes.  Although it had a few problems on the way, it got better as we repaired it and moved on.   Mostly it transported us smoothly and rapidly.  This is a very comfortable car and we both loved driving it.  It has wonderful visibility and is easy to get in and out of -- important features for those with tired eyes and legs.  Mountain roads were the best treat, but it also was a cushy freeway cruiser.  It uses way to much gas, but you can't have everything.  Try one, you may like it.  They are readily available at reasonable prices.

My prep of this car was so-so.  I drove it more than 500 miles before we left checking things out but missed a few obvious items.  I really should have changed the plugs before we left.  And, the tires should have been more thoroughly inspected.  It now has a long list of stuff that I will try to fix before the next trip.  The doors and windows need some adjustment, they annoyed us by sticking occasionally or generating too much wind noise.  The transmission shifts abruptly most of the time.  This did not change over the trip, but I would like to see that work better.  If nothing else, it would reduce the fear of transmission failure out in the boonies.  The AC was wonderful but it would be heaven if it put out a bit more cold air.  Boy, are we spoiled now. 

GPS:  Don't leave home without it.  We used both my old Garmin and the smart phone versions. The smart phone software is far easier to use to find points of interest.  But you need internet access to use the smart phone navigator.  We made a few navigating mistakes on this trip, but the GPS helped us recover.  We repeatedly found the most obscure addresses painlessly.  Atlas?  Bring that too.

Hopefully, we can keep ourselves and our old cars running well enough to try more trips in the future.   See you down the road!