The Maths

I'm home now, have been for a while. Special thanks go out to Dave's ma for the ride from the airport.

The GPS tracker gave us some interesting totals around the end of the trip, got me thinking about the kind of stats we were racking up. Heres what I've worked out so far;

Average Moving Speed; 54.3mph
Top Speed; 108mph (Dave, overtaking some guy outside Amarillo i think)
Total Mileage; 5585.23 miles
Av fuel expenditure; Approximately US$26 per day
Total photos; 1,789
Official Police Warnings; 3
Pepperoni Pizzas; Approximately 15
Loads of Washing; 0
Hearts broken; At least 3
Blog posts; 27

Thats all I can think of. Considering how tired I am, its not surprising. I have also thrown together a rough map of where I think we went. No doubt Dave will see it and tear a strip off me for being inaccurate or plotting the trip backwards or something.

Anyway, its over. It was great. Hope you all enjoyed the ride.

While-U-Wait

Infuriatingly, my laptop has started running just fine again as we sit in LAX and wait for our gate to open up. Here are some random snaps from the last few days:


























More here as usual

We are coming home

Off to Thrifty, then chillin at LAX for a few hours


see you soon

Vegas -> Death Valley -> LA

We hit the gun range on our way out of Vegas. We went for a package deal, and selected the option that had the most guns I'd seen in videogames. The basic set was a HK MP5, an AK47 and a Shotgun, but we shelled out a bit extra for some pistols too. Dave went for the .45 automatic and I went the .38 revolver.

We were given a range of bad guy printouts to shoot at, ranging from a black guy in denim overalls (affectionately referred to by the instructors as Bobby Brown), a couple of random suicide bomber looking guys and, of course, Osama Bin Laden.

The full auto rifles were kinda fun and very easy to fire. The shotgun made a very satisfying boom sound, and of course the reloading action makes you feel 10ft tall. The best of all was the revolver, such a manly way to shoot.

Our package included the option to take home the posters of the bad guys we shot up (I kept the Osama, which I had completely wrecked with the shotgun) and a free T-shirt. We both picked the one that said "I DONT DIAL 911" and had a picture of a gun on it.

We drove to L.A via Death Valley, which was very pretty but not quite as hot as I would have liked. We went through Badwater which is the lowest point below sea level in the USA. There were salt flats and stuff. Took a bunch of photos then made the long painful drive to L.A.

The next day we went to a local drift event because we hadnt seen cars in ages. We got to meet a bunch of famous internet people with famous internet cars too, so that was cool. Haven't really bothered to see the sights in this town because its such a pain in the ass to get around, and at this point I've totally lost interest.

We're booked into a Motel somewhat near LAX, ready to drop the car back by noon tomorrow then fly home. Somewhat curious to see what that red capsicum I left in the fridge looks like now.

See you all soon

Grand Canyon -> Vegas

Our extra day in Flagstaff was lovely, even with the massive hangover. Activites were split between watching loads of T.V and driving very very slowly to various fast food outlets.

Woke up the next morning feeling great and made tracks for the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is amazing. I think its the most amount of Earth you can look at at once without having to enter orbit around the planet itself. We took photos just to keep our hands busy, but really they are a waste of time.

We've just got back from walking around Vegas. Vegas kinda sucks, actually. I think its a place I'd prefer to see, rather than experience. When its floating by at a lazy 5mph outside the passenger window of an '09 Charger, its big and bright and beautiful. When you're pounding the pavement/carpet with the locals, its kinda tragic and tacky.

I guess if the memory of the Flagstaff hangover wasnt so fresh in my mind, and I wasnt low on cash, and I actually enjoyed gambling, and we hadn't been half hustled/half robbed by that big black guy, it would have been a lot more fun. As it stands, we're hitting a gun range tomorrow then driving to San Francisco.

Lucky Lane

Went out drinking in Flagstaff.

Made it home with the aid of 3 police cars and judicious use of the firemans carry.

Thought about driving to the Grand Canyon today but only made it as far as a McDonalds breakfast before deciding to turn back and re-book the room we just checked out of.

Still have plenty of time, leaving tomorrow.

Devils Highway -> Flagstaff

There was still air in the tyres in the morning, so we knew it was going to be a good day. We were only a few miles out from I191, so after a quick McBreakfast we hit the road.



The drive is pretty damn amazing. It begins in dusty red mining towns, which look exactly as they did in the 1800's except now theres a Circle K next to the Saloon.

The speed limit was pretty ridiculous, like 15-25mph in most places, so that was kind of boring. But eventually we were so high up that the Charger didn't have enough puff to push us faster anyway. The road cleared at the halfway point so with some downhill and a tailwind we managed to have some fun.

As we continued on, the desert rocks, mining cranes and rock tunnels gave way to endless planes of faded yellow grass, then trees, then ice.



No idea what principle of meteorology puts snow in the middle of the Arizona desert, but it was very pretty either way.

We stopped in Flagstaff sometime this afternoon, not going to push any further because the Grand Canyon isnt far off and we want to be there in daylight. We may finally get around to going out for a drink tonight.

Oh, and this motel has vouchers for $5 off fully automatic rifles at The Gun Store, so maybe we'll give them a whirl too.