[nmulax]

Well, I made it to Phoenix.

I left Detroit at 5am on Thursday the 19th, and arrived in Scottsdale on Friday the 20th at about 7pm; stopping somewhere in Oklahoma for some sleep late Thursday night. My mom was nice enough to make the drive with me so I didn't burn out making the drive alone. Yeah I was terrified with the idea of someone other then myself driving my car, but by hour 10, that break was looking good.


My drivers-seat state evaluation:
Michigan - well I've lived there all my life. not much to look at when it's 5am. everyone speeds and gets out of the left lane if you fly up behind them... my kind of drivers.

Indiana - ughh... boring. there's nothing there. the people drive at a good pace... I guess it's because there's nothing to look out the window at.

Illinois - see above.

Missouri - needs to erased from space and time. the worst drivers EVER. driving 10mph under, while in the left lane, for hours. The only salvation was locking on behind a G35 with radar for the last stretch of the state. We cruised at about 90mph for almost two hours.

Oklahoma - let the 75mph speed limit begin! Set the cruise at 85 with the occasional burst to 90ish. Didn't see 1 cop in the state.

Texas - same as Oklahoma, but suddenly the pick-up trucks seemed to multiply, and I did see a few cops -- though none had anyone pulled over.

New Mexico - apparently it's perfectly logical to pace a semi truck while going up a hill, at 10 under the speed limit.

Arizona - The drive down from Flagstaff to the valley was the dessert at the end of this trip. nice winding roads with HUGE elevation changes as you come down the mountain. traffic was nowhere to be found, so I got to have some fun and use both lanes around some of the turns. I'll definetely be heading back up there in the next few weeks to make the drive without my car loaded down.



The car:
It performed beautifuly. the trunk was filled to the point where you couldn't possibly squeeze anything else in there. the rear seats were occupied by my computer and guitars.

yet I still managed to get 27.8mpg with an average speed of 78mph.
keep in mind the car was loaded down, and I hit triple digits a few times during the drive.
My mom -- who views cars as transportation and nothing more, commented on how well it handled, rode, and performed overall; saying "this is the kind of car you need if you're doing any type of long drive".


So here I am, in sunny Phoenix.

I started work on last Monday, and the new job rocks. So this is now week two living in the valley. I've been staying with friends of my family for the time being, and my place in Chandler will be available to move into next Monday.
Overall I'm really liking it. Can't believe how many Ferraris, Lambos, Aston Martins, Bentleys and Maybachs I've seen. That doesn't count all the P cars and MB AMGs that are a dime-a-dozen out here.

The only part that sucks is making friends since I moved out here not knowing anyone. Not as easy as when you're in college.
So yeah, if any of you in the Phoenix area want to grab a beer at some point... let me know. And if you see a SG E90 with the M-tech kit and a Michigan plate -- well, you now know who it is.

[tron1043]

Glad you like your job. Good to see you back on the board. Join a gym, go to spinning, and/or boxing classes. Also, you're really tall, pick-up basketball games at a gym, everybody wants a tall guy on their team. You'll meet people there.

[Ray]

I'm glad to hear you had a safe trip and enjoyed your car.

[nmulax]

Originally Posted by tron1043

Glad you like your job. Good to see you back on the board. Join a gym, go to spinning, and/or boxing classes. Also, you're really tall, pick-up basketball games at a gym, everybody wants a tall guy on their team. You'll meet people there.

haha, thanks for the suggestions James.

I have a fitness center at my apartment, so that takes car of the gym; but the spinning's a good idea to meet people. I'll have to work on my basketball first... but I'm sure there's some soccer games around town.

Funny you mention the boxing. I've been doing Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) for a few years now. Once I get a settled in a bit, I'm going to start looking for a new gym to train at.



Forgot to mention one thing about the drive down.
After around hour 10 of driving each day, the AC tends to lose it's effectiveness. I'd stop for gas, leave the car off for 10 minutes, and it'd be recharged for the next 2 hours. Not a huge issue, but still was a bit frustrating since the outside temp. was getting hotter the farther I drove.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by nmulax

Forgot to mention one thing about the drive down. After around hour 10 of driving each day, the AC tends to lose it's effectiveness. I'd stop for gas, leave the car off for 10 minutes, and it'd be recharged for the next 2 hours. Not a huge issue, but still was a bit frustrating since the outside temp. was getting hotter the farther I drove.

Really?? Never heard of that happening.

Anyways sounds like a good drive. I personally like the drive from Cleveland,OH to the eastern coast of Florida, especially through W. Virginia and Virginia. Those are some nice twisties and elevation changes.

[tron1043]

Originally Posted by nmulax

haha, thanks for the suggestions James.

I have a fitness center at my apartment, so that takes car of the gym;.

You still might want to think about joining a mega-gym. See if they have a LifeTime fitness or an equivalent. Much better chance of meeting people there.