So I have lots to say about this trip, it was a great time, and the US is so different everywhere! I should have named this trip "how not to teach someone to drive stick."
The idea with getting a stick was to force my little sister to learn to drive stick. It was not to drive 4500 miles while she napped. Plus automatics are lame.
I planned the trip with the roadtrippers app and online software. It is still a little clunky, but allowed me to plan around waypoints, and helped me find stuff "nearby" while driving.
I had originally planned to spend the first day in CA going over the truck my sister had purchased. Because of the huge flight delay, that went out the window.
I flew into SF airport (bought ticket months ago). The truck was in Monterrey. My sister lived in Berkeley. After an impressively delayed flight (for honestly no good reason) and shuttle, we got to Monterrey around 9p, needed to get to Berkeley to sleep for night, about a 3 hour drive away, sun is set... Why hello mr murphy lol.
The guy who held the truck mentioned "the throttle is a little stiff." Well, its too late now, gotta get on the road so we can leave first thing in the morning... Get in to go, step on the gas. Nothing. Stomp on the gas, it moves. I laughed outloud. There was no way anyone could learn to drive a manual transmission vehicle with a gas pedal like this, I was struggling to drive it period. Filled the tank to the brim (it took 12 gallons, wonder what size tank it is), kicked all the tires to make sure they weren't going to fall off easily and hit the road.
I was made aware that the odometer stopped working a few years ago, it showed 264,000 miles, and they "estimated" to have over 280,000 miles on it.
The first night I am driving down the highway, trying to feel/listen/smell for impending doom when I notice the gas gauge starts dropping. I lost a 1/4 tank per the gauge in 3 minutes. I started panicking when it kept dropping and had only about an 1/8th tank left. Nothing smelled like leaking fuel, I had only been driving for a short time, but I had no relationship with this vehicle. What if it was running pig rich and getting 6mpg's? What if there was a hole in the tank and that is why they sold it with an empty tank, what if I lost the return line and have been dumping fuel out back? I don't know how to estimate how much fuel I have used, I was told the odometer does not work and now I appear to be loosing fuel rapidly, its late and dark. I don't even know if this thing has a 15 gal tank or 20 gal tank. I'm trying to crunch numbers for worst case scenario time vs (GPS) distance empty tank on side of road when we encounter our first "hill." Oh no, this thing has no power. Downshift to 4th, chugging along 40mph, foot to the floor. Oh no.
What was I thinking, worst plan ever.
Crest the hill, trying to get my co-pilot sister to search for nearby gas stations. None. Time to push on!
Suddenly the gas gauge started to climb. Oh, so the truck is now making fuel and putting it back in the tank... Oddly, I noticed the odometer seemed to be working. What the heck, its not over heating, there does not appear to be enough fumes to worry about catching fire, I'm exhausted from the terrors of domestic flight and I want to sleep. Before leaving I had about 3 hours of sleep due to working eveinig shift and a 6a (well in theory) departure time. If I make it to midnight with the time zone changes, I have not slept in 24 hours, and before that I only had 3 hours of sleep. So I ignorantly push on. We make it. I park near a prius with a bumper sticker that reads "I love obamacare." I'm too tired to get angry, hey, maybe they sell insurance and legislation has created a economic boom for them. Who knows...
I slept. Up early. Told lil sis to pack all her earthly belongings, we have a 10 hour drive to get to our first hotel. Make me coffee, I'm going to look at the truck.
Shoot. It's still there, no one stole it, and it didn't burn to the ground..
The engine appeared to have the right colored fluids, the oil and antifreeze appeared to be staying away from each other. I forgot to look to see if the gas tank was still attached. I examined the throttle; the cable had a few inches of slack due to stretching. Conveniently toyota built in juuuust enough adjustment. Aparently the first half of the throttle pedal had been doing nothing last night. Push the gas past the halfway point and it started to crack the throttle. Because of the oblong cam of the throttle, the first half is the stiffest. I had been driving using only about the first 1/4 of the throttle..
Hey, not bad! That's why I couldn't climb the hill in 5th, I couldn't give it much gas! Adjust the cable, it is still stiff, but it is now linear! Wow, an almost drivable vehicle!
Of course, planning on being on the road before 9 a, plus 1-2 hours budgeted for rest stops and food meant to me we should get to the first hotel 8-10p. Perfect. Apparently for my sister, it meant, sometime after 11a is just fine, hey I'm a girl, I don't understand this time stuff. Also, she packs by stuffing belongings floor to roof, so if you were ever to have a need to look around (like say to merge on a highway, double check blind spots..) your view can be blocked by pillows and suit cases! So I spent some time unpacking her stuff and re-packing.
I can see out the back now!
We are already hours behind schedule, but we are on the road! Might as well document the trip!
First Berkeley picture. Yes it is brake and tire shop, but it has the B word!
Stay tuned for the rest of the day!