The Cayenne's farewell 7500km road trip
Discussion
Friday at dawn:
The Cayenne is packed and ready to go. It will be the last long trip for it as the new replacement Cayenne will be here in weeks. Overall it has been an amazingly tough old beast- I have had it from new in 2008. It is time to go get my dog back from the Arizona house for the Spring and Summer in Toronto.
This is earlier than my normal trip and due to scheduling issues I will do it solo with none of my usual detour stops.
Cayenne has a stripper spec- no nav system, no good radio, no big wheels, or full leather, no sunroof. Just what I really needed- a big lazy V8 and a lot of towing capacity, (7700 lbs rated). Only thing I did to it was added a tow bar and had it fitted with a trailer controller so I could adjust the brake bias. It is now beginning to head for 300,000 km. Has been dealer maintained its entire life and has had a fair bit or work- new brakes and pads, new starter, camshaft lifters ( big job), power steering and some other stuff.
I leave at 5am, head for Detroit , across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and most of Missouri the first day with minimal stops. It is not the most interesting part of the US, and I make 1570 km day one.
I do not listen to the radio when I do a long solo trip, just like to hear the car and see what’s around.
I leave at 5am, head for Detroit , across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and most of Missouri the first day with minimal stops. It is not the most interesting part of the US, and I make 1570 km day one.
I do not listen to the radio when I do a long solo trip, just like to hear the car and see what’s around.
Gives me a chance to think about the very changed world I am driving int compared to BC ( before Covid)..
I first had an inkling of what was up in Vancouver Airport in December 2019. The International section, usually densely busy, was empty.
I went back to Toronto and did some defensive Costco buying in January ; by March we were all locked down and my office street was like this:
As I drive down through Ohio and Indiana, surely some of the most boring drives on the planet, I think of all of the words and actions that would be a foreign language to me BC:
Lockdown, mask mandate, social distancing, Moderna, Pfizer, Astra Zenica, booster doses, Anti-Vaxxers, Invermectin, Delta,Omicron, Wuhan, Fauci, WFH, Border closures ,social Zooming, Vaccine passports, stolen election, voting machines, qAnon, Oath Keepers, Storming the Capitol, Freedom convoys,Emergency Act, Kyiv ( used to be Kiev to me), Zelensky, supply chain, inflation, deficits, tactical nukes, iodine pills and so on.
At the narrow level of Porsche the ship sinking and the closure of the plants for shortages due to the Ukraine invasion by Russia were not happy events..
Yet, the world outside the car looks much the same as it was. In the US the mask mandate has lifted and there is very little continuing usage. I only stop when I need gas. Weather is calm and dry.
Pulling into Springfield Mo. I am satisfied with progress - 1570 km on the first day.. Not so satisfied with the cost of gas:
I once did this run solo (3750 KM ) in a single night which on reflection with a bit over enthusiastic. This will be two nights. So far so good.
Feeling pretty good I set out early next morning ( Saturday) , targeting Albuquerque NM. This means running straight through Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle The weather is dry but there is a fearsome wind blowing that buffets the car all the way to destination.
I turn onto Interstate 40 that runs right through from Oklahoma to Los Angeles.
Five minutes into the trip the engine light comes on. This has only happened once in 14 years of ownership and it was a real and expensive issue ( camshaft lifters). I head down into Oklahoma and across the high plains. The Porsche dealer in Tulsa cannot do anything, neither can the dealer in Oklahoma City unless I wait till Monday. I hate to drive thousands of miles with the light on , but all of the other instruments are normal - oil pressure, temperature, water temperature etc. I decide to keep moving and deal with it when I get to Arizona.
At least the weather is clear so the last day’s run should be a doddle.
We suddenly slow down and come to a stop . Big truck accident ,so a couple of hours lost chatting the the truck drivers. This is a major truck route. I get in late to Albuquerque.
I turn onto Interstate 40 that runs right through from Oklahoma to Los Angeles.
Five minutes into the trip the engine light comes on. This has only happened once in 14 years of ownership and it was a real and expensive issue ( camshaft lifters). I head down into Oklahoma and across the high plains. The Porsche dealer in Tulsa cannot do anything, neither can the dealer in Oklahoma City unless I wait till Monday. I hate to drive thousands of miles with the light on , but all of the other instruments are normal - oil pressure, temperature, water temperature etc. I decide to keep moving and deal with it when I get to Arizona.
At least the weather is clear so the last day’s run should be a doddle.
We suddenly slow down and come to a stop . Big truck accident ,so a couple of hours lost chatting the the truck drivers. This is a major truck route. I get in late to Albuquerque.
Looks like we are past the dust but the buffeting remains and there is another dust storm ahead in Western New Mexico.
This time it is snow, and it is very scary indeed. The wind is horizontal and as we get into the storm I cannot see either edge of the road, just the snow blowing sideways. I can barely make out the flashers in front of me and shadows of vehicles that have left the road. There is no exit and I am surrounded by trucks so stopping is not going to work. I have left my snows on the Cayenne so grip is manageable. Obviously not possible to photograph this, but there is carnage with vehicles everywhere.
Then just like a light switch it stops. I come out the other seat and see many vehicles have slip off. Virtually all guard rails are damaged.
It remains cold but clear and the San Francisco peaks at Flagstaff look good in the sunlight. We are high here (7000 ft) the air is thin, but we take a left at Flagstaff and drop straight down to Scottsdale and in 90 minutes we go from -8 to +16, and from pine trees to huge Saguaro cactus and the Sonoran Desert that goes all the way down to Mexico.
It remains cold but clear and the San Francisco peaks at Flagstaff look good in the sunlight. We are high here (7000 ft) the air is thin, but we take a left at Flagstaff and drop straight down to Scottsdale and in 90 minutes we go from -8 to +16, and from pine trees to huge Saguaro cactus and the Sonoran Desert that goes all the way down to Mexico.
It remains cold but clear and the San Francisco peaks at Flagstaff look good in the sunlight. We are high here (7000 ft) the air is thin, but we take a left at Flagstaff and drop straight down to Scottsdale and in 90 minutes we go from -8 to +16, and from pine trees to huge Saguaro cactus and the Sonoran Desert that goes all the way down to Mexico.
This is a very quick turnaround trip. Get the Arizona cars properly stored for the summer- critical. Covid and the border closures meant that they stood for almost two years , and the results had not been pretty…leaking struts on the SL, permanently flatspotted tires, dead system, battery and a bunch of other stuff The Jeep had a failed thermostat and needed a new fuel tank due to some off-road damage. About $15k had been spent to fix all of that in December, so was just a question of tire cradles, fuel stabilizer and battery maintainer.
The Cayenne is filthy from the trip, so get it washed before going to the Porsche dealer. As expected the engine light was nothing special, just a message that had been triggered by my leaving the gas cap loose and not cancelling when I tightened the cap. Dealer checked everything out, and refused to charge me anything even though I was not a customer. I did send a note to the general manager commending them.
This is a very quick turnaround trip. Get the Arizona cars properly stored for the summer- critical. Covid and the border closures meant that they stood for almost two years , and the results had not been pretty…leaking struts on the SL, permanently flatspotted tires, dead system, battery and a bunch of other stuff The Jeep had a failed thermostat and needed a new fuel tank due to some off-road damage. About $15k had been spent to fix all of that in December, so was just a question of tire cradles, fuel stabilizer and battery maintainer.
The Cayenne is filthy from the trip, so get it washed before going to the Porsche dealer. As expected the engine light was nothing special, just a message that had been triggered by my leaving the gas cap loose and not cancelling when I tightened the cap. Dealer checked everything out, and refused to charge me anything even though I was not a customer. I did send a note to the general manager commending them.
Even regular used car prices here are crazy and the dealers are marking up new car prices by huge amounts. I had been thinking about upgrading the Jeep which is not rare or exotic when the dealer told me there would be a $10,000 shortage charge.
What shortage?
“Well, we cannot get as many as we want”. So?
“We just add a shortage charge…that’’s the way it works”
I stick with the old Jeep.
On the way back the time zones runs against us so so we lose two hours instead of gaining two ; Best thing to do is to allow an extra night.
Running across NM again it is clear and sunny though the low sunrise is fairly blinding. The red rocks so distinctive in NM will disappear and we head into the Panhandle. Traffic is very, very quick in this part of the world so I and settle into 160-170 with some traffic around me . Of course there is enforcement so care needs to be taken.
Running across NM again it is clear and sunny though the low sunrise is fairly blinding. The red rocks so distinctive in NM will disappear and we head into the Panhandle. Traffic is very, very quick in this part of the world so I and settle into 160-170 with some traffic around me . Of course there is enforcement so care needs to be taken.
Target Amarillo TX for the night in a dog-friendly place. On the way in I stop to see something I have always meant to check out.
The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo is famous…cars buried in the sand, many visitors and I have been there often.
a couple of my old pics here:
However, an enterprising RV camp owner got a few Cadillacs of his own and set up and additional display down the road.
The cowboy has an insignia on him..second Amendment Cowboy. People take the right to bear arms seriously in Texas.
a couple of my old pics here:
However, an enterprising RV camp owner got a few Cadillacs of his own and set up and additional display down the road.
The cowboy has an insignia on him..second Amendment Cowboy. People take the right to bear arms seriously in Texas.
More generally the highway roadsigns at times are interesting. Many Trump signs, no Biden signs.
Lots of religious signs. On four occasions on the way back I see big displays:
“Shackled by Lust?,,Jesus frees”
Also, injury lawyers are big business and instead of advertising by name like “John Smith , Attorney” the huge billboards have their own brands :
“Injured?”..Call the Hammer, call the Wolf Pack, Call the Big Rig Lawyers, call 1-800-BIKEMAN )for bikers of course.
In Amarillo I see a huge billboard saying:
IMPERIALIST BIDEN AND TRUDEAU
From the Association of Libertarian Truckers.
Nobody on Texas had ever heard of Justin Trudeau, but his worldwide profile was hugely elevated by the freedom convoys……..even in Texas.
Might have been my favourite sign.
When I first drove the Panhandle years ago I was impressed by its total emptiness…just tumbleweed and the endless unceasing wind. Since the thousands of windmills have been installed and it completely changes the landscape.
I notice the beginning of a windmill scrapyard and wonder how this will develop. They are totally unrecyclable.
Coming out of Amarillo next morning the highway is empty so I run fairly hard. In the morning light I see a small SUV ahead and I just can’t make him so I slow down and close on him gradually. This I see the very low profile lightbar. He knows I made him and suddenly hits all the lights at once…major display. Message received, I pull back and follow him well behind until he leaves ten miles later.
I have tried to schedule to avoid weather and on the way back it works. Looks a but unsettled in Oklahoma but I make St Louis for the night. Head tor Michigan next day. I find Indiana and Ohio depressingly lifeless and running on state road 23 for endless miles of light industry is not exciting. I see a cruiser spot me at the Indiana border and he pulls out and follows me for 15 miles, but I had seen him before he saw me.
I will take a different route next time.
I have tried to schedule to avoid weather and on the way back it works. Looks a but unsettled in Oklahoma but I make St Louis for the night. Head tor Michigan next day. I find Indiana and Ohio depressingly lifeless and running on state road 23 for endless miles of light industry is not exciting. I see a cruiser spot me at the Indiana border and he pulls out and follows me for 15 miles, but I had seen him before he saw me.
I will take a different route next time.
FInal morning is short….just head across from Port Huron into Canada. Seems like a happening place based on the billboards….I see that Jowett Cremation is offering a deal at $995 a pop; not sure is box is included. Next billboard is for a “world renowned grief and loss speaker”. I love billboards.
I do not stop.
I do not stop.
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