Driving Woodbridge (VA) To Minneapolis (Mn) -1120 Miles (1800 Kms)


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Alright guys i am back again with another trip and one more addition to my Road Trip Saga[:)]. So i am going back to Minneapolis tomorrow as i got a new job there. I will be driving just by myself and most probably start around 10 in the morning tomorrow. Only stops that i am going to make will be for gas (fuel) and they are probably 15 mins or so, besides that i usually don't make any stops until it's necessary like nature's call[;)].

So i got my Civic checked today everything was fine except the front brakes, so i got the front rotor's and pad's changed which costed me $280 actually it was $340 but i had a coupon for $60 :-), so saved a good amount of money. Besides that the oil meter shows 70%, so will add some oil and will get the car service when i reach Minneapolis.

Will try to take as many pictures as possible since i'll be driving alone, so can't promise a lot of pictures like my other threads. Hope for the best.

Trip Details:

Car: 06 Honda Civic
Distance: 1120 miles (1800 kms)
Route: Route Map attached below.

FYI:
VA= Virginia
MN= Minnesota
1 Mile = 1.6 kms
1 Gallon = 3.78 liters

Will be using these terms in my travelogue, so thought of putting this info as it will be useful for readers.
 

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@Singh:
Wow,that's one hell of a mind blowing trip.And doing it alone will be even more joyful.Eh,I just can't forget my first long distance trip.
It was done some three years back and we did Meerut-Khadakwasla(NDA-Pune)-Meerut in my Innova just to leave my friend there in NDA.while returning I drove myself for complete 15 hours continuously(only stops were made for fuel) and everyone was sleeping in the car.It was a very blissful experience.

In fact these experiences can't be bound in words..it's like very low volume music breaking the silence of cabin(ignoring the engine noise) and you are busy pressing on gas with your car slowly slowly catching towards horizon.When you open the windows a bit then the wind passes through your hairs and amazingly,these times you don't feel tired.
BUT once you reach home..you are found shouting "I am tired,get me tea,I wanna sleep,I won't do any more works,I won't drive any more etc etc".[;)]
 
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@Singh:
Wow,that's one hell of a mind blowing trip.And doing it alone will be even more joyful.Eh,I just can't forget my first long distance trip.
It was done some three years back and we did Meerut-Khadakwasla(NDA-Pune)-Meerut in my Innova just to leave my friend there in NDA.while returning I drove myself for complete 15 hours continuously(only stops were made for fuel) and everyone was sleeping in the car.It was a very blissful experience.
Yes it is fun to go on these trips and especially driving here in US is just awesome.

And as a matter of fact my first long trip in India was Delhi - Pune - Delhi - Moradabad. And i did it with my dad in 800.

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...travelogue-driving-maruti-800-delhi-pune.html


In fact these experiences can't be bound in words..it's like very low volume music breaking the silence of cabin(ignoring the engine noise) and you are busy pressing on gas with your car slowly slowly catching towards horizon.When you open the windows a bit then the wind passes through your hairs and amazingly,these times you don't feel tired.
BUT once you reach home..you are found shouting "I am tired,get me tea,I wanna sleep,I won't do any more works,I won't drive any more etc etc".[;)]
Hahaha that's so true buddy.

+100 to that.
 
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Quick update: reached Minneapolis safe and sound, the drive was wonderful and great. Just need to get a good sleep and then will post the travelogue and the pics[:)]

Managed to take some good pics while driving.
 
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Leave the pics,tell me what was the top and average speed?
Well to be precise it took me exactly 17 and half hours to reach Minneapolis and out of that my total stop time was 2 hours and 10 minutes[:)] and when I reached here my odo shows 1149 miles.

So if I take out my stop time than my average speed comes around 74 mph (118 kmph) and my top speed was 92 mph (147 kmph).
 
Thread Starter #7
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Well guys finally I am here with my pending travelogue and some nice pictures. Took a nice long sleep and then was got busy with the new job and had to compress all the pictures, so got bit delayed in posting the pics.

Total Fuel: $ 122
Total Toll: $50
FE: Around 40 mpg (17 kmpl)
Total Time: 17 hours and 30 minutes (rounded off)
Driving Time: 15 hours
Avg. Speed: 74 mph (118 kmph)
Top Speed: 92 mph (147 Kmph)

So initially I was thinking to leave by 10 am but due to some important work my departure time got delayed and I left by 2:00 PM. Weather was pretty good, sunny and clear skies and I did my homework by checking the weather all the way to Minneapolis which was pretty good, NO rain (this is what screws the most).

The roads were really good and I did get some traffic when I left but it was not bad. Now guys the best part of this trip was driving in Pennsylvania, it is just amazing and beautiful. The view, greenery, mountains, road everything was just perfect for a road trip. You can see it yourself in the pics. Just hit the highway and keep following it for about 180-200 miles. The route was pretty simple you just have to take one highway and then it keeps changing into another one as you keep crossing the states or just take the exit and you will be on another highway (They are called Interstate highways. That’s why the highway names are like I80, I70, I90 etc and if you are going west than I70W and if east than I70E, same thing while going north and south).

So after leaving Woodbridge I stopped for gas after driving for 30 minutes and top up my tank and took my first stop somewhere in Pennsylvania as I was feeling bit hungry. Was a small 10 minute break and I was back on the highway and took my next stop at Ohio and so far I had covered 402 miles (643 kms) and I did that in almost 6 hours. Well I did take the civic upto 92 mph (147 kmph) I could take it further but I didn’t as I was already 22 mph over the speed limit[;)] which I know was not good. Not from the safety purpose as the highway was empty and straight but COPS. So didn’t wanted to get a ticket.[:D]

After a 20-25 min break I was again on the highway and my next stop was Hampshire (IL) which was approximately 370 miles (600 Kms). And I took a good 30-35 minute break there, took gas and relaxed a bit. I cleaned all the windows of my car at the gas station so that the visibility remains good as it was night. So after 30 minutes I was again back on the highway and from here it was a pain to drive as there was a lot of road work hence the speed limit was 40-45-50 mph and you have to be very careful at these patches since there are always cops hiding somewhere and if you are speeding in a work zone you get a BIG ticket. And if someone hits a worker the fine is $10,000 and jail. So it gets kind of tiring and boring to drive there and on top of that they had so many toll booths. So after driving for a while I took another stop around 4-4:30 am. I took a coffee and washed my face with cold water as my eyes were burning a bit which was good after I washed my face.

Well around 7:30 am I was in Minneapolis and had done another 343 miles (548 kms) and was all tired and wanted to go to sleep BUT just thought of checking TAI. hahha and I saw Raja’s post regarding the Strome (where he went to see it) so obviously my sleep had to wait for a while until I read his review.

So overall it was a nice and beautiful trip and boring at some places after crossing Chicago where I encountered a lot of road work and toll booths. But finally by the grace of god I reached safely without a scratch on me or my car.

And now enjoy the pics guys.
 

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