I’ve driven across the country more times than I can remember, but the actual drive always seems like a blur.
If someone asks me, “How long did it take?”
My answer is usually something like, “I don’t know. A couple days?”
“No way!” I’m usually told. “It takes longer than that…”
So I decided to put it to the test and keep a log of my trip from Los Angeles, CA to Asheville, NC.
Note that I didn’t rush my way across the country. I wasn’t trying to set a record.
I rarely drove more than 5-10 mph over the speed limit because on a trip this long, it’s not worth having to look over my shoulder for cops the whole time.
However, I did try and minimize stops by combining gas, bathroom breaks, and food. This means that I filled up my gas tank while peeing on the cement and eating a sandwich.
haha j/k
What it actually means is that whenever I stopped for a bathroom break or food, I also filled up on gas, no matter how big or small the fill-up. That’s why you’ll see so many small gas bills on my trip log below.
Trip Log
Car: 2007 Ford Focus
Man: Adventure PAUL
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
8:15am – 0 miles – Pull out of my driveway
8:20am – .3 miles – Gas (4.65 gal x $4.058/gal = $22.95)
12:23pm – 272 miles – Gas (8.233 gal x $3.539/gal = $29.14)
Lunch ($3.47) – ate while driving
3:57pm – 512.3 miles – Gas (7.597 gal x $3.659/gal = $27.80)
5:12pm – 591.3 miles – Gas (2.753 gal x $3.699/gal = $10.18)
Snack ($1.49) – ate while driving
8:14pm – 809.6 miles – Gas (6.496 gal x $3.289/gal = $21.37)
10:17pm – 946.6 miles – Gas (4.013 gal x $3.359/gal = $13.48)
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
1:32am – 1170.9 miles – Rest Area (Nap)
5:18am – Back on road
5:41am – 1182.0 miles – Gas (6.701 gal x $3.359/gal = $22.51)
7:39am – 1304.8 miles – Gas (3.621 gal x $3.369/gal = $12.20)
7:48am – Breakfast ($4.93) – ate in restaurant
8:02am – Back on road after breakfast
12:00pm – 1573.6 miles – Gas (8.941 gal x $3.339/gal = $29.85)
Lunch ($3.47) – ate while driving
2:10pm – 1709.2 miles – Gas (4.016 gal x $3.359/gal = $13.49)
Snack ($3.95) – ate while driving
2:30pm – 1717.0 miles – Traffic Jam (construction)
3:40pm – Traffic Jam Over
7:38pm – 1996.1 miles – Gas (9.205 gal x $3.389/gal = $31.20)
7:44pm – 1996.7 miles – Dinner ($17.73) – ate in restaurant
8:28pm – Back on road
9:18pm – 2047.9 miles – Rest Stop (nap)
Thursday, May 29, 2014
5:45am – Back on road
6:05am – 2068.4 miles – Gas (2.301 gal x $3.399/gal = $7.82)
6:10am – Breakfast ($5.58) – ate in restaurant
6:18am – Back on road
9:31am – 2273.4 miles – Arrive in Asheville NC
Final Gas: 6.846 gal x $3.599/gal = $24.64
Summary
Total Miles: 2273.4
Total Gallons: 75.373
Average $/gal: $3.49
Average mph: 30.16
