I-10 Coast to Coast caravan to Sevenstock 10
 

I have seen a few people here and on the RX8 forum who are considering caravanning from Florida, Texas and beyond to Sevenstock this year. If your interested in making the best road trip of the year then let us know so we can all get organized. I was privledged to have been a part of the Sevenstock 5 Coast to Coast caravan and it was a blast and I made several new freinds that week.

What are you waiting for let's get this thing going, I have also posted this thread on the RX8 forum to get interest going over there too...

See ya in September!
Keith

Definately 100%, without a doubt in. My best friend may be bailing on me but as long as the car is done, I am driving her out! Otherwise flying. In southwest CT and would gladly hookup with guys from the city.

Great idea for a thread :icon_tup:

Dr. Killjoy and I have been talking about this at our local meetings, If we get enough interest we will look into hotel deals and such....we went out last year and had a blast (my first ss). We flew out and REALLY wished we had our sevens...I am trying to get my friend Ruben to come out (he is a lexus tech, but has done a lot with me on my seven) to help with brake down issues along the way, we also have some other VERY knowledgeable members of the local club that might go along...

We could make this an amazing trip!!!! I will be driving out to LA for my job in July (don't ask why I am driving) so I can scope out hotels, rest stops, scenic stuff, etc...

If you are interested or have any ideas about an I-10 coast-to-coast let us know!!! I am thinking we may do shirts and all!!!

We had shirts for the SS5 caravan... maybe we can just get them updated... :D


Damn your in CT and going to drive... I salute you!! Not sure if coming down I-10 is your best route.. we might look into meeting you in El Paso to you can take I-20.

That would be sweet. I don't think many from my neck of the woods would be down for drivin but I am. I gotta stare at a map. The last time I did a cruise of such length it was north out, drop down the rockies and take the southern route back. I'd imaging alot of the Vegas and AZ guys would be down though. Lemme give the route some thought.... thanks for the salute though!!

I consider t!tty-bars scenic and wouldn't mind a break in every state :rlaugh:

Yeah there is a big I-15 (i think) caravan down from Las Vegas as well as a Friday morning caravan from Phoenix. So whatever route you go keep that in mind.

From Houston you can get to Las Cruces, NM and from Las Cruces you can get to Phoenix easily or you can drive on another 5 hours or so you can make L.A. in two days.

Estimates from Google:
Houston to Las Cruces: 790 mi (about 10 hours 56 mins)

Option 1:
Las Cruces to Phoenix: 390 mi (about 5 hours 35 mins)
Phoenix to Irvine: 358 mi (about 5 hours 20 mins)

Option 2:
Las Cruces to Irvine: 748 mi (about 10 hours 55 mins)

Personally, I'd like to try an enjoy some desert backroads and take some scenic routes on Thursday and join up with the Phoenix folks on Friday morning.

Keith, I agree....Me and you need to sit down and layout a route, talk the other groups (like the phoenix group) and start working some of this out...I am getting really excited.

I Agree with you guys 100% Scenic (backroads) route is cool. Niche (yes niche or cultural maybe) restaurants and nuddy-bars are great.

Looked @ a map, there are a bunch of ways to go. 95 - 20 is the most direct although I know 95 all to well... just about every mile of it infact. I'm a bit of a salt so taking the coastal route appeals to me. There are alot of really different routes I can take to meet up with you guys in Texas. Houston is a lil out of the way though :rlaugh: but 20 takes me through Dallas (can finally shake Ari's hand after like 8 years) I guess my ultimate route will depend if I am mtg anyguys in between CT and TX. So anyone in anystate between TX & CT wanna caravan out?

Btw - I'm gathering DrKillJoy = Keith

not sure about TeamFuel

I'm Brian, 5'11 ex Hockey player who enjoys sitting on the beach with my wife. I used to like the walks but surgery didn't help the knee. Thankfully I can still work a clutch.

Looking forward to this.... need to finish the car though first. Good thing I got 3 months.

Nice to meet you Brian, my name is Clay. And yes the good Dr. is Keith...he's a great guy, he runs our houston rx-club (check out the website www.houstonrx7club.com).

If you come down I-20 it meets up with I-10 just a bit south east of El Paso, I think we will probably make our over night stay in Las Cruces, NM which isn't to far from there.

Nice to meet you Clay.

Sounds great. I'm getting really excited. I even have a back-up co-pilot. My wife said if my best friend doesn't make it, she'll gladly go as opposed to flying out.

I'll definately check that out.

I should mention..... I stripped out the A/C in favor or better heat exchanging of boost, coolant & oil, & I have a black interior. Can we run the desert @ night? :rlaugh: but seriously, I haven't been out there in a long time (AZ/NV) so I have no idea what it'll be like in late Sept.......

EDIT: as giddy as a school girl. while the interior is out... should I plan a lil CB action when it goes back in?

I will be driving out from Jacksonville, FL. I-10 all the way. If possible, update this thread when the time gets more near and an exact date is chosen. That way, i know how to plan the logistics so i can meet up with yall as you depart on the TX leg of I-10.

Looks like the train is picking up some steam!!

Question I have to ask myself is do I take the Turbo II Convertible or the Ported N/A Coupe

Decisions decisions.

Everyone,

I'm willing to take on the Caravan Tshirt project again. Just let me know.

Wooooohoooo!!! This is getting good.

You should take the turbo II vert, bc you know once you are in Arizona you'll wanna roll with the top down for the scenery :bigok:

Sweet. Keep it posted, this will be my first sevenstock, so i'd love to have a shirt or something to commemorate :boink:

So whoe's rolling out there in the SUV carrying all the spare parts, the rebuild kit, cherry picker and a car transport? :rofl:

If it's not already been done, I think I'm going to start a thread in the NE section.

I put announcements in the SE, South and West forums make sure to link back to this thread. :D

Done & done. :D I have a sneaking suspecion the attendance from the NE will be a lil' on the light side :rlaugh:

I saw this car at Sevenstock 5:

http://www.houstonrx8club.com/events...haul_award.jpg

If I don't ship my FD out west by late summer, I'll be very interested in this. I want to bring all my spare wheels, tools, cherry picker, etc. out west, so I might actually be trailering it.

Here is a recommended checklist everyone can use for equipping their car. This is the list we brainstormed for every car on the caravan to have back on the 2002 caravan.

Give the car a FULL inspection. Look at everything that moves and replace or repair anything that's suspicious.

Change the oil
Change the plugs
Inspect or replace plug wires
Inspect your brakes and change fluid
Inspect clutch hydraulics and change fluid
Flush the cooling system and use Water Wetter and antifreeze
Replace thermostat with genuine MAZDA thermostat and inspect your filler cap
Check all hoses under the hood for dry rot or softening
Inspect or replace all accessory belts
Replace fuel filter if not new
Check all electrical connectors and clean if necessary
Inspect and test battery and battery cables and terminals
Have your A/C system inspected and checked for proper pressure
Change transmission and differential fluids. Use Redline or Royal Purple to refill.
Inspect all tires including the spare for pressure and tread depth
Check your jack and tire changing equipment
Have your alignment checked. Replace any out of spec items.
Balance your wheels
Check all of your lights for burned out bulbs

Below is a list of items to take with you on the caravan itself

2 Gallon jugs of water
Small cooler with soft drinks and water
Set of tools including: screwdrivers, pliers, electrical tape, wrenches and sockets (most common sizes: 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, spark plug socket)
Two extra quarts of oil
Small fire extinguisher
Spare radiator cap
Brake fluid
Road Atlas
Spare spark plugs
Jumper cables
Motorola Talkabout Radio and extra batteries
GPS unit
Radar detector
Hand cleaner and shop towels
Haynes manual for your car
Extra fuses

don't forget us
 

Whoa, what about the Midwest?

Your best bet from Chicago is I-80 to I-70 to I-15 (you can then hookup with the Las Vegas caravan) and head in to Irvine. This route is estimated at 2,013 miles and 29 hours from Chicago.

.... or you can take I-55 to I-44 to I-20 to I-10 and meet us in El Paso and join us from there. This route would be estimated for you at 2301 miles and 34 hours and 15 mins. (Chicago to El Paso = 1514 miles, El Paso to Irvine = 787 miles)

...and yet a third way (and out of the way) you could adventure is to drive from Chicago to Houston (1,083 miles) and then drive to Irvine with us from there (1,532 miles) a grand total of 2615 miles.

Whaddya think?

Hey Clay i'm thinking we need to have a car wash or something to help raise (fuel) funds. I wonder if we could do something like that.... maybe hire ourselves out as mechanic monkeys for a day or something.

I prefer Man-Whore :rlaugh:

This is great!!! seems to be picking up some steam.

I charted out a route that would add 216 miles to the trip through some pretty wicked desert and mountain roads.... I'll map it out online and share soon we would vist places such as Truth or Consequences, NM and travel down the notorious US Highway 666 !!!

Airlift
 

I'm going to see if I can hitch a ride on an Airforce C130 cargo plane, maybe we could airdrop over Houston. I can catch up with you then... Yeah I don't know if I can swing that far south.

this is deffinately looking sweet, if i drive i will join you guys for sure!!

wow, you guys are amazing. sounds like lots of fun :)

Dregg, we should hook up if sc = South Carolina. That would probably be one of my routes from CT thru SC to meet up with these guys in TX. Depending on where in SC you are it would be a good days drive to get there. I think Charleston (where we have family) is about 16 hours.

yes SC is south carolina, and im in greenville/spartanburg

Shit yeah!! Last day is on my birthday (9-23). Unless something major comes up I'm gonna be going this year.
I normally hate following people, but I think I can make an exception for this.

Following... heck I thought we could make you our rabbit!!

With this group you will not hate following! We (houstonr7club) have some of the best scenic drives, stuff of legends!!!! I will be wonderful!

Keith, I was thinking we could hit up some sponsors (different vendors and such) to supply backup parts like belts, alternators, etc. We could put their names on the shirts and advertises for them on the houston site and other local sites, maybe even score some gas money! I will call ya this week and we can meet up and get some of this nailed down so these other guys can start making their plans.

Clay

I dont want to drive my FD to CA, but i am willing to ride/pay for fuel to go.

I would be a great asset in fixing the broken cars on the way, ask keith what i can do under pressure.

So if anyone will have a extra seat i can fill let me no

I'm starting to think that with the amount of people going, we might be able to get some discounts on hotels. How many people are Definately going, maybe going, or going assuming thier car is done? I do like the idea of hitting sponsors up for gas $$, I'll put someones name on the back for cash.

Dr. Killjoy, I bought a set of street wheels and a few misc things for the FD, just so i can stretch the FD's legs in Arizona and the backside of TX when we get there, instead of leaving the track car on the trailor the entire time.

So since i spent money on street wheels and the likes, you know i'm in 100%. Look forward to meeting you there.

My Best friend officially backed out. Good reason though, he's getting married in the beginning of June and has already taken more than his alotted time off so he's out. I think my wife may go, but a better idea would be for her to flyout to Scottsdale AZ to spend afew days with her aunt she hasn't seen in 12 years, I'll pick her up there and do the last leg with her.

Is there a prescribed or tetative route that is being planned?

I'd like to stress now that my route from CT has just gotten alot more open to suggestions.

wish i could give more input, but i'm coming from fl, so it's i-10 all the way. i'm just trying to coordinate so i meet up with the tx people as they are getting on i-10.

That sounds cool. I really want to hook up with these Texas guys before AZ. I just Mapquested Scottsdale to see what highways etc pass through..... I-10 is right there. Almost Fate. MapQuest says about 30 hours to where I-20 & I-10 meet in Texas. There are so many options for my route that I think will really depend on who else is joining the caravan.

Keith, Clay - where are you guys thinking about heading out from and how many days do you expect it to take?

So Dregg, how serious are you about joining up and how many hours/miles per day are you down for. RX7 Nut.... I may have an open seat till Scottsdale but I got Corbeau's in an FC. I'm 5'11 and can barely fit in the passenger side.

-Brian

Haha...you are NOT going to want to drive with the top down in AZ in September...it'll still be well over 100 out here by that time. I know a bunch of us will leave Thursday evening to avoid driving in the heat, but there is always a group Friday morning that goes as well. In the end, your call, but keep in mind that extra month earlier is really quite a bit warmer out here still. It's rarely under 100 until October.

Dude, we need to chat.... I mentioned running the desert @ night. I stripped out the AC and the interior is 100% black. I think we need to start working backwards from when we all want to roll into Irvine and start setting up meeting places and time frames. I am one for running the desert in a pack at night though. 5-6 hours from Scottsdale to Irvine it looks like. So leaving wicked early Saturday morning seems logical.

-B

We will be heading out from houston (west side). Keith and I will be meeting up soon to look at the route...

Someone else asked about time of departure, how many days, etc. we will probably leave the Houston area on Wednesday, Sept 19th drive to Las Cruces. Thursday will be Las Cruses to Phoenix Friday will be with the Pheonix guys all the way into LA for ss10. (Keith- correct me if any of that seems out of place.)

Rx7nut, you may have my passenger seat!

Personally, my buddy and leave late Thursday afternoon/evening-ish usually between 3-7pm and get a good night's sleep that night. We haven't had any other takers the last couple of years because it's an extra night of hotel, but it's worth it in my opinion to not have to worry about overheating in the hot mohave desert :). We usually roll into Irvine between 11pm to 1am.

The nighttime driving has pros and cons neither Clay or myself have A/C and both have black on black FC's so I feel you in that regard.

As far as rolling into Irvine on Saturday morning that doesn't work very well for me.. I need time to wash down 1500 miles of bugs and dirt before taking her to the biggest car show she will ever see!

Although, I trully understand your interest in the night runs, but I'm not sure that will work for me. (Note: My S.O. is flying in to Orange County Airport on Friday night, which is another reason I need to get to Irvine on Friday afternoon).

I am in the same boat...no a/c black on black...I am all for doing the dessert at night as well....may even shorten the whole thing a day too!!!

You beat me to it....It was nice being there friday night last year and getting some sleep before the big day!!! When do you want to meet up to discuss all this, keith?

FYI: I did the drive through the desert in 2002 and was in a full upper body brace.. it's not that hot (compared to normal driving in Houston) if you keep moving :P Average temps for Phoenix (halfway throug the desert) in September are low 74° and a high of 97°. Like I said only a few (5-10) degrees higher than home. Another concern is if there IS a vehicle failure it will be the middle of the night, roadside repairs may be hampered and there most likely will be few auto parts stores around to help.

Basic driving distances to consider are:
Day one : Houston to Las Cruces - 10-11 hrs

Day two: Las Cruces to Phoenix - 5-6 hrs
or Day two: Las Cruces to LA - 10-11 hrs

Nighttime or daytime those are the variables to consider.


We can hookup anythime.. or just rap about it online... BTW - we missed ya on Saturday.