rolly Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 We just completed our big road trip. We left Windsor, Ontario at 6: a.m.May 26th and returned at 12.10 a.m. June 24th. We traveled through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota to get to Winnipeg, Manitoba to visit family. Arrived in Winnipeg on May 28th and left to go to the U.S. rest of our trip on June 4th. Drove through North Dakota and South Dakota and headed to Scots Bluff Nebraska to visit friends. Arrived in Scots Bluff on the evening of June 5th and left on June 8th. On our next leg of our trip (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah) we saw Mount Rushmore, the Little Big Horn, Yellowstone ( Old Faithful) National Park, Bonneville Salt Flats and on to Reno Nevada. Got the oil changed on the Journey in Reno and then on to San Fransisco for two days. In Windsor everything is as flat as a table top- not so in San Fran and it's a little unnerving at first. I think my wife had her eyes closed most of the time. Left San Fransisco and headed to the Sequoia National Forest (elevation over 13,000 feet.). Just magnificent! I knew they were big, but you have to see them up close to believe it. The trees were so big, we lost the signal for our Sirius radio several times (the only time during our trip). After this we drove through L.A. to San Diego. The drive from L.A. to San Diego was supposed to be two hours- it took us five. I've never experienced such traffic. When they talk about the San Diego Zoo, they must be talking about traffic. Bumper to bumper and people weaving in and out over six lanes of traffic- too many near misses to count. I'll never complain about Toronto or Montreal traffic again. After San Diego we went back to L.A. for a couple of days. I actually found L.A. easy to navigate (GPS helped) once your on city streets. Left for Las Vegas for two days. Visited Area 51 - you can drive for a long time without seeing another vehicle- eerie! Toured Hoover Dam. Great engineering feat and the tour is much better organized than it was in 1976, the first time we visited. We left Vegas and traveled through Arizona to Roswell New Mexico. The entrance from Arizona to New Mexico is absolutely stunning. The most dramatic and beautiful transition of landscape I saw in the entire trip. After Roswell we headed home with an overnight stay in Tulsa. We left Tulsa on June 22nd and drove all the way home to Windsor. I shared the first part of my report to show you how many different driving conditions we experienced- roads, winds(especially Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma), rain (North and South Dakota) elevations and barren landscapes, to give you a better sense of what the Journey went through. How did it do? Let me just say it was everything I hoped it would be and then some. The seats were comfortable, ride was quiet, Navigation system worked flawlessly(spot on every time), the sound system with the player and Sirius radio were great and the U Connect was excellent. Just a great highway cruiser. My gas mileage was unbelievable. My best four days on the highway was 7.3 L/100 km or 32.2 mpg for 2,881.8 kilometres. My worst was 10.9L/100km or 21.5 mpg (combined city/highway). Driving through the mountains I got 10.7L/100km or 21.98 mpg. The drive from Roswell to Tulsa was 1,101.4 Kilometers against heavy winds and I averaged 9.5L/100km or 24.75 mpg. Leaving Tulsa for Windsor we drove 1,374 kilometers and averaged 7.8L/100 km or 30.15 mpg. The Journey must be broken in by now. To my fellow North Americans thank you for the hospitality and sharing your good humor, kindness, knowledge and the wonderful vistas of the U.S. it really gives you a better appreciation of what the pioneers had to endure when they set out to settle in such a vast expanse- with just rudimentary tools ( thank goodness for the GPS). Thank you to Dodge for producing such a fine machine for the first of many( God willing) roads trips! Rating for the Journey A+++. Total distance traveled- 13,654 kilometers or 8,484.20 miles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13DODGE Posted June 25, 2013 Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Amazing! Welcome back! That must have been one heck of a road trip... unbelievable mileage. Did you have a lot of downhill driving to get 7.3L/100KM?Hopefully warranty won't be a concern in the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 What a wonderful read; thank you! Really happy to hear how well your Journey performed. We're so happy with ours so far. Going camping with it July 5th, curious to see how it handles our pop-up camper. Not expecting any difficulty as our 300M tows it easily. Hershey trip two weeks after that. Distance won't be anything like your road trip but it will give me a sense of its capabilities. Nice to have a new car to travel in, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 Hey Rolly, nice to hear you say the entrance to NM from AZ was stunning. That's my back yard. I live in Gallup. Lots of Native American culture and lots of those red rocks. Beautiful!!! The wind in spring is a bear, though. Great mileage, btw. Glad you had a good trip. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleO7 Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 Wow, Rolly, that was some kind of trip. I absolutely love Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Northern California areas (as well as Washington and Oregon). I also agree with you on your hospitality that you encountered on your trip, whenever we have been in the US, we have always felt very welcome. I'm not surprised that the Journey did so well on the highway, gas mileage, comfort. The Journey really shows its stuff when on the highway. Nice to hear your GPS worked flawlessly, I'm jealous I'll be writing my one year review tomorrow. Glad you enjoyed yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 We just completed our big road trip. Total distance traveled- 13,654 kilometers or 8,484.20 miles! Thanks for your insight Rolly, very much appreciated. I did a 8000 kilometer/ 5000 mile when I first got my 2010 Journey and was very impressed. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted June 26, 2013 Report Share Posted June 26, 2013 We traveled through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota to get to Winnipeg, Manitoba to visit family. Arrived in Winnipeg on May 28th and left to go to the U.S. rest of our trip on June 4th. Drove through North Dakota and South Dakota and headed to Scots Bluff Nebraska to visit friends. Arrived in Scots Bluff on the evening of June 5th and left on June 8th. On our next leg of our trip (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah) we saw Mount Rushmore, the Little Big Horn, Yellowstone ( Old Faithful) National Park, Bonneville Salt Flats and on to Reno Nevada. As a pro photographer I am very jealous. i am sure you had numerous photo oppotinities. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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