NJ to Tucson or Bust in my 38 Dodge

February 22 - March 9, 2018:

I have an early flight from Tucson, AZ to Newark, NJ with a short layover in Houston, Texas.  There are good travel days and there are travel days from hell, this qualified as a not so good one.  It started in the long security line when I had to return to the check-in counter as they didn’t give me a proper boarding pass.  After getting it straightened out at the check-in counter, the security line had doubled in length and by the time I made it though the process I had 5 minutes to get to my gate.  So, I ran half way there, luckily it wasn't far, arriving at the gate with 2 minutes to spare.  The flight left and arrived on time, all good and I then had a comfortable hour and a half to my next flight segment.  Due to weather conditions in Newark, the flight was then delayed for an hour which grew into two hours and finally three hours.  Finally, we are boarded onto the plane and almost immediately we are advised of an adittional delay.  At about this time, a young man in the seat in front of me starts acting weird, constantly ringing the flight attendant buzzer with silly needs.  Each time a different flight attendant shows and they keep asking him if anything was wrong and to please not use the call button except if it is an actual emergency.  He then promptly uses the call button again. All the passengers, including me are now getting nervous as this passenger seems to be somewhat irrational.  The flight crew didn’t take it lightly and a management person soon came onboard to inform him that he was being removed from the flight.  Luckily he didn’t get belligerent and went tamely off the plane to everyones relief.

Next, on arrival in Newark my cheap rental car company shuttle did not show up, no one answered the phone and with the office closing at 10 PM I ended up having to go to another rental agency for a car at a higher cost.   Yeah, cheap doesn’t always pay ? 

The purpose of this trip is visit my son and granddaughter in Hightstown, NJ, my former home, but with an added mission of getting my 38 Dodge out of storage and preparing it for the drive back to Tucson, Arizona. The weather was not cooperating in central New Jersey as it was cold, damp and rainy all weekend, terrible weather to get the Dodge out.   That’s the bad stuff, now for the good stuff; after sitting a full year the old Dodge starts right up and runs fine.  The rainy weekend also enabled me to spend most of the weekend with my son Jeremy and granddaughter Sierra.  We went to an indoor children’s amusement park, “iplay America” modeled after a Jersey shore boardwalk arcade with downsized rides for the kids that was big fun.  This seems like a training ground to prepare the kids for the serious grown up amusement rides.

The big Swing

On Monday the weather clears and I am able to get the Dodge out, change the oil and filter, change the antifreeze and install a fuel filter between the fuel pump and the carburetor.  I also install a 12V power receptacle to charge my phone and power a GPS unit and take the car for a test run.  Some of you may question why 12V, this car has been modified from its original 6 volt system to 12 for easier starting, brighter lights and the ability to use 12V technology, to charge a phone or a laptop.  The brakes are a little squeaky and not exactly stopping straight, but hopefully this will work out with some use, I hope ?
   

I also have a ton of spare parts in this rental garage that I have to move over into our second 5 X 10 rental space.  I sorted through my stash of parts for a few pieces to take with me in case of trouble, it helps psychologically.  Moving this stuff over enables me to vacate the larger garage space and save some money. Sometime later in the year, probably July, I will be returning to rent a truck, load all the remaining storage stuff and drive it all back to Tucson.  I’m not sure what to do with half of this stuff, much will have to be done away with or end up in yet another rental storage space in Tucson.  The two friendly women at Life Storage Rental are sad to see the old Dodge leave, they have always made a big fuss about it and they take several photos with the car when I finally do leave.

I added quite a lot of car parts after this photo

Mom's Diner outside Hightstown was once a popular
stop off exit 8 on the NJ Turnpike, no more

I am a little nervous, I must admit, because this vehicle has not been operated much in the past 5 years, sitting is very bad and my confidence level could be higher.  As a final check, I do a test run to Asbury Park as a final check out and all seems good and I decide to just go for it, no turning back.

What would Madame Marie say

The boardwalk in front of Convention Hall

The Beach, I do miss it

The Tunnel of Love at the Wonder Bar, I miss it too

An eyeful of a mural on the boardwalk

I head out into the unknown on March 1st on route 295 south into Delaware where I continue on route 95 south to the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland.  The fuel gauge is very erratic so I am going to have to make fuel stops based on milage and be careful to not forget.  Rain started near the Delaware state line making for a nasty drive.  A nor-easterner storm is moving in and the rain and wind is increasing hourly and after 167 miles I seek shelter on route 40 (Baltimore National Pike).  Secretly, I kind of wanted to revisit Fells Point, a favorite area of Baltimore from years ago when I worked in nearby Hunt Valley, Maryland.  So, by 8PM I am walking the streets of Fells Point again, in the rain, getting a slice of pizza at “Brick Oven Pizza” and then to the “Cats Eye Pub”.  The ride there in the dark and rain traveling across downtown Baltimore in traffic bouncing over rough streets unsure of which lane to travel in and with limited visibility was scary.  But the veteran band playing at the Cats Eye Pub, the “Charlie Owen Band” made it all worthwhile.  Fells Point has a magical look at night, especially in bad weather with the street lights illuminated off the cobblestone paved streets.

Heading over the Delaware Memorial Bridge into Delaware

Rainy cobblestone street view in Fells Point

The Cat's Eye Pub

The Charlie Owens Band

On day # 2 , March 2nd, I awake to the sound of the wind gusting outside, but when I open the blinds, I am more surprised by the blowing snow.  It was not sticking on the ground surfaces and road traffic appeared to be moving without delay.  I thought about staying put for the day, briefly, but decided instead to continue heading south where I expected the weather to improve. I took historic route 1 to evade the high wind, but it was painfully slow going with all the traffic lights.  The snow and rain did stop, it even became partly sunny, but the wind seemed to increase during the day.  I eventually left route 1 to get onto route 95 to make up time, but I continued to veer around tree branches on the road and even encounter a downed tree across my lane (which had just fallen), I crossed the center barrier into the opposing traffic lane to get around it just as a policeman was arriving on the scene.  All day the wind gusts were blowing the non-aerodynamic sedan body and pushing me around the road.  I’m now settling into the hum and feel of the machine, feeling more confident and ready to crank up the speed and daily mileage. I end up after 213 miles in Petersburg, Virginia where I find an interesting historic downtown with much civil war history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersburg,_Virginia

1933 reconstruction of George Washington's gristmill originally
built by his father in about 1830  

George Washington was a most successful business man
of his day who amassed a fortune

This site has been the location of a market since Civil War days, it has been rebuilt
several times over the years and is now a restaurant

Nice mural

Petersburg was a target due to its railroad connection

Many nice old structures remain in town

Beautiful structure undergoing restoration, it appears
to br the Court House

Old Customs House now used as City Hall

Day # 3, March 3rd, from Petersburg, Virginia to Columbia, South Carolina starts on route 95 south, in perfect weather, running a solid 50-60 MPH as I seriously need to pick up the pace.  I always thought my speedometer to be off by about 5 MPH low, but the GPS unit is indicating that I’m going 59 MPH when my speedometer reads 50.  This is good to know and the car feels comfortable at this speed.  I notice that at speeds over 60 MPH the car develops more vibration, but it varies considerably with the road surface.  The fuel gauge is still erratic so I just refuel about every 150 miles.  I have never checked fuel milage before, not a priority of mine, but by tracking fuel added and miles traveled at each stop, I found the car to average around 17 MPG.  I made a detour off route 20, taking routes 178 and 1, to the town of Batesburg, South Carolina  that I had once visited for a work assignment.  It’s a nice small town, sort of looks like “Mayberry” from the old Andy Griffin show.  At Florence, SC I leave route 95 for route 20 west to Columbia, SC for the night after 326 miles.  

I am already starting to tire of the passing motorists, thumbs up, horn taps, the cell phone photos and the excited car guys dashing over to look at the car every time I stop.  Realistically, what did I expect when I decided to drive an 80 year old car across the country ?

The "Big Mo" Drive-in Theater outside Batesburg 

They have lots of rules

Downtown Batesburg view

Day # 4, March 4th, is another good driving day on route 20 west into Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama.  I’m having a slight problem when restarting the engine after it has been shut off when hot after sitting for several minutes.  Fuel continues to drip into the carburetor causing the engine to flood with fuel making it hard to restart.  If left to sit for a long time it is not a problem as the fuel drip stops and evaporates.  I pull the manual hand throttle out when stopping to speed up the evaporation.  I am thinking the exposed fuel line near the exhaust manifold may be causing this condition and get pipe insulation to wrap it, it didn’t help at all and may have actually made it worse.

I left the highway a couple of times to take a parallel route for a more country flavor.  I stopped at a country store to use the facilities where the employees all ran outside to look at the car, a black woman there was asking questions about the car, I couldn’t understand much of what she was saying.  Communication can be a challendge in the deep south.  I’m then waiting at the register to pay for a snack while they are all outside looking and taking photos of the car.  The clerk then returns asking if he could buy it, what’s it worth ?

I also detoured into Eutaw, Alabama which has a very poor downtown area with a sad racial history.  The clan was very strong in this area. 

I stop for the night on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama after 347 miles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutaw,_Alabama

A road leading to Eutaw, Alabama

Eutaw, Alabama, Gateway to the Black Belt

It looks very poor here, but there are 27 antebellum 
structures on the National Register of Historic Places

I’ve now finalized my route for the balance of the trip, to my dismay I haven’t even reached the half way point yet.  At my present pace it will take another five days, or according to my “Maps” program 24 hours if I could drive non stop at 70 MPH.  I seem to remember a road trip back in 1967 with friends in which we drove almost non stop from California to New Jersey, the money was low, with four drivers taking turns making it back in about 3 days.

Day #5, March 5th, from Birmingham Alabama to Slidell, Louisiana.  The traffic congestion going through downtown during the morning rush hour was not good, but we survived it.  At Meridian, Mississippi I leave route 20 and continue southwest on route 59 to connect to routes 12 and 10 at Slidell, Louisiana.  At Slidel, my mind is telling me to drive the 30 miles into New Orleans to the Bourbon Street area, but my body wants rest.  I’m thinking about the extra travel miles, the parking situation after getting there, and possible things that might go wrong and do the sensible thing, stay at the hotel.  The next morning, well rested, I’m hating that decision, but I’ve been there a couple of previous times, it’s more of a tourist hype place than reality. Total miles for the day is 329 miles.

Welcome to Mississippi

   

Day # 6, March 6th, from Slidell, Louisiana to Baytown, Texas.  It was a rough start, it had rained heavily overnight and was continuing in the morning.  I delayed my start for about an hour, the main problem was the windows kept fogging up, visibility was horrible, I could barely see anything in the rear view mirrors, or the back window.  The car does have a heater with defroster tubes to the windshield, but they are not so effective.  Also the drivers side wiper blade was not  working well, although it sounds beautiful, nothing like the musical sound of vacuum wipers.  Once on the road heading west, luckily the rain soon stopped, the windows defogged, the clouds parted and the sun eventually came out.  I start on route 12 west which eventually becomes route 10 west and it is a rough, congested ride with heavy truck traffic, not an enjoyable ride.  It was also quite stressful going through Baton Rouge with the fast paced road traffic.  I had hoped to find a good cowboy bar to go to in Houston, but somehow after about 8 hours and 321 miles in the car, I’m exhausted and nothing is close to the hotel located in Baytown.  Houston is an area I would return to another time, I know there are good things to do and see there.

The visibility was not good

Going over a bridge over the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge

A stop for fuel in Grosse Tete,  Louisiana with beautiful
Live Oak Trees

 Day # 7, March 7th, from Baytown (outside Houston) to Sonora, Texas was another long ride across “miles and miles of Texas” on route 10.  I expected traffic issues getting across Houston but it was’t so bad.  The weather was clear and the car was running great as I progressed through the Texas hill country where the car had to labor more on the numerous hills.  I made a stop in San Antonio, Texas to visit the Alamo and walk around downtown for a few blocks.  The Alamo complex is a very popular tourist site and well done.  There is much to see and do in San Antonio, I would also like to return there with more time to explore.  I also thought about going to Austin for the night, but this would have added another day to the trip.  After leaving San Antonio I drove another long 177 miles to Sonora, Texas for a total of 370 miles for the day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo

The car is fine driving at speed in traffic on the highway 
as long as you drive defensibly

Arriving in downtown San Antonio

Post office building near the Alamo

Notable heroes like Davy Crocket are memoralized
here on this monument at the Alamo 

The Alamo

Lots of history here

Texas Ranger museum with a wonderful
Kress store in background 

The Majestic Theater

At Sonora, Texas I add a shoe polish sign to the trunk

Day # 8, March 8th from Sonora, Texas to El Paso, Texas was an overly exciting day continuing across route 10 west.  I stopped at a few small towns to look around, in particular Ozona, Fort Stockton, Van Horn, and then a fuel stop in Sierra Blanca which turned in to much more.

Sierra Blanca is a former railroad junction town, once prosperous, but since the 1950’s is in decline, the usual story.  After leaving the gas station, I pulled over to check under the hood and saw the distributor wobbling around on the side of the engine.  It was just sitting there, not bolted in, I don’t know how it stayed together on the road ? This distributor which I bought from a performance parts supplier has always been an issue. It is actually a Chevy S-10 electronic ignition distributor with a rather half-assed mounting plate adapting it to the Dodge flathead engine block.  I soon found that the spot welds on the distributor mounting plate had broken.  I then limped back to the gas station, with ty-raps holding the distributor down in place.  I needed a wrench to remove the plate, which I didn't have and there was no hardware or auto parts store in town, but the junk shop across the street had one.  A crowd of locals soon assembled to look at the car and when I said a welder was needed, they sprang into action and soon located a trailer guy less than a mile away you could do it.

One thing about an old car, if you have a problem, people will go to great lengths to help you.  So I followed  this couple, she was originally from New Jersey, to Boss Hawgs Enterprises.  Boss Hawg was quite a character, lived up to his name, he claimed to own half the town. He cleaned up the bracket, actually welding it excessively.  We had to file the opening to get the mount plate to fit back onto the distributor and the welding interfered with the original clamping action to adjust ignition timing.  In spite of that, it worked and I put it back together and it started right up, I think they were very surprised.  I felt like sitting around with Boss and his friend Eric and having a beer after all that, it was offered and by the looks of the 55 gallon drum in the shop filled with flattened beer cans, I expect that happens a lot !  But, since it was getting close to dark with nearly 90 miles to go I took off.

I ended up driving in the dark for the last hour into east El Paso, Texas.  The GPS did a great job of getting me to the hotel through the heavy traffic.  It was a total of 357 miles for the day.  

The biggest handicap with this car while driving in heavy traffic is the lack of visibility in the rear view mirrors.  I would not hazard this trip again without changing these mirrors for something better.  It was really scary changing lanes at times with the fast moving vehicles passing you on both sides  with limited rear visibility.  I noticed that some drivers tended to give me a break, (a little space) while others were totally oblivious to the fact that you can’t accelerate or decelerate and switch lanes in an 80 year old car, on a dime, like they can, or maybe they just don’t care ?  I was tired, parked the car, checked into the hotel  and walked to a very Mexican restaurant nearby. It was a tough day traveling a total of 357 miles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Horn,_Texas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Stockton,_Texas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozona,_Texas

This is ranch and oil country, saw lots of
trucks carrying pipe along route 10

Sheep on a side road outside Ozona, Texas

Interesting sign and town of Ozona

Davy Crockett staue in town, it says
"Be sure you are right, then go ahead",
Good advise !

The impressive  Ozone National Bank

Equally impressive road cut outside of Ozone

Photo Op in front of the Comanche Motel in Fort Stockton, Texas

I was taking this photo when an elderly woman pulled up
and told me her parents had a car just like this that she
fondly remembers riding in

View outside of Fort Stockton, Texas

   

I thought this sign appropriate in Van Horn, Texas

A modified 36 or 37 Plymouth in front of the Oasis RV Park

Is there really a John Madden Hall of Fame here
in Van Horn, Texas ?

RR Depot museum at Sierra Blanca, former junction
of the Southern Pacific and the Texas Pacific railroads

The State Theater in Sierra Blanca has seen better days

As has the Truck Stop

But, I was thankful that Boss Hawg Enterprises
was still in operation !

Day # 9, March 9th, (the final day) from El Paso, Texas to Tucson, Arizona has me a little nervous again.  I need to watch this distributor closely for a while to see if it is moving as the original clamp function is not exactly correct.  I’m relieved after a few checks to see no movement and get back up to speed again.  I go from the Texas hill country into New Mexico with increasing elevation and a more scenic, mountainous terrain and across the continental divide.  I’m now in territory where I have traveled several times before in the RV.  This is dust storm country with warning sign for miles and miles, it’s windy today, but luckily not that windy.  The police were out in force, they had about 10 tractor trailer rigs pulled over in a two mile stretch, it appeared to be a safety check campaign.  I crossed a border patrol checkpoint, the agent just asking questions about the car, I could have smuggled anything in.  I stopped in "Lordsburg" where I washed the car then in "Ft. Stockton", where I had a BBQ sandwich.  I then made a stop a few miles outside of town at the "Steins Ghost Town" site for a photo Op.  It was then back into Arizona, through the extremely scenic balanced rock formations of the Chiricahua National Monument area and into the Tucson city limits.  I called Twinkles to advise her of my expected arrival time at the campground to make sure I had a parking spot.  After 328 miles, I pull into the campsite where I find a “happy hour” gathering of about 20 people there to celebrate my arrival.  Everyone wants a photo, has a question or wants a ride, I just want a cold beer and to relax.

Why are they selling fireworks here in the parched dry
western desert country ?

I always marvel at this roadside art in Deming, New Mexico

Steins Ghost Town has been closed to the public for years

Back at the campground

This was a great adventure and a big success, no dents, no accidents, no tow trucks or major mechanical issues.  According to my odometer, I traveled 2,789 miles, but if I factor in the speedometer error it totals about 3,200 miles. 

It was a stressful and exhausting trip but I would do it again with a few modifications and at a slower pace, possibly even using campgrounds, I could easily sleep in that big back seat ! 

Happy Trails, Slick