USA2005 - An American Roadtrip

Mileage update after Day 16

2005-10-01T23:37:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 270 miles
Total mileage : 3280

Mileage update after Day 15

2005-09-30T23:35:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 0 miles
Total mileage : 3010 miles

Mileage update after Day 14

2005-09-29T23:33:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 420 miles
Total mileage : 3010 miles

Mileage update after Day 13

2005-09-28T23:28:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 310 miles
Total mileage : 2590 miles

Mileage update after Day 12

2005-09-27T23:26:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 380 miles
Total mileage : 2280 miles

Late arrival

2005-09-27T19:00:00.000Z

Well that was an eventful drive, although we didn't actually get that wet there were some serious thunderstorms in the area and it was obvious that there had been some pretty heavy rain earlier. At a number of points along the road red Moab mud had been washed out. It was dark, we were on 48R's and it was extremely slippy. I have alwys wanted an orange car though

Big thanks to Flyin Miata

2005-09-27T15:00:00.000Z

After lunch we along with Mike Biddle accompanied by Tom Jones and Mav took a trip to the workshops of Flyin Miata, me to replace the thermostat with the conventional one which had been sourced for me and Mike to get a hose fixing welded. The guys in the shop were extremely helpful and the job was done in no time, coolant refilled and bled and we were soon ready for the road again.

Lunch at the Sonic Drive In

2005-09-27T14:00:00.000Z

We had arranged for the group to meet at the Sonic Drive In at Grand Junction where, I was lead to believe, we would be served in our cars by babes on roller skates. This was not the case, there were no babes and we had to queue in the main building.

Heading West

2005-09-27T09:00:00.000Z

This morning we leave Vail and head west towards Moab descending from the Rockies into the distinctly red landscapes of Utah. We have an interesting convoy this morning including an original Lotus 7 and Mike Biddle in his Caterham 7 RST V8

Mileage update after Day 11

2005-09-26T23:24:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 0
Total mileage : 1900 miles

Rest Day in Vail

2005-09-26T10:00:00.000Z

Today is a rest day in Vail, and as we are staying at The Lodge it's all extremely pleasant. Jo is off with the girls for some pampering so I took a stroll around the town and came across some groovy sculpture

Mileage update after Day 10

2005-09-25T21:19:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 395 miles
Total mileage : 1900 miles

Ice cream in Salida

2005-09-25T16:00:00.000Z

On the final run to Vail, Tom persuaded us to take a detour to look at Salida, a quaint little town with some fantastic ice cream.

The Great Divide again

2005-09-25T15:30:00.000Z

Here we are on the Great Divide again, this time at Monarch Crest (Elev 11,312ft)

More high passes

2005-09-25T15:00:00.000Z

Since the lunch stop we have had some great, fast, sweeping roads, the last section up to this viewpoint was superb, no traffic, wide and twisting up the hillside. Just waiting for everyone else to catch up.

Lunch at the Poker Alice Restaurant

2005-09-25T14:00:00.000Z

We found the Poker Alice Restaurant in the next town and stopped for lunch, it was pretty busy both with our own group and groups of Harley riders. They were closing for the season the following day and I don't think they were expecting to be quite so busy. Good food, well reccommended.

Rocky Mountain Scenery

2005-09-25T13:00:00.000Z

Todays drive has been spectacular, fantastic scenery, fast flowing roads and great weather. We take a break to savour the view and whilst talking to some other tourists get a reccommendation for Poker Alice's Restaurant in the next town. Let's go eat

Crossing the Great Divide

2005-09-25T12:30:00.000Z

Here we are crossing the Great Divide at Spring Creek Pass (Elev 10,898ft)

Fantastic Autumn Colour

2005-09-25T12:00:00.000Z

The higher we climbed the more spectacular the autumn colour, when the tree plantations became almost solely Aspen the entire area was covered in a golden blaze set against the bright blue sky, really beautiful.

Tunnels......excellent

2005-09-25T11:00:00.000Z

If there is one thing a se7en driver cannot avoid it is put his foot on the loud pedal while going through a tunnel. Today provided plenty of opportunity with a series of tunnels as we climbed in altitude.

On the road to Vail

2005-09-25T09:00:00.000Z

Today we are aiming for Vail, Colorado. We should see a change in scenery today and by all acounts the Aspen colour should be spectacular, especially with the fine weather and blue skies.

Mileage update after Day 9

2005-09-24T23:51:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 5 miles
Total mileage : 1505 miles

Not much sightseeing

2005-09-24T16:59:00.000Z

We had been looking forward to Durango, initially we were going to take a trip on the Durango to Silvertown railway, however, when we realised the length of the trip we decided that it didn't sound so much fun, it was going to be a days round trip with a lot of that time spent on a train. Our second choice was to head out to Mesa Verde and the cliff dwellings. Unfortunately the trouble with the car put paid to that. So we had a wander around Durango instead.

Thermostats.......aaaaaaggggghhhhh!!!!

2005-09-24T15:59:00.000Z

So the car has been running at 90 degrees all week. I hooked up the laptop to check a few things and the peak coolant tell tale was at 118..........I then ran the engine up and found the stat wasn't opening under the control of the ecu. I presume it was opening mechanically at 100 (the rating for the duratec stat) which by the time it opened would equate to a coolant temp of approx 108 which would read as 118 on the Emerald as it seems to read about 10 degrees over. So I thought the stat was bust so spent the morning trying to locate a new one, the nearest one being a 60 mile drive away, got back with thew stat and decided to check wiring before draining the coolant. When we grounded the wire which goes to the ecu the stat opened. It turns out the ecu is not controlling the stat. I`m not sure how long this has been happening but I suspect it has been like that since the start of the tour.......yikes. There is a spare ecu on tour but we couldn't locate it today and it doesn't have a baro sensor fitted which is a problem given that we have 4 10000 ft passes to cross tomorrow. So in the end I have retained my ecu and wired the earth for the stat to a switch on the dash. I can allow the engine to warm up in the morning, then flick the switch to open the stat. I took it for a blat and it seems to stabilise at 60 degrees which is a little cool but it will have to do. I`ve asked some local guys to source me a Mazda 82 degree non electrical stat which I`ll stick in at GFrand Junction in a few days time where we have access to a workshop. All fun and games...................

Mileage update after Day 8

2005-09-23T23:49:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 210 miles
Total mileage : 1500 miles

Dinner at the local microbrewery

2005-09-23T21:00:00.000Z

Tonight we ate at Carver Brewing Co. Durango, a local microbrewery with a fine selection of ales on offer. It proved a popular spot with tourers and we bumped into quite a few over the course of the evening.

Travelling in convoy with Mav

2005-09-23T16:00:00.000Z

This afternoons drive was a fairly relaxed blat in convoy with Mav and a few others. No major dramas although my water temperature has been noticeably higher today, not dangerously so but enough to warrant some investigation tomorrow.

Group congregates for lunch

2005-09-23T13:00:00.000Z

The one good aspect about limited choice for lunch stops is that the group tends to congregate at one place so you get a chance to meet a few more of the tourers. Today we stopped at the High Country Restaurant.......unfortunately too late for the all u can eat breakfast buffet.

Mile after mile of open space

2005-09-23T11:00:00.000Z

Coming from the almost miniscule country of Northern Ireland it really is staggering to experience the vast expanse of America, it is quite possible to drive for miles without any sign of human habitation other than the road we are driving on. Every time you come over the crest of a hill the landscape extends before you with the road disappearing to the horizon.

Back on the road towards Durango

2005-09-23T09:00:00.000Z

Today sees us back on the road today. We will leave New Mexico behind and cross into Colorado where we begin our ascent into the Rocky Mountains. We have set off reasonably early so hopefully with a stop for lunch we should make Durango mid afternoon.

Mileage update after Day 7

2005-09-22T23:48:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 30 miles
Total mileage : 1290 miles

Dinner in the Shed

2005-09-22T21:00:00.000Z

When we got back to Santa Fe we started to look for somewhere to have dinner, when we stumbled upon "The Shed" we just had to go in. Anyone on blatchat will understand.

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-22T19:00:00.000Z

Stephen Davies and his wife Jenny in their WCM Ultralite with Honda S2000 power

A climb before dinner

2005-09-22T18:30:00.000Z

A few of us decided to head out in the cars this evening before dinner, we took a drive up the fantastic Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Drive which is a reasonably fast, constantly twisting, 3500ft climb. As it rises quite quickly it was easy to feel how the altitude was impacting on the horsepower, I'm certainly gld we have the baro sensor fitted to the ECU. As always we arrived a bit early for sunset but managed to find enough chat to keep us there to savour the moment.

Mike Biddle joins the party

2005-09-22T17:00:00.000Z

After some delays at customs Mike's Caterham with RST V8 engine turned up today. It's a car we all know about but for most of us it was the first time we had seen it in the flesh. The installation of the V8 bike engine is amazing, even the plumbing was immaculate. I look forward to hearing it and watching it disappear up the road in front of me.

Relaxing in Santa Fe

2005-09-22T16:30:00.000Z

Today we took a stroll around the town centre and helped a few people out with their repairs, well stood around and offered support. Santa Fe has a distinct character, in fact we have really enjoyed all of New Mexico for its distinctive character.

A day of fettling

2005-09-22T10:30:00.000Z

Woke up this morning, had a relaxed breakfast and strolled out into the carpark to find all manner of chaos, people fettling here there and everywhere, some much more serious than others. There were the usual issues with overheating and poor electrical connections but Steve Wiseman had encountered something slightly more serious. It seems he had picked up a batch of dodgy fuel yesterday which spells trouble in his cossie turbo. The poor fuel led to detonation and suspected damage to the head.......as you can see above though it wasn't going to stop him hitting the road tomorrow.

Mileage update after Day 6

2005-09-21T23:47:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 230 miles
Total mileage : 1260 miles

Final Stop - Hilton Santa Fe

2005-09-21T17:26:00.000Z

After a lazy lunch, a spot of sunbathing and a clamber round an old steam train we set off for Santa Fe. The drive in was fairly relaxed and when we reached the Hilton the carpark was already full of se7ens. We are on a 2 night stop again so tomorrow should be a fairly relaxing day.

Lunch at the Mine Shaft Tavern

2005-09-21T13:00:00.000Z

Todays lunch stop is in the sleepy village of Madrid in New Mexico. An old mining town there is very little going on but the place has lots of character. The tavern as you might expect is packed.

Morning Tea in Mountanair

2005-09-21T11:10:00.000Z

When you are in the middle of nowhere the two things you need to think extremely carefully about are fuel and food. The choice wasn't abundant but at least we found both in Mountainair. Here we are at the Firehouse Restaurant

Saved by a herd of llamas

2005-09-21T11:00:00.000Z

We had a fairly eventful drive this morning, long straight roads up on the plains with noone around. We were following JJ again and the pace was fast. On one long section we spotted Vinnie and Rob up ahead so we eased off and pulled in, they had found a group of llamas in a field. The llamas weren't the reason for the stop though, Rob had hit a cattle grid about 20m up the road and almost ripped his exhaust off..........the exact same cattle grid we would have pranged if the guys hadn't been stopped. Anyway we took the opportunity for a quick pitstop, and had a chat with the local farmer in his golf buggy.......only in America eh?

We're on the road to Santa Fe

2005-09-21T08:30:00.000Z

Back on the road today to move to our next port of call in Santa Fe. Yesterday provided a welcome break for many especially those who had some fettling to do. Not much to say, its a lovely morning, gentlemen start your engines.

Mileage update after Day 5

2005-09-20T23:41:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 120 miles
Total mileage : 1030 miles

And after the sunset........

2005-09-20T21:30:00.000Z

Given a wide expanse of open space, a good smooth surface and an audience, most self respecting se7eners find it extremely difficult to resist partaking in a bit of donuting...........as I had the rev limiter with me there was no way I was going to be allowed to have a go but at least I managed to capture a quick clip of the action. Enjoy.

The group shot

2005-09-20T21:20:00.000Z

When se7ens gather in numbers it is essential to get a group shot, I think this is going to be one of the best.

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-20T21:10:00.000Z

Johnty 'JJ' Lyons and his wife Liz Lyons in their Caterham 7 40th Anniversary Edition with 1900K

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-20T21:05:00.000Z

Andrew 'Vinnie' Barriskell and his wife Paula in their Caterham 7 VX

Sunset at White Sands National Park

2005-09-20T21:00:00.000Z

This evening a group of us decided to head out to White Sands National Park for sunset. Those who had gone during the day said it was spectacular but we were advised that it would be cooler in the evening. It was fantastic, white gypsum sand dunes as far as the eye could see and a stunning sunset

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-20T12:00:00.000Z

Tom Jones and his wife Mary Jo from California in their Caterham 7 with duratec power

Welcome to Ruidoso

2005-09-20T11:54:00.000Z

The local chamber of commerce welcomed the tour to Ruidoso with some information packs and this rather groovy announcement on their roadside sign. Everywhere has these signs........before the end of the tour we should have a game of countdown with them.

A rest day in Ruidoso

2005-09-20T10:00:00.000Z

Today is a rest day, well for most of us, there seems to be quite a lot of fettling in the carpark. Frank Martin had an eventful day yesterday when he struck a huge spanner in the middle of the road. Believed to have fallen off an oil field workers pickup it did a fine job of trashing a k series sump. So stranded in the middle of nowhere what was the solution? From reports some of our American touring friends were somewhat astonished when a fellow UK tourer whipped a spare sump pan out of his boot. Unbelieveably they had also rolled to a halt opposite on of the few buildings out there and a quick rumagae around found a pair of vehicle ramps to improve access. A few gallons of oil from another tourer and they were back on the road. Sadly the sump pan bung was loose and eventually fell out, disposing of the oil and causing the engine to seize. By this point most would have given up, not tour se7en, the guys as we speak are installing the spare k series engine into Franks car.

Mileage update after Day 4

2005-09-19T23:37:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 300 miles
Total mileage : 910 miles

First to the hotel

2005-09-19T16:00:00.000Z

Our early start and committed driving style have gotten us to the hotel first today.......well JJ would have been first if he hadn't driven past it. Plenty of time to get cleaned up and go for a late lunch.

Having fun with the locals

2005-09-19T15:00:00.000Z

Ruidoso and some interesting scenery at last. The run down into Ruidoso was fantastic, flowing well surfaced roads with no traffic. On the final stretch jj and I came across a biker on a Harley. jj matched him for speed, every time the biker sped up, jj did the same. When the biker had no more left, jj wound the se7en up and left him sitting. I watched from behind then gunned it past the biker............he was hunched over the tank, head behind the wind deflector trying to wring every last ounce out of the Harley.......not enough to compete with a se7en though.

Mile after mile of oil fields

2005-09-19T12:00:00.000Z

It`s quite amazing to think that you can drive across an area equivalent in size to Northern Ireland and see nothing but oil fields. You can actually smell the oil / gas in the air.........no smoking please

Have you seen the size of these trucks

2005-09-19T11:00:00.000Z

The trucks out here are massive. You know when you see cars driving underneath trucks in the movies, well we could have done no problem whatsoever.

Plenty of others on the road

2005-09-19T10:00:00.000Z

We're not the only ones out early this morning, as we drive along we keep bumping into other groups of tourers.

Sunrise blat

2005-09-19T09:45:00.000Z

Another early start out of Midland, in fact it was still dark when we left along with JJ. As we headed west the sun rose behind us. Todays blat will take us across vast plains and oil fields with mile after mile of straight road so to get a good few miles under our built before it gets hot will be worthwhile.

Mileage update after Day 3

2005-09-18T21:56:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 350 miles
Total mileage : 610 miles

nise7ens blat to Midland

2005-09-18T20:35:00.000Z

After San Angelo we had a fairly hot blat with our fellow nise7ens tourers, Johnty and Liz, to Midland. We did make numerous pitstops at Town and Country service stations to make use of the free refill offer for our new drinks containers which were handed out at San Angelo.

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-18T15:50:00.000Z

Mike Jakes from england in his Caterham 7

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-18T15:45:00.000Z

Mitch Leben from the USA in his Birkin S3

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-18T15:40:00.000Z

Dick Brink from the USA in his Birkin S3

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-18T15:35:00.000Z

Bernie Long from the USA in his Birkin S3

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-18T15:30:00.000Z

Martin 'Mav' Richards & Viv 'Miss Mav' Harris from England in their Caterham 7 SV

Big welcome at San Angelo

2005-09-18T15:12:00.000Z

The Chamber of Commerce in San Angelo laid on a fabulous welcome for us when we arrived at their new Fine Art Museum. It was a welcome stop for drinks and an opportunity to meet more of the people we are touring with. As always we created a bit of a stir with the locals all wanting to know who we were, what the cars were and where we are going.

An early start

2005-09-18T14:00:00.000Z

Pulling out onto the streets of Austin at 7.15am on Sunday morning we were greeted with empty roads and comfortable temperatures. We were traveling with jj, Stephen Davies, Chuck Spera and Des East as we hit the twisty section at the start of todays route. A few miles out and we come across Rob Grigsby being given the once over by the local sheriff, and then 2 minutes later Rob flies past us hot on Vinnies tail and just about gets the duratec slowed up for the red light just around the corner.

Mileage update after Day 2

2005-09-17T23:50:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 60
Total Mileage : 260

Fantastic BBQ at the Salt Lick

2005-09-17T23:30:00.000Z

We had a great blat out of town to what has to be the mother of all barbequeues. It was traditional Texas cowboy style, with an eat all you can setup. The food was fabulous. The blat home was made evermore intersting as we tried to negotiate the Austin road system to get to Walmart, somewhere we will probably find ourselves in quite a lot over the next few weeks. I find it amazing that you can go to buy your groceries and while your at it pick up some clothes, a cd or two, some diy stuff and a couple of car tyres as well. Mind you I couldn`t find any 48R`s

A day in Austin

2005-09-17T17:17:00.000Z

We spent today in Austin taking in some of the sights. After realising that we needed to book for the "duck" tour we took a stroll around town. While the city was a hive of activity at night, by day it was largely deserted save for the cockroaches which seemed to be everywhere. We took a bus out to Barton Creek Mall where we at last managed to get a USA sim card. Returning to the city centre we visited the Capitol before returning to the hotel for an afternoon swim. Some of the guys had gone out on a run with the Austin Lotus Club, but after the heat of the day before and the 350 mile drive tomorrow the last thing we wanted was to get back in the car.

Mileage update after Day 1

2005-09-16T23:50:00.000Z

Todays mileage : 200 miles
Total mileage : 200 miles

That was hot out their today

2005-09-16T21:55:00.000Z

After a late start, getting lost and sufferring in the Texas heat we finally arrived in Austin. The final run into Austin in the rush hour was pretty grim, it's just so hot. I'm actually amazed the car stuck the heat, if it managed today then the rest of the trip should be easy. We gave the space center a miss in the end. Tonights entertainment is at BD Rileys Irish Pub on 6th Street...........you come all the way to America and end up in an Irish theme bar.

Todays Plan

2005-09-16T11:24:00.000Z

This morning we are off to the NASA space center (note american spelling). Then it`s a 200 mile dash across Texas to Austin, dodging thunder storms in 100F heat. BD Riley`s Irish Pub in Austin is laying on a happy hour well more of a happy evening actually for the group..........which should be fun.

Our fellow tourers

2005-09-16T10:30:00.000Z

Steve Blair from England in his Caterham 7 SV

Ready for the off

2005-09-16T10:00:00.000Z

The heat is extreme this morning, apparently hotter than normal for the time of year, we are going to get a real scorching on our first day out. So in our useual resourceful style we have fashioned a sun screen out of an old Union Jack.......very patriotic.

Final checks for start tomorrow

2005-09-15T18:00:00.000Z

With everyone safely back at the hotel there was now a frenzy of people getting cars organised for the big start tomorrow, all the packing would have to be done in the morning but final mechanical checks could be completed. Very quickly the need for food and sleep took over.

Our first experience on American roads

2005-09-15T17:00:00.000Z

Car checked, bottles of water on board and a quick briefing not to get too carried away on the drive to the hotel and we are pulling out onto American highways in groups of 6 to be taken to the hotel. At this point I realise any maps I have are in my luggage so I am now relying on following the man in front.....no pressure then. The first thing we notice about Texas is the obsession with 4x4 trucks, they are everywhere. The highways are vast and everything is bigger than us. We diced with the afternoon rush hour traffic for an hour in 34 degree heat and to be fair most of the locals were very friendly.

Reunited with the Caterham

2005-09-15T16:30:00.000Z

We all hopped on a couple of buses, the passengers taken to the hotel, the drivers to the unloading base to pick up the cars. The heat is extreme outside and in the loading shed it was almost unbearable yet the unloading team of volunteers who had come out a couple of days early had unloaded 40 cars in these conditions, fueled them, given them the once over. Big thanks to those involved, you know who you are.

Touch Down in Houston

2005-09-15T15:30:00.000Z

We arrived in Houston at 2.30pm local time after the 10 hour flight from Gatwick. As we congregate in the arrivals hall some of us can't actually believe this is happening. There is a real sense of excitement, yes we have it at the start of every tour but this is so much bigger than anything we have done before. Anyway enough of all that nonsense, where are those Caterhams to we go for a blat.

All systems go!

2005-09-14T09:31:00.000Z

Finished work yesterday at last, just finishing packing and the we`re off to Gatwick tonight for the unofficial pre tour party before catching the flight to Houston tomorrow morning.

Advance Party Set Off

2005-09-13T09:27:00.000Z

The advance party have set off for Houston, the rest of us are cramming that last week of work we need to get done into the next 24 hours, then we`ve got to pack. What is really strange about this tour is not having to spend the night before the start frantically refitting parts to the car, or finishing off that last minute engine rebuild.

Container ship docks in America

2005-09-12T21:24:00.000Z

After a relatively uneventful atlantic crossing, well it was uneventful if you don`t count Hurricanes Maria and Ophelia, the ship made a quick stop at Charleston before finally docking in Barbours Cut in Galveston Bay.

Ship clears Lands End at 0900 hours

2005-08-31T12:16:00.000Z

According to the ship tracking website the ship carrying our se7ens left the English Channel and entered the Atlantic Ocean at 0900 hours this morning. The hurricane forecast is clear so hopefully the ship will get a clear passage. Only 2 weeks to go!

Containers loaded and ship has set sail

2005-08-28T18:01:00.000Z

The 7 containers holding the 39 cars heading to the USA were loaded this morning to begin the 2 week atlantic crossing to the USA. The ship has set sail and is due to arrive in Houston on the 11th September just 4 days before we all land to join them and begin the tour.

Car loaded and on its way

2005-08-23T19:38:00.000Z

Our car was loaded into its container with 5 other se7ens today in London. The loading team have now packed 23 cars into 4 containers which are now awaiting shipping to Houston. Needless to say we will all be paying close attention to the atlantic weather forecast for the next few weeks

Severe withdrawal symptoms

2005-08-21T10:48:00.000Z

We have been without our car now for 2 weeks and the withdrawal symptoms are beginning to show. After the rolling road session at Emerald the car was moved to London to await loading into containers which should take place on Monday 22nd August. So only another 4 weeks to go until we are reunited with the car and our drive of a lifetime begins.

Last minute preparation at Emerald

2005-08-09T09:45:00.000Z

The car finally made it onto the rolling road at Emerald in Norfolk yesterday for professional mapping by Dave Walker. By the end of the session the car was producing 186bhp at 6557rpm and 159lbft @ 5639rpm

Our transport for the tour

2005-08-03T22:05:00.000Z

Here is a picture of our transport for the tour. You can find out more about the build of the car, a Caterham 7 at our website www.simon-bell.co.uk . This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago at a test session at Kirkistown.

USA 2005 - An American Road Trip

2005-07-31T09:43:00.000Z

With USA2005 only just over a month away, we have created this blog to record our experience of our 3000 mile road trip from Houston to San Francisco.