Cross Country Elan

[I B Sevener]

Even though this is not technically Seven related, it may be of interest. Some of you may be aware that I am planning a cross country trip in my Elan this spring. In preparation for that adventure I have begun a blog to get the word out to anyone who might be interested in either meeting up somewhere along the way or just following the progress and story.

 

I also am soliciting donations to the kids at Roundup River Ranch and have set up a donation page for the Ranch. While I will be funding my own expenses for this trip, I would appreciate any support you may feel like contributing for the kids.

 

The link to the blog called Cross Country Elan, is here: www.xcountryelan.com

 

If you want to be notified of any updates to the blog as they are posted, just subscribe using the FOLLOW button after entering your email address above that.

If you wish to donate, use the rounded button marked DONATE HERE and give whatever you can even if it is a small amount. It all adds up and it helps the kids.

 

And, finally, if you wish to connect along the route which will be published as a general path soon and with specific daily routes about a week in advance, click on MENU (the three bars in the upper right hand corner) and use the contact button.

 

Here’s hoping to see you or virtually connect with you in the next few months.

Cheers,

Ross

[xcarguy]

Best of luck, Ross. I look forward to reading about your travels.

[Lotusfan]

Count me in Ross.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ross, he and his cross country trips are the real deal and if he's supporting the Roundup River Ranch, that's good enough for me.

11,500 miles - OMG!

Ken

 

Even though this is not technically Seven related, it may be of interest. Some of you may be aware that I am planning a cross country trip in my Elan this spring. In preparation for that adventure I have begun a blog to get the word out to anyone who might be interested in either meeting up somewhere along the way or just following the progress and story.

 

I also am soliciting donations to the kids at Roundup River Ranch and have set up a donation page for the Ranch. While I will be funding my own expenses for this trip, I would appreciate any support you may feel like contributing for the kids.

 

The link to the blog called Cross Country Elan, is here: www.xcountryelan.com

 

If you want to be notified of any updates to the blog as they are posted, just subscribe using the FOLLOW button after entering your email address above that.

If you wish to donate, use the rounded button marked DONATE HERE and give whatever you can even if it is a small amount. It all adds up and it helps the kids.

 

And, finally, if you wish to connect along the route which will be published as a general path soon and with specific daily routes about a week in advance, click on MENU (the three bars in the upper right hand corner) and use the contact button.

 

Here’s hoping to see you or virtually connect with you in the next few months.

Cheers,

Ross

[scannon]

I went on one of Ross's 3 day charity drives for the Round Up Ranch. One of the stops was at Round Up Ranch. To see kids desperately ill and having fun and their smiles was a great experience.

 

The drive was for older sports cars. I had sold my Caterham by then but Ross allowed me to use my '16 Miata Club. I had a windshield banner "The Japanese Elan" on the car which was the name of my fund raising team. I managed to raise about $2,500 for the Ranch.

[I B Sevener]

Just an update while I am logged in for the Smithology post.

 

Thanks to all of you who have made contributions to the kids at Roundup River Ranch. I recognize some of the names and would voice my thanks personally if I knew how to reach you directly. In the meantime this will have to suffice even though it is just as heartfelt a thank you. 

 

And, finally, I have quite a few posts on my Blog so it may be worth a visit: https://xcountryelan.com/

Edited March 8, 2021 by JohnCh
Fixed link

[JohnCh]

And if you are like me and keep forgetting to check out Ross's site for updates, you can subscribe to his blog on your next visit and get the latest updates delivered to your inbox.   

 

-John

[I B Sevener]

Well the weather looks good, the car is ready, I’m all packed and it seems as though all signs are positive. So I will be leaving on Sunday April 11, 2021 on the first leg. While I have planned the route carefully I know that Eisenhower was right when he said "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." 

If you are interested in the actual progress, be sure to subscribe to the blog at http://www.xcountryelan.com to see my planned daily post from the road. And if you wish to join me for a segment, contact me through the above blog to make arrangements to connect. 

 

See you on the road!!

[I B Sevener]

It was an amazing 36 days on the road out of 40 days since April 11^th. As I noted in my blog, I have the mixed feeling of excitement to having achieved the goal and sadness that there would be no more travel. So, it is now over and I can reflect a bit on the adventure and achievement.

 

Let’s start with some basic statistics about the trip in response to questions I have been asked and think might be asked:

·         Total miles traveled – This is subject to revision as I recalculate each segment over the next month or so, but using my odometer and adjusting for its error I believe I traveled 11,544 miles in 36 days for an average of just over 320 miles per day or a bit less than I estimated.

·         Total Fuel used -  Again my records are less than perfect although I tried to enter every fill-up as soon as I finished, some were from recall so it actually may be one or two tenths more or less. I used 385.8 gallons for a miles per gallon average of almost 30 at 29.923MPG for the whole trip. Not bad!

·         Best Day – That’s easy, the last one coming home through Colorado. There were a lot of memorable places though and I’ll cover some of them in another post.

·         Worst Day – This one is easy too; driving from Death Valley to Goleta CA through the desert and the edge of Los Angeles in the horrible traffic with no clutch. A distant second was the trip south from Madawaska Maine in the cold and rain on that awful Highway 11.

·         Number of States touched – 34: Twenty three on the East loop; Eleven on the West.

·         Number of Tickets or Police Encounters – One. The setup in Alma just for the photo.

·         Problems on the Road – Only four, of which two were serious and two were minor. 1. Needing fuel in Mississippi and getting enough to make it to the next town with a gas station, 2. The Rear Suspension replacement at RD Enterprises (read blog posts 10-12 to get this whole story) 3. Clutch slave cylinder at JAE in Goleta (read west blog posts 4 and 5 to get this whole story), and finally, 4. Brake Lights at Spencer Motorsport in Rohnert Park, CA, (read west blog post six to get this whole story).

·         Weather Observations – I was really fortunate to miss any major severe weather during the trip. I left home both times just after major storm systems had passed through and found generally mild and dry weather across the whole country. The two exceptions were the rain day in Jacksonville when I was off the road at the Bungay’s and the cold rainy weather in Maine and New York neither of which was bad. Now that I am home safe in the garage, there are severe rainstorms across the south central states and major snow in Montana where I just was. I was incredibly lucky, indeed!

·         Percentage of Time with Top Down – 50% is a guess. Most of the eastern loop after Kansas I had the top up because of wind or rainy weather, or the cold in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York and the entire western loop except for the early morning on the last day was top down.

       My condition after the drive – Wiped out! I clearly overestimated my endurance, but I’m grinning!

 

 

 Impressions from the trip end day:

 

• This is a very big and diverse country in geography and density but a much more unified country in values than is portrayed in the press. I think both of these things surprised me.

 

• I am really glad I did this trip. The planning of it was a beacon of hope last year when hope was hard to find and the doing of it was even better. I found that what holds us back is usually overstated and what makes us go is usually undervalued. Mark Twain said it best: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

 

• Several times I wondered if the Elan would make it all the way…I should not have doubted. This is one tough little featherweight car, much like Mighty Mouse it punches well above its weight. Cute my eye!

 

• It seems to be rare and getting rarer to do things without all the modern conveniences. Do we really need all the aids we have to do pretty mundane things like drive? How do we keep skills sharp that we don’t use anymore? Now it seems a clerk cannot even make change without the machine doing the math. I worry that we are getting too soft and when an external challenge comes we will be found wanting. I hope I’m wrong.

[I B Sevener]

[JohnCh]

Congrats on completing this epic journey.  When I first read about your plans I thought you were nuts and would never make it.  Glad I was only half right

 

-John

[Croc]

 

It is definitely congratulations and a great achievement.  I certainly have a greater appreciation than most on how big a challenge Ross overcome.  Driving old cars long distances is not always the most relaxing...

 

Best thing is that it was done for a great cause - Round Up River Ranch for Children.  Over $20,000 was raised by Ross for a great cause.  Its not to late to donate. 

[JohnCh]

3 hours ago, Croc said:

Best thing is that it was done for a great cause - Round Up River Ranch for Children.  Over $20,000 was raised by Ross for a great cause.  Its not to late to donate. 

 

And for those of you who wish to learn more about this great cause, see Ross's blog post here.  If you wish to donate, you can do so through this link.

 

-John

[panamericano]

Congratulations.  I really enjoyed following your blog each day.  Just a wonderful project.  

[Edger]

That was an epic journey! Nice

[JohnCh]

Road & Track just published an article about this epic journey:  https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a37026916/ross-robbins-cross-country-lotus-elan/

 

-John

[panamericano]

Great article.  Nice photos, especially the lead one with the yellow stripes down the side of your car.  Have a beer on me.